Page 80 of Silver Lining
Philadelphia didn't care that he was angry. It served him right. Tossing her curls, she followed Max into the parlor. Immediately she knew she'd made a mistake.
Low Down turned from admiring the tree. "Howdy, Philadelphia . Merry Christmas."
The creature didn't smile, didn't lower her eyelids or nod her head in a partial bow. There was not the slightest hint of deference in her posture or expression. She stood before the Christmas tree with Sunshine at her side and gazed at Philadelphia with bland curiosity, like a cow waiting to be slaughtered.
Well, Philadelphia was happy to oblige.
Lifting a critical eyebrow, she scanned the creature's dress. "Ah, green. The color of envy. It's a difficult color to wear," she explained to Sunshine. "Green makes most people look so sallow and sickly, but you can see that for yourself." She directed a smile of withering pity at Low Down. "Good heavens! What on earth is that awful thing hanging off the back of your head? Something you dug out of the snow in your yard?"
"Actually, it is."
Max started to say something, but Philadelphia cut him off. "How amusing. I wonder what you'll dig out to wear next? Twigs? Dead soggy leaves?" If she hadn't been a refined lady, she would have mentioned horse droppings.
The creature's eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head as if considering a reply. Then her shoulders relaxed, and she smiled down at Sunshine. "Well, let's see. What might I dig out of the yard next? If I found a horseshoe, I could wear it as a bracelet. Or as a tiara. If I found a length of rope, I could trim my cape or maybe use the rope for a belt."
Sunshine laughed in delight. "If you found a dead rabbit, you could make a fur collar."
"I think we should go help your grandma in the kitchen." She extended her hand. "Now, if I found a cow bell, I could wear it as a necklace, and then you would always know where to find me." She paused in front of Max and met his eye before she and Sunshine left the parlor, prattling on about things to be found in a yard.
"You have no quarrel with Louise," Max said quietly. "Leave her alone."
"How gallant of you to defend your Low Down." She spat the name out of her mouth as if it tasted bad.
"Put your anger where it belongs. It's me you despise, not Louise."
It occurred to her that this was the first time since the night before he left for Piney Creek that they had been alone together. This opportunity might not come again soon, and they were wasting it talking about Low Down.
"Oh Max. You know I don't despise you." She lowered her hands to her stomach, deliberately directing his attention to her pregnancy. "If only—" She didn't know what she might have said next if she'd had the chance, but Wally appeared in the doorway.
Wally looked from her to Max. "Dave is waiting for us to sample his punch."
"Excuse me." Max dipped his head to her, then walked out of the parlor.
Wally stared as if he'd eavesdropped on every word she had spoken, then, without speaking, he turned and followed Max.
And there she stood, deserted in an empty parlor while everyone else talked and laughed in the kitchen.
It was so rustic to entertain in the kitchen, for heaven's sake. So crude and low class. And it was so unforgivably rude to abandon a guest. Well, she had intended to allow herself to be persuaded to play the piano tonight, but why should she entertain people who treated her so insultingly? She wouldn't.
Eventually, Livvy announced dinner—ham—and everyone sat down. Not a hint of decorum prevailed.
They laughed about the evening Max had broken his arm, teasing him and Low Down, too. And there was some unseemly tale about a bull getting into Livvy's bunkhouse. Dave and Max exchanged comments about the mustache she had convinced Wally to grow.
Tonight Low Down didn't sit in awkward silence as she had the last time she and Philadelphia were forced to share the same table. The creature chattered as constantly as Sunshine. Her eyes sparkled with pleasure, and her laughter came frequently.
Slowly Philadelphia began to grasp the point Wally had made earlier. Low Down had become a member of the McCord family in a way that Philadelphia had not. The insidious creature was building a shared history, was claiming a role in new family stories.
Throughout supper, Low Down and Gilly chatted easily about sewing and visits back and forth to fit the green taffeta. She teased Dave about some incident involving a broken guitar string. She even told some foolish story about Wally falling off the hay sled that made everyone laugh. As for Livvy, she praised Low Down's pies to the sky and reminded the creature of plans to drive into town after the first of the year.
Shocked and disbelieving, Philadelphia began to realize if there was a belle at this party, it was Low Down.
Too stunned to speak, she sat in resentful silence through the lighting of the tree candles and the dispersing of gifts. To her disgust, she watched Low Down turn teary over a supposedly pretty rock that Sunshine gave her. A rock! Which the creature promised to display on her parlor mantelpiece. How did Max endure this woman? She was an embarrassment.
Low Down's hardened background made any tears suspect. Yet every gift brought a gush to her eyes and a hitch to her voice. It was a clumsy performance, and Philadelphia doubted anyone was deceived.
People didn't weep with joy over a rock or a songbook. The creature didn't even play the piano. But she wiped tears from her eyes and bubbled with appreciation and thank-yous.
When Philadelphia could endure no more of this farce, she pushed her gifts off her lap and stood.
