DISCLAIMER: the LeSourd Family owns Catherine Marshall’s story of
Christy.  I am in no way seeking profit or credit for her story.  I am
continuing the story of my own amusement only.

Title: SOMETIMES THE CURE…
Author: Lorie N.


SOMETIMES THE CURE…



“You can feel the excitement in the air.” David said to Christy as he
was walking down the steps after attempting to keep the children’s
attention on their Latin lesson.


 “And, You can almost see it!  It’s hanging like a thick fog over the
school” Christy said wearily looking away from David, into the tiny one
room schoolhouse.  Between getting the school ready for the Easter
Service and feeling like she was coming down with a cold, Christy could
feel her energy level was slowly draining.

 It was the Friday before Easter, and the young teacher had let the
students dye the Easter eggs.  Five eggs apiece, Christy had spent
almost her whole salary on the horde of eggs, but the children were so
happy, that she felt it was money well spent. Even Lundy had been so
good the last few months that Christy had been looking for a way to
reward them.

Christy had to yell the be heard above the children’s clamorous voices
“We will give out two prizes.  One for the person who finds the most
eggs, and the one who finds the “Golden Egg”, and I’m sure it will be a
wonderful gift” Christy told the children, her voice low and horse.  The
children were so excited about the upcoming egg hunt and Easter Service,
that Christy let them go an hour early, knowing that they would get no
more work done that day.

“Ruby May” Christy called to the young girl, who had stayed to help
clean up “I need to go to Granny Barkley’s to talk to her, would you
like to join me?” Christy knew that Ruby May loved to the one attention,
and was not surprised when the girl jumped at the chance excitedly.

Christy and Ruby May enjoyed their walk to Granny Barkley’s.  They
talked about this and that, at least Ruby May did.  Christy was content
to listen and enjoy the fresh mountain air.  “Thank you God, for
allowing me to serve you in such a magnificent place.”  Christy said to
herself.  Thinking that if God would allow it, she would only be too
happy to spend the rest of her life here.

“Well, factually speaking, I was plan’n on scooting over to see Granny
anyways.  I hear tell that she has a sure fire way to get rid these here
darn freckles.  Although why she didn’t tell me she had a cure age’s ago
I just can’t understand.  But Bessie told me that Rob told John, that
Granny knows a cure…”

Christy sighed she dearly loved Ruby May, and had tried to convince her
a dozen times that there was NO way to get rid of the insulting
freckles.  Ruby May loved her teacher, and on most things her word was
gospel, but on this one subject still held out hope.  “Miss Christy, she
never had no freckles to deal with, so she really never looked into all
the cures, and I’m sure one has to be out there somewheres.”  Ruby May
said to herself anytime Christy tried to talk her out of trying any more
cures.

When they arrived at the tiny doll-like cabin, Christy, Granny Barkley
and Ruby May had a short chat, shared tea before Christy explained why
she was there.  “Granny I collected all the native plants and prepared
them the way you told me to, and we got some wonderful colors.  Red,
Blue, Green, Pink, Purple and orange, but I can’t seem to get a true
yellow.  I looked over my notes and I only see Hickory bark and yellow
yarrow, The Hickory takes to long to soak to leach out the color and the
yarrow it’s not flowering at this time.  Is there any other plant that I
could use?”

“Well now, just them two.  I recollect that I dried me some of the
yarrow, it makes a dandy tea, even if’n it turns your tongue a mite
yellow.  It be over at my son’s house, I’ll have one of the youngin’s
get it out to rite early in the morning.  You know, Mizz Christy, is
this here egg hunt sounds rite fun.  I’ll make sure that I stay after
the service.  Tired or not, I’d like to see a colored egg hunt once in
my life.”  Granny’s watery blue eyes couldn’t see very well any more,
but she never let that stop her.

“Seems like my old goose, laid an egg last nite, at least I heard her
makin’ a big fuss, so if you want that for your “golden egg” your
welcome to it.  But you had best go out and look for it now, cuse I just
saw her wander away from her nesting box” Granny said, thinking it would
be another way to contribute to the jollification.

Christy ran off to find the egg, and Ruby May stayed to talk to Granny
about the “freckle cure”.  When Christy came back tryimphant from her
search, Ruby May and Granny were just ending their conversation.

