Howdy Do, Kinfolk: Chapter 2
by Tami B.
Disclaimer: The following work has been written solely for the enjoyment of fans and not for monetary profit. The rights to the characters initially created for the Daniel Boone series belong to 20th Century Fox and Fess Parker. All other characters are of the author's own creation. No copyright violation is intended.
"All right, young 'uns, go play," Virginia ordered. The orderly line she had them formed in broke apart and the expected pairings began. Jemima joined Darla and Dineen, and Israel found an instant friend in Gillam.
Yadkin watched as Lydia and Alvin followed Virginia to the porch where the adults had gathered. When his sister came close to him, he said irritatedly, "Virginia, we have to talk."
"In little awhile, Carolina. First, I have to find out somethin'," she told him. "But, before I do, Rebecca, you did well with the young 'uns names. I thought for certain you'd confuse Darla and Dineen."
"I almost did until I associated their unique characteristics with each one, ," Rebecca admitted.
"Shows me you're always listenin', even when I think you aren't," Virginia said with a smile. "Now, Lydia, what are you and the young'uns doin' in Kentucky?"
"Pa was worried about you so he sent us to find you," Lydia answered. "It was just supposed to be me and Alvin, but then Darla and Dineen insisted they come and, before you know it, Gilly whined his way into the party."
"And why was your pa worried about me? Doesn't he have enough to keep him busy blacksmithin'?
"Ma, Pa hasn't been the same since you left. He's pinin' for you somethin' awful," Lydia explained. "He said you and him ain't never been parted until now, and it's mighty hard on him. But he wants you to come home when you're ready, and not just because he's missin' you somethin' fierce."
"Isn't that sweet of the dear man," Virginia remarked tenderly. As she folded her hands.
"Virginia, I tell you what I'm gonna do," Yadkin said. "I'll lay in some venison today and make some jerky to keep the whole clan fed until you reach home."
"That's very kind of you, Carolina, but we're not leavin' just yet," Virginia explained.
"You're not? But you just heard Lydia tell you that Paul is missin' you. Don't you think it would be the courteous thing to do to go home to him?" Yadkin asked.
"Lydia also said that I didn't need to go right away. Paul can get along without me a spell longer."
"You fool woman!" Yadkin shouted. "Why are you tormentin' your husband? Why don't you go home to him? He's sent half your family out here to fetch you back. Doesn't that tell you somethin'?"
"It tells me a lot, dear brother. He sent the three troublemakers, Darla, Dineen, and Gilly, and kept the three angels Ambrose, Nicholas, and Winifred at home." Virginia then turned back to Lydia. "I hope your grandma is carin' for them, considerin' Ambrose is the oldest of the three and is only ten."
"She is and she said to tell you. 'Good luck with the terrible trio', and to stay in Kentucky for months and months as she doesn't mind lookin' after the other three." Lydia couldn't help herself. She tried not to smile, but did anyway. She knew that her mother had spoken the truth. She and Alvin already had experience with Darla's, Dineen's, and Gillam's quarrelsome natures. It had taken Alvin threatening to tie them to a tree and leave them there until they returned to secure their good behavior.
"Your grandmother is very kind," Virginia said.
"Ma, Alvin and I are wantin' to stretch our legs," Lydia stated. "We'll even take all the young 'uns with us-" .
"We will?" Alvin asked.
"Yes, Alvin, we will," Lydia insisted as she elbowed him in the ribs. "That is, if it's all right with you, Ma."
"By all means take them. But…" Virginia paused, "come back with all of them. I don't want to have to explain their disappearance to your father."
Smiling, Lydia took Alvin's hand and led him to the children who had gathered in the yard. Then the seven of them headed towards the river. Hannibal, the goose, who had joined the group sometime while the adults were conversing, waddled after them.
After watching them leave, Virginia turned her attention to the Boones and her brother. "That Lydia is the sweetest girl. Too bad Darla and Dineen didn't take after her. Paul said the younger of his two girls are like their ma, even though they don't remember her. He also said his first wife liked to quarrel just for the fun of it, and those two like to do that too. Gilly picked it up from them. I love them just the same as my own, although their quarrlin' can become a mite tiresome."
"Virginia, are you done? Can I talk now?" Yadkin asked testily.
"Oh, yes, you did want to talk about somethin'. What was it?" Virginia asked.
"Where are you plannin' on puttin' all your young 'uns?" Yadkin asked.
"What do you mean where? We'll all stay at your cabin. It's fit now that it's been chinked, and the door and roof fixed," Virginia answered.
Yadkin shook his head. "There's not enough room for all of them and us."
"We can take a few. Right, Becky?" Daniel offered as he placed his arm around her shoulders.
