Life Is Precious

 By Abigail H. age 14

#7 Attic Surprise

Chapter One

Trouble Again

 Fresno California,1878

 

“Andi, wherever you are, come down here!” Chad’s bellow shot up the stairs like a gunshot. Ten-year-old Andrea Carter, Andi, gulped.

“Uh no, Chad blew his top again,” Andi sighed and turned to leave. “Guess I’d better see what’s wrong.”

As she got to the top of her family’s grand staircase, Andi peered around the corner looking for Luisa, the family’s Mexican housekeeper, who always scolded Andi, in Spanish, for sliding down the banister.

“Whew, not in sight,” Andi said.

Without a moment's hesitation she hopped onto the banister and flew down the stairs. Like always, she didn’t prepare to stop…….

Thump

Andi jumped up off the foyer floor, and the soft thing she ran into, with surprise. “Uh-oh, it was Chad I ran into,” she thought, groaning.

“Andi that’s where you are. First you don’t do your chores and now you slide down the banister trying to kill me!” Chad said.

“Chad……” Andi started looking toward the dining room where a yummy smell of flapjacks was coming from.

“Don’t Chad me til’ you go and do your chores,” Chad said, not wanting to hear Andi’s excuses. ”Then you will take Taffy out to the pasture.”

“Why do I have to take Taffy to the pasture? I was planning a ride today,” Andi huffed. Chad rolled his eyes wondering why his sister didn’t understand what he was saying. “You won’t be riding again til’ I see some improvement in your chores little Sister.”

“Chad Aaron Carter, you can’t tell me what to do. I’m goin’ to tell Mother,” Andi shot at her older brother.

“Oh good, she’ll tell me ‘Good job I’ve been wanting Andrea to clean her room. Now she’ll have time.” Chad shot back as he turned toward the dining room.

Andi scowled at Chad’s back as he left. “Brother’s always have to be right.”

 

Chapter Two

Carter Twins?

 

“What am I supposed to do?” Andi mumbled as she scanned the attic full of boxes and odds and ends.

“Mother and Melinda are sewing, Yuck! Mitch and Chad are on a rainy roundup, Justin’s in town in a warm and cozy law office. And I’m stuck inside because it’s raining.” Andi sighed.

“I wonder what’s in these trunks. That’s at least something I can do.” She walked to the closest trunk and opened the lid.

“Rats, a too frilly dress, Yuck!”

Andi pulled the dress out. It was black satin with a lot of tucks and lace, a lovely blue corsage lay pinned on the bodice.

‘Thud’

Andi jumped at the small sound. “What was that?”

As she cautiously dug around in the yards and yards of satin and lace she came across a box, it was about the size of the family Bible. While made with cedar it had mahogany stain and an intricately carved A on the lid. Andi opened the box. On the top there was a picture that said,

‘'The Carter twin.1; Andrew Devlyn and Andrea Rose.’

 

Chapter Three

Who Is Andrew?

 

“Mother, Mother are you in here?” Andi said as she burst into the ornate parlor.

“Andi, you are a ten-year-old young lady, try to act like one,” Melinda reprimanded, from the settee. She was always trying to be this perfect lady, and telling Andi how to do it.

“Melinda,” Mother’s voice held a hint of danger. Turning her attention to Andi she spoke,”Yes dear, what is it?”

“I want to know about Andrew. Who is he? Why does the picture say ’the Carter twins’? I thought I was the last child,” Andi said as she burst out crying.

Mother pulled Andi into her lap.

“You know you were born May Twenty-sixth, 1868, but what you don’t…….”

***********

Millerton California,1868, ten years prior

“Doctor?” James Carter asked.

“Oh, yes James what is it?” Dr. Weaver said, turning to a worried Mr.Carter.

“During the delivery, when you saw the boy you gasped. What’s wrong?” James said. “Is Elizabeth asleep?” Dr.Weaver asked.

When James nodded he continued.

“Your son has a disease called Down Syndrome. Englishman John Down found out about it, but it is kind of a new term so I don’t know much about it. He has a weak heart also. I wouldn’t advise keeping him.”

“Keep him? What do you mean Doc.?”

“Well, I have now birthed five Down Syndrome babies, all of their parents sent them to an institution because they didn’t want them, they didn’t want their bloodline ruined.”

“What is Down Syndrome Doc.?” James asked, looking over his shoulder at his wife and twins sleeping on their four post bed in the center of the large room.

“It means that he will look different, he will have sort of a mental disorder making it hard to learn, speak, walk, and do anything. If you want I can take the boy and you can tell Elizabeth he died.” Dr. Weaver said.

“No,” James nearly shouted.” I cannot lie to my wife. Is there anything else we can do” James asked, this time so quietly the Doctor could barely hear him.

“I don’t know. It’s an awful lot of work……”

“Please Doc. you’ve got to help,” James pleaded, “no matter what the world thinks, life is precious, especially to God.”

“Yeah, well there is this new thing called oxygen. For money they send you a big bag of oxygen and a mouthpiece to help the patient breathe.”

“I’ll take it no matter how much money. Life is more precious to God than all my money.” James said.

 

Chapter Four

Death Or Victory?

“And so we got the air, after a few months of doing that we went to see a doctor in San-Francisco……”

***********

September, 1868.

“Let me put it plainly Mr. and Mrs. Carter, your son is not in good health. The cold season is coming. I suggest that you send him to an institution where he will be cared for until he dies,” The skinny Dr. Ames said, staring at the family through large wire rimmed glasses and small eyes.