“You know Miss Christy, I have a wonderful Cherry Bark cough mixture,
and I can tell that you will be in need of it.”  Granny humbly offered.
Christy graciously accepted the small dark bottle.  She would never hurt
this kind woman, and giving away her homemade recipes made Granny
Barkley feel good.

“Thank you so much Granny!  This will save me a trip out to Dr.
MacNeill’s. Would you like me to return to bottle to you?  Christy
asked, knowing that the highlanders didn’t have much to give away, and
the bottle could be reused.

“That would be real thoughtful of you, I got me about 5 of them bottles,
they be lasty like, strong glass, hard to break.”  I’ll bring it over in
the morning for you, Granny Barkley said as she walked them out to the
porch.

Christy and Ruby May were almost back to the mission when Dr. MacNeill
came riding by from that direction.   Stopped to chat, the conversation
was polite and friendly as it always was.  Christy had become so adept
at hiding her feeling for him, that it had become second nature to her.
After their talks she always left feeling dissatisfied, and that Neil
was gently pushing her for something, but what she really couldn’t tell.

“Good afternoon ladies!  I”, just on my way to El Pano to check on Mrs.
Tatum’s broken arm, and take off her cast.”  Neil said.  After talking
to the two young women for a few moments Neil told Christy “I can’t help
but notice that you’ve got a bit of a frog in your throat. You need to
take care of it before it gets worse, or else you may not make it the
Easter egg hunt, that the whole cove it talking about.”  Neil got down
from Charlie’s back and readjusted the packs on his horse.  “I wish that
I had time to fix something up for you, but I really need to leave now,
so I can be back early in the morning.  Don’t worry I’ll be back in time
to hide the eggs while the children are in church.  Just make sure that
they are all sitting in front so that they pay attention to the service,
and not to my hiding places.”

“Have a safe journey Doctor, and don’t worry about me I’m feeling fine.
Granny Barkley said she would send over her special Cherry Bark
mixture.”  Christy said smiling up at him.  Neil looked at her for a
moment wanting to say so much more, but aware of Ruby May watching them
closely.

Laughing Neil made a face “Granny’s Cherry Bark is the very best thing
for you, but I warn you it tastes like your drinking swamp water.”  Neil
grinned at Christy, then reached over and tapped her on the end of her
nose.  “And as your Doctor, my prescription would be that you hold that
sensitive nose of yours, because it smells even worse.”  Christy’s nose
wrinkled as if she could already smell it.  Neil laughing got back on to
Charlie and started to ride always but called over his shoulder “I
suggest you drink it in one gulp, or once you taste it you’ll never get
the rest down.  And remember sometimes the cure is worse than the
illness!”

Christy watched Neil ride away, and then turned back to Ruby May, who
had listened to the two with big eyes.  “I really doubt that it can be
that bad.  Can it?”  Ruby May made the same face that Neil had worn on
his face only a moment before.  “I had to take it last winter, Ugh!  I’d
ruther be sick!”  Ruby May said with feeling “but I did feel better
almost as soon as I drank it.”

Christy was feeling better in the morning after a good nights rest.  She
came down and had some tea to sooth her throat.  As she sat at the table
with David she couldn’t help but to think he looked especially handsome
to day.  He’s so cute!  She giggled to her self, thinking she sounded
just like Ruby May talking about Rob Allen.  “If only I loved him, we
could have a good life together.  But that was past now, she knew she
would never love him the way a wife should love a husband, the way he
deserved to be loved.  But Christy knew that you couldn’t force your
heart to feel something that it doesn’t.

“David you’re looking well this morning, what’s going on?  You look like
the cat who ate the cream.”  David smiled and chuckled good-naturedly.

“You know me so well, Christy.  I got a call last night, and it seems
that Cicely, had some time off, and will be in El Pano in about 4
hours.  I need to get some things done before I pick her up.  It will be
nice to have a friend from home with me for the holidays.”

“Oh, David!  I’m so happy for you.  I’ll get the guest room ready for
her.  I’m sure Ruby May and Miss Alice are busy already this morning.”
Christy was truly happy for David, he had been so understanding when she
had given him his ring back.  After Margaret passed on last year.  It
was David that had spent time with Neil, helping bring him closer to
God.

David gave Christy a big hug as his “thank you” and left the table to
put the finishing touches on his sermon, and Christy made a long list of
things that she needed to be done.  After the dishes were done, she
fixed the guest room and picked fresh flowers for Cicely.  Did laundry
and then went to help fix up the church with Ruby May and Miss Alice.