"Certainly," Rebecca agreed.
"That's not necessary. We'll be a mite crowded, but we'll get along just fine. Thanks just the same," Virginia said.
"No," Yadkin protested angrily. "We ain't puttin' all them people in my little cabin. Why, we'll have to hang the smallest two on the wall to get everybody in there."
Virginia laughed. "You know, Gilly would probably like that. Don't fret, Carolina. It won't be as bad as you're makin' it out to be."
"I know it won't be because not everyone is comin' to my cabin. Now, you decide, Virginia, who goes and who stays here," Yadkin ordered as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And if you can't decide, then I will decide for you."
Virginia angled her head up towards her brother, noting how stubborn he was being. Well, she could be just as stubborn. "Carolina, either we all stay at your cabin or we all don't. I'll not split my family up."
"Fine, Virginia, have it your way. I reckon you all will be happy stayin' here. I tried to be generous and fair, but you wouldn't hear of it," Yadkin said as he gripped his rifle tighter and prepared to leave the porch. "I'm goin' home…alone!" He stomped off the porch, intending to make his way to the fort before going home. He needed a drink.
Virginia trotted after him. "Carolina!" She caught him by the arm. He stopped and faced her. "Carolina, you stop this nonsense. You're embarrassing me."
"I'm…" Yadkin stammered. "I'm embarrassin you? You've always have a way of twistin' things so's nothin' is ever your fault. I gave you a choice, Virginia, and you chose otherwise. You and some of your family can come to my cabin, but not all of them. That's the deal. What's it gonna to be?"
"Carolina, we're family. We should all be together," Virginia protested.
"Not in my cabin. It's crowded enough as it is with the two of us without addin' your bickerin'young'uns too."
"I can't ask the Boones to take a few of my young 'uns. It's unfair to them. You can put up with us for a spell. It won't kill you, and you may just find out that havin' family around is warm and invitin'."
Yadkin shook his head. "It's either my way, or you and the young 'uns stay with Dan'l. That's the only choices you've got. ."
Virginia stomped her foot. "Carolina E. Yadkin, you're bein' a stubborn cuss. You're puttin' Dan'l and Becky out unnecessarily. Think of them, will you?"
"They offered to take a few of the young 'uns. Why won't you let them?" Yadkin asked. "Or I have a better idea, why don't you just go back home now and then the problem is solved. Goodbye, Virginia. Have a safe trip home." He turned on his heel and headed towards the fort.
Virginia clenched her fists at her side and shook them. Then she marched to the porch where she found Daniel and Rebecca waiting there for her. "'Pears like you'll be housin' all my family until I talk Carolina into lettin' us stay with him. My goodness, he can be so stubborn. Becky, I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna fetch me a cup of coffee. Carolina has greatly upset me."
"Of course, Virginia. The coffee is ready for pouring," Rebecca told her. She watched as her friend walked inside the cabin. "Well, Dan, it looks like we just inherited the Garner clan."
Daniel cleared his throat. "Well, Becky, how is it that Yad and Virginia get into an argument and we come out the losers, when we are just innocents in this matter?"
"Because we are the Boones and we usually end up in the middle of other people's affairs, whether we like it or not," Rebecca observed. "I'll talk to Virginia and see if I can get her to change her mind, but she's just as stubborn as Yad and may not give in ... mostly out of spite, I think."
"Do what you can," Daniel suggested, " otherwise, we're going to be knee-deep in humanity." .
"And I know that you're going to feel just like Yad. You'll be wanting more elbow room," Rebecca stated. .
"I'm already wantin' more elbow room and the clan hasn't moved in yet. Maybe I'll just move into the lean-to," Daniel teased.
"Daniel Boone! You will not."
Daniel turned a lopsided grin and then kissed her cheek. "You can always move in there with me." Then he raised and lowered his eyebrows rapidly.
"Oh, how could a girl refuse that offer?" She wrapped her arms around him and they kissed.
Yadkin stood at the counter massaging his mug of ale. "That gol durn fool woman. Never was a woman born yet, 'Natus, that didn't try a body, and my sister is the best at it."
"Now, Yad, calm down. Drink your ale and try to forget your troubles," Cincinnatus advised as he cleaned more mugs with a cloth.
"That's why I'm here." Yadkin then took a large swallow. . "'Natus, did you do somethin' to this ale?. It don't taste right." He licked his lips and chomped his jaws.
"What do you mean?" Cincinnatus asked defensively. "I didn't do nothin' to the ale. It came straight from Salem." He brought the jug to his nose and sniffed it. "Smells all right."
