Miss Julia Stands Her Ground Read Online Free

have to do that. Let the man rest in peace. Although for my money,” I said, with a sniff, “he doesn’tdeserve a minute of it. Not that I bear a grudge, you understand. I just resent the fact that I can’t ever seem to be free of him.”
    â€œYou’re free of him, Julia, and you’ve got me to remind you of it every day.”
    â€œI know, Sam, and I’m more grateful than you know.” I took his arm as we went toward the kitchen, me thinking all the while of how comforting it was to have a good and capable man to lean on.
    By the time we got through the dining room, though, I was reminding myself that as trustworthy as Sam had always proven to be, he could be a little slow getting things done. Always telling me to calm down, wait and see, or let things run their course. That wasn’t my way by a long shot. I’d been an obedient follower all the days of my first marriage, never stepping out of line, and always reacting instead of acting on my own instincts. The few years between husbands, though, when I was free to do as I pleased, had shown me that my instincts were invariably correct.
    Well, maybe not invariably, but nine times out of ten they’d led me on the right path.
    So it was not my intention to sit around for days on end while Sam waited for Brother Vern to show his hand. I mean, it was all well and good for Sam to handle the major problems—it was a relief to have him do it, in fact—but I could be a help to him in little ways. Like warning Hazel Marie to stay away from tent meetings, for example.
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    My intent had been to get Hazel Marie alone in her room right after supper and tell her what we were in for—not all the details, of course, but enough to prepare her for what might lie ahead. All I’d have to say was that Brother Vern was back in town, and she’d know to start girding her loins. So to speak.
    Instead of planning a quiet evening at home, though, she’d hurried through her meal so she could go play a game that some of the younger set had taken up. I’d never heard of such entertainment before and, when she told me what went on at thosebunco parties, I felt it my duty to make it clear how much I disapproved of gambling of any kind.
    â€œOh, it’s not really gambling,” Hazel Marie had said. “It’s just a way to get together and have some fun.”
    â€œI can think of better ways to have fun,” I told her. “And besides, gambling is illegal in this state.”
    â€œIt is?” Hazel Marie frowned, then she laughed. “Well, if they raid Miriam Hargrove’s house, you’ll bail me out, won’t you?”
    And off she’d gone, as free of worry as if I’d never warned her of the dire consequences of wagering money. You let sin gain a foothold, and it’ll take over your whole life.
    So I had to lie in bed all night with the knowledge of Brother Vern’s threat simmering in my head. It had about reached a boil by the next morning as I waited in the kitchen for Hazel Marie to make an appearance.
    Since it was a Saturday, Sam and Little Lloyd were making their weekly visit to the hardware stores, during which they rarely bought anything, but seemed to enjoy thinking about what they might purchase.
    Lillian was piddling at the counter, and I was at the table making out a grocery list, and trying to put my mind onto the menus for the coming week. I put down my pen when Hazel Marie, still in her bathrobe, pushed through the kitchen door.
    â€œMorning, everybody,” she said, heading for the coffee pot. “Lillian, I’m not going to mess up your kitchen with another breakfast. I just need some coffee.”
    â€œYou better eat something,” Lillian said, worried as always about everybody’s digestive systems. “You need to put some meat on them bones.”
    Hazel Marie just smiled, poured her coffee, and came over to the table. I opened my mouth to