Cicely and David were back by the time dinner was on the table, and
every one stayed up late talking, singing and having a good time.  By
the time Ruby May was asleep in bed.  Christy was so tired that all she
could think about was getting into bed herself.  A good nights sleep
will do me good, she said to herself.

Unfortunaty that was not to be; she tossed and turned all night.  She
felt hot and threw all her blankets off.  Then she felt cold and put
them back on, plus the extra one she kept in her trunk.  She seemed to
do this on and off all night, and it was a very long night for her.
In wee hours of the morning Christy finally fell in to a sound sleep,
and when she awoke in the morning the sun was already high, she knew she
would have to hurry.  She got up and dressed, and spent a little extra
time on her hair.  Then ran down to have a hurried breakfast.  Because
she was the last one down, she told Miss Alice that she would help Ruby
May finish the dishes, and head to the church as soon as she was done.

“Your voice sounds worse, Christy. I forgot to tell you that Granny
Barkley sent over some things for you and Ruby May late yesterday, but
we were so busy that put them down.  I put them in the kitchen this
morning, Christy your bottle in on the left hand side and Ruby May’s is
on the right hand side.

“Well, Whoop-ee” With that Ruby May ran in to the kitchen, and Miss
Alice walked away.

By the time Christy got to the kitchen Ruby may way holding her bottle
and dancing around the kitchen.  “I hope that this works FAST, you
reckon if I use it now, I could go the church with freckles and come out
with none?”  Ruby May asked in an excited voice.

Christy not wanting to build up her hopes put her hand on the girls
back.  “You never know Ruby May, but I think that God gave you your
freckles and maybe he wants you to keep them.”  Seeing Ruby May’s
sagging shoulders Christy was quick to add “but if God allowed a cure to
be made, then maybe he knew what he was doing.  Why don’t you help me
finish her, then you can go try out your cure before church.  Ruby May
ran to clear the table.

Christy put the goose next to the stove, and put on a pot of water to
boil.  “I wish I remembered to do this yesterday, I hope I’m not late
for church.  She put all the colored eggs in a basket and put it in the
middle of the empty table, where Neil would find them.  Then she picked
up her bottle and uncorked it, holding it away from her face.  “I’m not
even going to smell it, because if I do I know I’ll never get it down.”
Christy plugged her nose and drank the bottle as fast as she could.  The
first thing she felt was a fire sliding down her throat.  She inhaled as
fast as she could, like the fresh cool air of the mountains would put
out the fire.  The fire, slowly spread to her stomach and lay there like
a hot pool of lava.

“Well, I hope that works.”  Christy sputtered, “Because like Ruby May
said, I think I would rather be sick.”  With both Ruby May and Christy
working they had everything in order in about 45 minutes.   As she was
putting the last things away she told Ruby May that she could go and try
her “cure”.  Christy put her bottle down next to a matching bottle.
Where had this third bottle come from?  I wonder what this is for.  She
felt like she should know, but her head was so fuzzy that she just sat
them down side by side, she would think about that latter.  With that
out of the way she headed to the Church.

Christy could see that everyone was going inside by this time, so she
would have to sit in the back if no one had saved her a seat.  “Oh I
feel so dizzy” Christy giggled,  “Granny’s Cherry Bark really packs a
wallop!”

“It packs a what?  Miss Huddleston” Came Neil’s voice behind her.
Surprised Christy spun around so fast that she felt dizzy again putting
her hands to her head she fell and landed on her rear in the middle of
the mission yard.  “Oh my head!”  Christy exclaimed keeping her eyes
closed.

“Christy!”  Neil yelled and ran to her.  At that moment Christy opened
her eyes.

“Neil!”  She stared in shock; pointing her finger at Neil she gasped,
“What did you do to your self?”  With that she started laughing at him
and pointing her finger.  “Your hair..” She laughed helplessly,  “Your
beautiful curls…she laughed harder.  “You cut off your curls” With that
she started to cry.

Neil stood where her was bending over not quite to her yet.  “She’s
making fun of me!  After I took to time to look my best for her.”   He
had just looked at her in confusion till she started crying.

“Christy?  Are you alright?”  Neil helped her to her feet, and she laid
her hands on his chest and looked in to his eyes.