“What if we want to take Andrew home?” Mr. Carter asked, looking at Andrew, his son, lying on the examining table in the bleak white room. Andrew was a small baby for four months, his hair kept changing colors, one week it would be blonde, the next week it was black. His eyes started out blue but they would soon turn hazel.

“If you take him home he will die if he gets a cold. Your best option is to send him away.

Instead of watching him die helplessly,” the Doctor said as he settled his boney body on a plush red seat.

James looked at his family. Justin, wise and sensible, was holding five-year-old Melinda on his lap. Chad was standing in the corner watching ten-year-old Mitch carefully. Mitch was staring at the tools the Doctor had, and his beautiful wife Elizabeth was holding four-month-old Andrea.

“No, Dr. Ames, that is not my best option. My best option is to take Andrew home and care for him the best we can.”

 

Chapter Five

Praise The LORD!

 

“And so we did. Three months after bringing Andrew home he got pneumonia…..”

***********

Millerton, 1869, January.

“Doc. Weaver, how long does he have?” James Carter asked, preparing for the worst. “What do you mean? This boy is in perfect health. I do not know what you have been

feeding him but he has years left not days,” Dr. Weaver was dumbfounded. How did this rancher’s family do it? Just seven months ago the boy was struggling to survive. And now he was just fine.

As if reading Dr. Weaver’s thoughts James said, “God is good, He answered our prayers.

The Doctors in San-Francisco told us if Andrew got a cold he would die….. But….. Praise God!” “The man upstairs is good,” Dr Weaver said.

“He’s not just the man upstairs He is God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit. The three in one,” Father said eager to tell of his Faith in God.

Chapter Six

What’s Wrong?

 

“That day your Father led Dr. Weaver to Christ. He has become a good follower of Christ since,”

“What about Andrew, Mother, what happened next?” Andi asked with her usual impatience. “Well life grew into a habit, go to Doctors monthly, purchase oxygen, feed you two, do ranch

work, and Father even found a verse for us not to forget Andrew’s real purpose in life. Psalms 9:1,

‘I will praise thee O LORD with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works,” Mother sighed.”But like some stories they don’t have a happy ending……”

***********

Millerton, November, 1870.

“Mother, Andrew’s not eating.” Justin said to his Mother on the way home from church on Sunday.

Father sighed.“We’ll go to San-Francisco to get him checked out. We’ll drop by Grandfather and Grandmother Carter’s on the way home to see if they can stay with you at the ranch.”

 

Chapter Seven.

Goodbye.

 

“Hey Mother, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” A new voice broke in.

“Well Justin I was just telling Andrea about Andrew….. And I can't go on, I’m sorry.” Mother said as she left the room.

Justin sat down next to Andi.“Where did Mother leave off?” he asked. “They picked up Grandfather and Grandmother,” Andi replied.

“As we were waiting for them to leave…….”

***********

Millerton California, 1870. Justin's point of view

 

“Come on little Buddy, make a little smile,” I said as I made another face at Andrew, who was sitting on Melinda’s lap.

***********

“Well Justin we’d better get the chores done before it gets dark.Tonight's going to be long,” Chad said as we watched Father and Mother ride off in the buggy.

A few days later on November sixth, it was a Tuesday, I was riding home after a long day on the range, singing Hymns. There was no one except God and Ford, my mount.

At the house I stabled Ford, and looked toward the family’s Spanish, white stucco house, with red tile roof, I noticed the parlor lamp was still running. Grandfather and Grandmother usually retire earlier. I made my way to the parlor and peeked in, Melinda was sitting in an overstuffed chair with a book covering her face, and Grandfather and Grandmother were sitting on the settee.

Grandfather motions me to sit and clears his throat.“We received a telegram earlier today.”

He paused, took a breath and looked straight at me. I knew then something was terribly wrong.Then he said it, My worst nightmare ever. “Andrew passed away this morning.”

He said something more but I wasn’t listening. My brother just died and I’m not crying? What is wrong with me?

The next few days passed in a blur of kids making pictures, and Father made the casket,it was cedar with a mahogany stain.

Uncle Benjamin did the funeral and afterwards the family came to say their last goodbyes. My siblings put in their pictures, Mother put in a little quilt she made to cover his tiny little body. Father put in his Bible.

“He did more Gospel sharing than I ever will.” He said.

I stood up and said, “To God be the glory, great things He has done.”

That was enough for me, I started to cry. Uncle Benjamin, Father’s twin brother, who was standing next to me put a hand on my shoulder in comfort.

 

Chapter Eight

Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me?

 

“That was the first time I remember crying,” Justin remarked as he shook his head and turned to Melinda, thinking Andi needed time to sort things out.

Andi just sat there staring at the floral carpet as Justin and Melinda shared memories of a world Andi didn’t know about until now.

“Memories I can’t share,” Andi mumbled under her breath as she left the parlor and headed to her bedroom.

Andi spent the rest of the day in her bedroom just thinking about Andrew,her twin all of a sudden.

“Would he like horses? What would he be like? What would he be called? Would I not be called Andi?”

At supper Mother asked, “Andrea what’s wrong you seem put off.”

Andi blew up. All the feelings she had cooped up inside, just spilled out.

“Wouldn’t you seem put off if you found out you had a twin brother you didn’t know about.

Are there any more siblings I don’t know about? Maybe an older sister that left to marry someone?”

Andi pushed herself away from the table and stomped out of the room. Chad looked around the table.

“If only she knew.”

 

Special thanks to God for giving my family two wonderful years with Timothy Devlyn Hadley, my brother. And thanks to my brother for editing my story!

Hope you enjoyed reading