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Helen was followed by Mary Kate, then the pretty girl who had been
with
Uncle James, then the youngest of the O'Hara wivesAll of them
presented the platters they were carrying to Scarlett and Patricia
before adding them to the food on the tableA roast of beef, a
clove-studded ham, a bulging turkeyThen Helen appeared again with
a
huge bowl of steaming potatoes, followed more quickly now by the
others
with creamed carrots, roast onions, whipped sweet potatoesAgain
and
again the procession came until the table was covered with food and
relishes of every kind
The fiddle-Scarlett saw that Daniel from the store was playing-played
a
flourishing arpeggio, and Maureen entered carrying a tower of a cake
liberally trimmed with huge, vividly pink icing roses"Bakery cake!"
screamed TimothyJamie was immediately behind his wifeHe held
his two arms over his headHe was carrying three bottles of whiskey
in
each handThe fiddle began to play an exuberant rapid tune, and
everyone laughed and clappedThe drama of the procession was irresistible"Now
Brian," said JamieThe queens on their throne to the
hearth Before Scarlett knew what was happening the settee was
lifted
and she was holding on to Patricia while they were swung back and
forth
and moved to a place near the glowing coals in the cartier roadster autamatic fireplace"Uncle
James," Jamie ordered, and the old man was carried, laughing, in
his shy-backed chair to the other side of the mantelThe girl who had
been with James began to shoo the children, as if they were chickens,
into the other parlor, where Mary Kate laid a tablecloth on the floor
for them to sit on in front of the second fireplaceIn a surprisingly
short time there was calm where there had been chaosAnd while
they
ate and talked, Scarlett tried to "puzzle out" the adultsJamie's two
sons were so much alike that she could hardly believe that Daniel, at
twenty-one, was almost three years older than BrianWhen she
smiled
at Brian and said as much, he blushed as only a redhead can
The only other young man began to tease him unmercifully, but he
stopped when the pink-cheeked girl next to him put her hand on his
and
said, "Stop it, GeraldPa would be so pleased
to know that big handsome fellow was named after himHe called the
girl Polly, and they're so shiny with love they must be
fresh-married
And Patricia's being mighty bossy to the one Jamie called Billy, so
they must be husband and wife, tooBut Scarlett had little time to
listen for the names of the othersEveryone, it seemed, wanted to
talk to herAnd everything she said was cause for exclamation,
repetition, admirationShe found herself telling louis vuitton bag with pocket in front Daniel and Jamie all
about her store, Polly and Patricia about her dressmaker, Uncle James
about the Yankees setting Tara on fireShe talked mostly about her
lumber business and how she'd built it from one small mill into two
mills, lumberyards, and now a whole village of new houses on the
edge
of AtlantaEveryone was loudly approvingAt last Scarlett had found
people who didn't think that talking about money was tabooThey
were
like she was, willing to work hard and determined to make money
from
itShe had already made hers, and they told her she was wonderful
She couldn't imagine why she had ever wanted to leave this marvelous
party and go back to the deadly quiet at her grandfather's house
"Will you give us some music, then, Daniel, if you've finished eating
most of your sister's cake?" said Maureen when Jamie uncorked a
bottle
of whiskey, and suddenly everyone except Uncle James was up and
moving
around in what seemed to be a practiced routineDaniel began
playing
a rapid, squeaking tune on the fiddle and the others shouted criticism
while the women quickly cleared the table and the men moved the
furniture back against the walls, leaving Scarlett and her uncle
sitting as if on an islandJamie presented James with a glass of
whiskey and waited, half bent, for the old man's opinion"It'll gucci bags china do,"
was the judgment"Indeed I hope so, old man, for
we
have no other kind Scarlett tried to catch Jamie's eye, failed,
finally called out to get his attentionEveryone was pulling chairs into a circle around
the fire, and the smaller children were taking places on the floor at
the adults' feetObviously they were getting ready for the musicale,
and once it started, it would be terribly rude to get up and goJamie
stepped over a small boy to get to Scarlett"Here you are, then," he
saidTo her horror he handed her a glass with several fingers of
whiskey in itWhat kind of person did he think she was? A lady
didn't drink whiskeyShe didn't drink anything stronger than tea,
except champagne or a party punch or perhaps a very small glass of
sherryHe couldn't possibly know about the brandy she used to
drink
Why, he was insulting her! No, he wouldn't do that, it must be a
joke
She forced a brittle laugh
"It's time for me to go, JamieI've had a delightful time, but it's
getting late "You'll not be leaving just when the party begins,
Scarlett?" Jamie turned toward his son"Daniel, you're driving your
new-found cousin away with that screechingPlay a song for us, boy,
not a cat fight Scarlett tried to speak, but her words were drowned
out by the cries of "play decent, Daniel," and "give us a ballad," and
"a omega ladies watch constellation reel, boy, let's have a reel"I can't hear you,"
he shouted over the din"I'm deaf as a stone to anyone asking to
go
Scarlett felt her temper rising
When Jamie offered her the whiskey again, she stood up in a rage
Then, before she could knock the glass from his hand, she realized
what
Daniel had begun to playIt was "Peg in a Low Back'd CarShe looked at Jamie's ruddy Irish face and saw her
father's imageOh, if only he could be here, he'd love this soShe shook her head at the proffered drink, smiled
weakly at JamieShe was close to tearsThe music wouldn't allow
sadnessThe rhythm was too infectious, too merry, and everyone was
singing now, and clapping their handsScarlett's foot began
involuntarily to tap the beat under cover of her skirts
"Come on, Billy," said Daniel, singing it, really, to the tune Billy opened the lid of a window seat and took out a
concertinaThe pleated leather bellows opened with a wheeze
Then he walked up behind Scarlett, reached over her head, and picked
up
something shiny from the mantel"Let's have some real music
Stephen-" He tossed a thin glinting tube to the dark silent man There was another arc of silver through the air"And,
for you, dear mother-in-law-" His hand dropped something in
Maureen's
lapA young boy clapped wildly"The bones! Cousin Maureen's
going
to play the mulberry bags china b |
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