“Neil, now you’ve gone and done it!  Don’t you know you’ll lose all you
strength by cutting your hair, don’t you ever read your bible?  Now
you’ll never be able to catch fish again, and you were such a good
fisherman, too.”  With that Christy put her head on his chest and
started to cry.

Neil just stood there,  “what is going on here, Christy why do you smell
like…”

Just then the door to the mission slammed closed, Christy who was
looking in that direction, once again pointed her finger and started
laugh uproarlously.  “Ruby May what did you DO to your face!”

Ruby May opened up her mouth and all Neil and Christy heard was
“Whaaaaaaaaa!”
They stared in the very unhappy, very bright YELLOW face of Ruby May.

“At least I can’t see any freckles!  You look like a lemon.”  Christy
said and laughed even harder.  Neil looked at the yellow face of Ruby
May, there where streaks of yellow tears sliding down her face, and
pooling on the front of her dress.  He turned his head and looked at the
doubled up form of Christy.  He shook his head as if to try and
understand.

Neil tried to run his fingers thru his hair, but found not enough of it
to be any comfort.  Christy watching him once again began to laugh and
cry at the same time.  “Your hair.., I loved your hair…you had to go and
cut it off…I used to love that one curl that fell over your face”
Christy said gently running her small hand where that curl would have
been.  “You went and cut it off!  What were you thinking!  I like your
hair long… Did you at least save some of it for me?”  Christy said in a
small, sad voice.

Neil smiled; yes this would be an Easter to remember…. he just hoped
that Christy would remember it too!

After Neil had got both Ruby May and Christy back into the mission
house.  He got the rest of the yellow die (what little was left and dyed
the goose egg) he went to hide the eggs and then went back to the
Mission house.   He went up stairs with the three bottles in his hand.

“Ruby May you put the dye on you face.  Didn’t you even look at it
first?”  Neil asked the girl in a rough manor.  Ruby may who had been
crying softy to herself, started sobbing louder.

“Neil MacNeill!  You made her cry, what is wrong with you,” Christy went
to Ruby may and said in a soft caring voice “come her lemon head, I
still love you.”  Ruby May looked up at Christy in shock and Christy
just started to laugh even harder.

“Don’t pay any attention to her Ruby May, it seems as it Miss Huddleston
drank you freckle cure…. and by the smell of it I think it’s at least
100% moonshine.”

“You mean Miz Christy, she’s likkerd up?”  Ruby May’s eyes got so big
that Neil was surprised that they stayed in her head.  Ruby May seemed
to forget about her problems and sat staring at Christy.
“We better not let anyone find out about this, or who knows what will
happen, this would be good cause to fire her.”  Neil said making sure
that Ruby May understood the seriousness of the situation.

As they were discussing what to do, Christy crawled onto the bed and put
her head down.  “My head, it feels like some one is jumping on it.”
Christy said in a small sad voice.

Neil helped Ruby May wash her face using some rubbing alcohol from his
bag.  When he was done, her face while no longer bright yellow but
looked like she had a slight case of jaundice.  Neil looked at Ruby May
with calculating eyes, “Ruby May I have a idea, but it’s going to take
your help.”  After he explained and Ruby May had agreed, Neil made his
way to the church.

Ruby May sighed it would be hard to keep this story to herself, it was
funny, at least it would be funny after the dye was gone from her face.
She walked to the window, and watched Dr. MacNeill walk to the Church.

Nobody seemed surprised to see Neil in the back of the church, when the
service was over.  The children were ready to look for the eggs, and
were looking for their teacher.

“Children, it seems as though you will have to do this without your
teacher, both Ruby May and Miss Huddleston and not feeling well.”  Neil
listened to a group of groans and saw the worried looks, and quickly
finished.  “Now don’t worry.  Both Miss Huddleston and Ruby May insisted
that you please have a good time, they will want to know all the details
at school when you come back next week.  Miss Christy said that you all
are to have a wonderful spring brake.”  With that he took Miss Alice
aside.

“Now don’t worry Alice, I think that they may have a 24 hr bug.  But I
put them in the same room to keep each other company, and I want
everyone to stay away from them, they just need rest.”  Alice started to
protest

“Now Alice, you need to keep yourself well, too.  And Christy asked if
you would please take charge in her absence.”  Miss Alice could do
nothing but nod her head, something was going on, but what she did not
know.  In the meantime she had to deal with about 70 excited children,
and had no more time to dwell on it.

