Free Julia's Last Hope by Janette Oke Page B

No amount of coaxing or enticing could persuade them to do otherwise, and soon the Harrigan girls gave up and left them in their own misery.
    Mrs. Hammond took possession of the porch swing, demanding pillows to soften the wooden seats. Her back was bad. She had to put her feet up as well, and needed more cushions for them. Snuggled in the softness, she read penny novels and devoured so many imported chocolates that Julia figured they must have completely filled one of the mysterious suitcases. My waistline, indeed! thought Julia.
    Along with the busy days for Julia and Hettie, John and Tom were also pressed with responsibilities. The garden needed constant care. They had a wood supply to maintain, lawns to mow, and shrubbery to trim—not only at the Harrigan house, but also at empty neighborhood homes.
    In addition, Mrs. Hammond never stopped making suggestions as to how the Harrigans could make her and her family more comfortable.
    “Surely, you must have attic space. If your youngsters used it, my girls could each have her own room. They are not used to being crowded together, you know.”
    “If this porch was screened in, it would be much more pleasant.”
    “The gardens would be more becoming if there were more flowers and fewer vegetables.”
    Julia tried to let it all pass. She ticked off each day as she left the kitchen at night. In the meantime she and Hettie devised little ways of meeting the demands.
    They kept water boiling at all times. Two teapots were put into service, so there was always a hot pot at teatime.
    Hettie made hearty lunches for Hadley so the whole family did not need to wait for him to return from his exploring before sitting down to dinner.
    Mrs. Hammond was undisturbed on the porch swing, additional cushions borrowed from the committee members.
    Men loitering in front of the train station told Mr. Hammond enough stories of bears and mountain lions to convince him that the area was truly wild and dangerous. He would have many stories to tell when he returned to the city.
    And the two bickering girls—they were ignored as much as possible.
    Eventually the two weeks ended, and the suitcases were repacked. Mr. Hammond took one last walk, hoping to see an elusive grizzly bear. Mrs. Hammond wriggled free of her cushions, stood up, and ate her last chocolate as she left the porch. Miranda and Fredrika whined over who would get the window seat on the return trip, and Hadley roared up and down his sawdust trail one last time before being force cleaned for the train journey. Then they were on their way.
    The whole Harrigan household breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. They had made it.
    “I never would have survived without you,” Julia admitted to Hettie. “I was so close to giving up.”
    Julia drew the payment from her apron pocket. It really wasn’t much for all the work involved, but it would help—and it was a start.
    “I hope the Greenwald guests are easier to manage,” Hettie stated.
    “Oh my! I had forgotten. They arrive tomorrow, don’t they?”
    Hettie nodded. The committee had decided that each member would have a turn at keeping guests. Mrs. Greenwald was to host a young couple starting the next day.
    Julia looked about her disrupted home. She was eager to restore it to its proper state. The whole place needed a good cleaning.
    Hettie knew her thoughts. “We’ll get to it,” she assured her mistress.
    “I’m sure we will,” Julia stated, “but first let’s have a cup of tea.”
    “Hot?” asked Hettie, a twinkle in her eyes.
    “Very hot!” said Julia, laughing.

Chapter Eleven
    New Visitors
    Only Julia and three other committee members had the room and the desire to keep overnight guests. The other ladies hoped to make their living by selling goods from their craft shop. Julia was beginning to wonder if each of the four ladies would even get one turn at playing hostess.
    Mrs. Greenwald’s young couple quickly became bored with the small town and left before their