"The smell ain't the test. It's whether it tastes right that counts, and I'm tellin' you, 'Natus, that ale tastes funny."
"I think you're sister has upset your sense of taste. There ain't nothin' wrong with that ale." Cincinnatus poured a little of the ale into a mug and took a drink of it. He rolled the liquid in the mouth, savoring it, and then swallowed. "Tastes fine to me."
"Well, what do you know, you old goat? You lost your sense of taste back in the French war. Give me another round. Maybe what's in the jug now is better than what you gave me."
Cincinnatus poured ale into Yadkin's mug and watched as he took a sip of it. Imitating the tavernkeeper exactly, Yadkin slowly rolled the liquid in his mouth and then swallowed. "Well?" he asked impatiently.
"'Natus, that there has got to be the sorriest ale known to mankind. How can you sell such lousy ale? You should be hung, and drawn and quartered for servin' that awful stuff."
Pointing his finger at Yadkin, Cincinnatus said angrily, "The ale tastes fine and I don't want to hear another word about it."
"All right. But the next customer that comes in here and orders ale, I'm tellin' him how lousy it is," Yadkin warned.
"What are you tryin' to do? Run off my customers? You'll just keep your trap shut about the ale because there ain't nothin' wrong with it! Your problem is with your sister; not with my ale." He slapped the countertop and then went back to cleaning mugs.
Yadkin finished draining his mug. Afterwards, he placed it, empty, on the counter. "I'll take another round," he said.
"Another round of that good fer nothin' ale?" Cincinnatus asked. "The answer is 'no', unless you promise to not say anythin' about the ale to anyone that comes in here. I won't have you spreadin' lies in my establishment."
"It ain't a lie. That ale don't taste right," Yadkin insisted.
"Then why do you keep drinkin' it?" Cincinnatus retorted.
"Because there ain't nothin' better to drink. Now, what about it? Are you goin' to fill my mug or not?"
"Not until you promise," Cincinnatus said.
As he pursed his lips, Yadkin pushed his mug towards Cincinnatus. "I promise."
"You promise what?"
"Why, you ole coot, you keep pushin' me and I'm goin' to drown you in that witches' brew you call 'ale'." Yadkin placed his fists on the counter and leaned over. "I promise not to even mention your gol- durn awful ale. Satisfied?"
Cincinnatus shook his head. "Your word, Yad."
"I just gave you my word!" Yadkin yelled. "Didn't you hear it? Have you suddenly gone daft?"
"Your word, Yad," Cincinnatus stroked his beard. "Your solemn word."
Yadkin mumbled angrily and then said, "My word. Now, fill my mug before I shoot you with a cannon."
Cincinnatus poured Yadkin another mug of ale as Mingo entered. "Oh, howdy, Mingo."
"Cincinnatus. Yadkin," Mingo greeted them.
"Mingo, I'm glad you're here." He pushed the mug towards him as Mingo came to stand beside him. "Taste this ale," he ordered.
"Yadkin, what are you doin'? Are you goin' back on your word?" Cincinnatus asked.
"No, I ain't goin' back on my word. Let's just let Mingo judge it for his ownself," Yadkin said.
Mingo wasn't sure what was going on between the two of them, but he was certain that he did not want to get into the middle of it. "I am sorry, Yadkin, but I have made it a standard policy not to drink on an empty stomach. I actually came by for some powder."
"Powder it is," Cincinnatus said as he moved in the direction of the powder keg he kept by the wall behind the counter.
"Mingo, how big is your lodge?" Yadkin asked.
The tall Cherokee looked at Yadkin. Confusion was evident on his face. "Large enough, I suppose. Why are you asking?"
"Some of my sister's family have arrived. Five of 'em. And three of 'em are loud noisy young 'uns." Yadkin took a drink from his mug and watched as Cincinnatus filled Mingo's powder horn. "Never mind. I had an idea of movin' your lodge close - but not too close - to my cabin. Then my kinfolk could stay in it."
"Are they refusing to live in your cabin?" Mingo asked as he took his powder horn from Cincinnatus and proceeded to tie it back on his rifle.
"I'm refusin' to let them stay in my cabin," Yadkin explained. "There's just too many of 'em. A man needs elbow room."
"Where will they reside if not with you?" Mingo asked.
"At Dan'l's place," Yadkin replied. "It serves him right. He was the one that made me say 'howdy do,' and that's what has caused all the trouble."
Mingo looked quizzical. He decided not to ask Yadkin to explain, but he was curious as to what Daniel's attitude would be towards six additional people in his home. The matter needed investigation, and the place to start was at the tall frontiersman's cabin. He bid farewell to Cincinnatus and Yadkin and made his way there.