“Very well then, please go on and take care of thy patients Neil, but
you know that you can trust me with their care, if the need arises.”
She seemed to mean more then what she said.  But Neil only smiled at her
and walked back to the mission.

When Neil walked into the girl’s room, he could hear Christy softly
snoring.  He brushed her hair away from her face, and looked down at her
lovingly.  Ruby May, her back to them stood watching the other children
looking for the eggs.

“I was really wantin to go a looking for them eggs.  You think maybe
Miss Christy will put on another one next year?”  Ruby looked over at
the sleeping teacher, then over to the Doctor  “I sure do hope that Miz
Christy, stays on for the next school year, don’t you Doc?”

Neil looked at the girl and smiled, “I’m sure that between the two of
us, we can think of a way to persuade her to stay.”  After a moment of
silence, where they both stood staring at Christy, lost in their own
thoughts.  Neil started to pack up his bag.  “I’m going down stairs,
Ruby May.  Miss Huddleston should sleep the rest of the day.  She may
need a lot of quite when she does wake up.  So be sure that you let her
rest, and keep your voice down.”

Ruby May looked offended, now Doctor I may not know how to stop talking,
but I know how to talk real quite like.”

“I’ll come back in a few hours, and I’ll tell everyone to keep away for
the rest of the day.  You answer the door if any one comes.  You
positively ill with your face that off yellow color.”

The rest of the afternoon went well, but Ruby May dad no one to talk to
because Christy never once woke.  Only Miss Alice came up, and only to
bring them some lunch.  But looking a Ruby May’s face, and seeing
Christy sound asleep on her bed, she decided that Neil had told the
truth, and they were sick and did not stay to chat.

Neil came again and brought their dinner up with him.  He checked on
Christy as Ruby May ate her soup.  Then he washed Ruby May’s face again,
and only a small amount of the yellow dye was remaining.  “Ruby May you
look fine, I’m leaving a small amount of this, so you can wash again in
the morning.”  He said as he handed her the rest of the rubbing
alcohol.  “Remember what we talked about, no one, not even the Preacher
or Miss Alice is to be told about this.  It’s just between the three of
us.”  He told her she could go down for breakfast in the morning if she
wanted to.  On his way out the door, Neil stopped and looked at the
sleeping Christy then he put an envelope with her name on it on her
nightstand and walked out.

Christy slept the whole night not even waking for dinner.  And when she
did get up, she felt sick to her stomach and light headed. When she did
attempted to sit up, it was only to sink back to the pillow, wincing
with pain.

“Hits all right teacher, Doc MacNeill said you would feel that way, said
you should have just toast for breakfast.  I’ll go down now and ask Miss
Alice to make some tea and toast for you.”

Christy sat for a while then decided she would feel better once she
washed up and exchanged her rumpled dress from yesterday for a fresh
clean one.  When she was done she felt a little better.  That is when
she spied the letter with her name on it.  Walking over she picked it up
and recognized Neil’s bold script.  She opened it and read the short
note.



Dear Christy,

By now you should have figured out that you drank Ruby May’s freckle
cure, I think it only had a few herbs in it with the moonshine.  Don’t
worry about anything, Ruby May and I have taken care of everything, so
just the three of us know.

P.S. Don’t worry about the things you said last night

Neil

“What did I say to him last night!?!  OH, now I do feel sick.”  As she
went to put the note back in the envelope it caught on something.
Puzzled Christy looked inside, more puzzled still she pulled out what
was inside. In her small hand lay a small curly lock of Neil’s hair.

Ruby May walked in at that moment.  “Oh, Teacher that was so nice of Doc
MacNeill to give you a lock of his hair.  After all the crying and
fussin you did last night.  You a cryin and laughing at him at the same
time, and a hugg’n poor Doc MacNeill.  He had the strangest look on his
face.  I can’t describe it, but it was like someone done hit him upside
the head with a fryin pan.  He probably felt rite sorry for a cutt’n it
all off after you told him how much you loved his “beautiful curly hair”
and all.”  Ruby went on chatting about everything that went on the day
before, not even noticing that she had lost her audience.

Christy stood next to her bed in dismay, “OH No!  What am I going to say
to him next time I see him.”  Well God would take care of everything she
was sure, didn’t Miss Alice say that God worked in mysterious ways?  She
turned away from Ruby May and picked up a small book.  She couldn’t help
the small smile as she slipped the curly red lock of Neil’s hair into
her Diary.


The End!