shalt keep thy secret places as clean as a boiled egg lest thou stink in church,’ to
which my lusty father had added ‘- and to hold thy husband’s love when thou cachet
one.’ (I told him I had figured that out.)
Keeping really clean in a house not supplied with running water and too well
supplied with running children is not easy. But I had worked out expedients from the
time Father had warned me some years earlier. One expedient was to sneak in extra
washing behind a locked door in Father’s surgery. One of my duties was to place a
pitcher of hot water in the surgery each morning and again after lunch, and to
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Heinlein, Robert A – To Sail Beyond the Sunset.txt
refill that pitcher as needed. This put me in position to-do washing that Mother did
not know about. Mother believed that ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ – but I did
not dare give her ideas by letting her catch me giving myself extra scrubbing in
places I was supposed to be ashamed to touch; Mother didn’t approve of too much
washing of ‘those places’ as it could lead to ‘immodest behaviour’. (It certainly
could!)
At the fairgrounds we left Chuck’s horse and buggy in one of the big empty barns,
with a nosebag of oats to keep him happy, then we climbed up into the judges’ stand.
I led the way, up the back stairs, then up a vertical ladder through the roof of the
grandstand and to a trap door in the floor of the judges’ stand. I tucked up my
skirts, and climbed the ladder ahead of Chuck, and I delighted in the scandalous
display I was making of myself. Oh, Chuck had seen my legs before but men always
like to peek.
Once we were both inside the stand I had Chuck close the trap door and drag a heavy
box over it – heavy with weights used in racing.
‘Now they can’t possibly reach us,’ I said gleefully, turned, got a key from a
ditching place over a locker and opened its padlock.
‘But they can see us, Mo. This front side is wide open.’
‘Who cares? Just don’t stand in front of the judges’ bench. If you can’t see them,
they can’t see you.’
‘Mo, are you sure you want to do this?’
‘Isn’t that why we carne up here? Here, help me spread this blanket. We’ll use it
doubled. The judges spread it along the bench to protect their tender behinds. It
will keep splinters out of my tender behind, and out of your knees.’
Chuck didn’t say a word as we made our ‘bed’. I straightened up and looked at him.
He did not look like a man about to achieve a joyful consummation long desired; he
looked like a scared little boy.
‘Charles… are you sure you want to?’
He looked sheepish. ‘It’s bright sunlight, Mo. This is awfully public. Maybe we
could find a quiet place on the Osage?’
‘Chiggers and mosquitoes and youngsters hunting muskrats. And they’ll pop up just
when we’re busiest. No, thank you, sir. But, Charles – Charles dear – I thought we
were agreed on this? I certainly don’t want to rush you into anything. Would you
mind cancelling the trip to Butler?’ (A shopping trip to Butler was my excuse to my
parents for asking Chuck to drive me that morning – Butler was not much bigger than
Thebes, but it had much better shopping. Bennett and Wheeler Mercantile Company was
six times as big as our biggest general store. They even stocked Paris styles – or
so they claimed.)
‘Why, no, Mo, if you don’t want to go.’
‘Then would you mind swinging past Richard Heiser’s house? I need to speak to him.’
(Chuck, I’m smiling and speaking gently… but I would like to massage you with a
basebali bar!)
‘Uh – Something wrong, Mo?’
‘Yes and no. You know why we came up here. If you don’t want my cherry, well,
Richard let me know that he wanted it.
I didn’t promise him anything… but I did tell him that I would think about it.’ I