As she sipped her coffee, Virginia tapped her foot angrily. It made drinking a little difficult, but she managed. She had been sitting at the table for quite some time and was starting on her fifth cup, with plans to drink five more.
"Virginia," Rebecca said as she sat in the chair across from the other woman, "don't you think you've had enough coffee?"
"I'm only halfway through," she answered. "When I'm done, I'll be ready to do a lot of chores around here, and you'd best be ready to put me to work. I aim to get you caught up on all the ones you've been puttin' off because you've been entertain' me. Now that my family's staying with you, we'll have to pull our weight."
"What do you say to us talking about the real problem between you and Yad?" Rebecca asked.
Virginia lowered the cup that she had just brought to her lips. "Go on. I'm listenin'."
"Yad's feeling overwhelmed and he's reacting defensively," Rebecca explained. "First, you came to visit, and his way of life drastically changed. For him, that was a major adjustment. He had to get used to you being around, and he did it out of love for you; his sister. Now, suddenly, he has to contend with five more people in his small cabin. In his mind, he thinks of himself as a wounded animal cornered by predators. He feels the need to escape, and he is going to protect himself any way he can."
"Becky, how do you know what's going on in Carolina's mind? I'm his sister and I can't figure him out half the time."
"Because I see some of Dan in Yad. They're alike in their love of the wilderness, their need for elbow room, and their inclination to roam," Rebecca told her. "For the most part, Dan's learned to balance those loves with the responsibilities of home and family. Yad hasn't, because he hasn't needed or wanted to. But that's exactly what you're asking him to do now; accept your family and the crowded conditions without protest. . He's not prepared for it and I seriously doubt he ever will be."
Virginia stared into her empty cup, absorbing everything Rebecca said to her. "Maybe you're right, Becky. I thought Carolina was just being selfish. All my life I have been surrounded with family and friends and was never alone much. I don't like it. I'm uncomfortable with being alone, and he's uncomfortable with not being alone."
"Then you'll accept Yad's offer?" Rebecca asked.
The other woman nodded her head. "I'll have to adjust to not havin' all my young 'uns under the same roof as me, but if Carolina has to make a sacrifice, then I oughta be able to make one too." She displayed an ornery grin. "He said I could decide who goes and who stays. That bein' the case, my dear brother gets Darla, Dineen, and Gilly." She laughed. "Lydia, Alvin, and me will stay with you."
"Virginia, that's not going to happen and you know it. Yad won't allow it."
"I realize that, but I'm gonna enjoy the look on his face when I present him with my choice. Then I'll tell him that Darla and Gilly will stay with you, and the Purple Princess and the other two with us," Virginia decided.
"We'll take the Purple Princess too," Rebecca offered.
"Becky, you don't know what you're sayin'. You'll have the terrible three. If Dineen and Gilly are separated, you'll have fewer problems."
"I can handle them," Rebecca countered, "as long as I have full authority."
"You most certainly do, and you're not to spare the rod and spoil the young 'uns. Switch 'em if you have to," Virginia advised.
"I don't think I will have to resort to that. A simple severe Irish reprimand ought to do it." Rebecca smiled. "It works very well on my three."
"Three?" Virginia asked.
"I'm counting Dan."
Virginia chuckled and nodded her head. Then as she took a sip of her coffee, the cabin door came open. A tall Cherokee entered with Darla on his left arm, and Dineen on his right.
"Look, who we found, Ma. His name is Bingo," Dineen said proudly. "All we did was say 'Howdy do', and he escorted us home."
"I did not say 'howdy do'," Darla countered; her nose in the air. "I said 'Good day, sir. How do you do?' as should have been properly said."
"Yes, miss, you have very fine manners." Mingo commended her and then he turned to Dineen. "My name is Mingo, not Bingo."
Dineen giggled. "Oh, sorry, Mingo."
"You do not say 'Oh, sorry'," Darla corrected. "You say 'My apologies, sir'."
"Darla, shut the bear-trap up!" Dineen yelled.
Unfortunately for Mingo, his ear happened to be in the way of Dineen's vociferous retort. He placed his hand on it and began to rub. .
"Princess Dino doesn't want to hear anythin' more out of your bear- trap of a mouth, so just keep it shut!" Dineen ranted.
Mingo had prepared himself for Dineen's shout this time, and had moved his head out of the way.
"'Shut the bear- trap up?" Darla asked calmly. "Is that another of Gillam's quaint expletive phrases that you have adopted? Mother, does this not call for Dineen's mouth to be washed out with soap?"
Virginia looked away from her daughters to Rebecca. "Would you like to make one of those stern Irish reprimands now? I'd like to hear it. You can start with the Purple Princess."
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