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19. Miriam's Fire

No one has loved me for years

No one has come through my doors

Do not fret or fear

I will patch your roof and mend you fences

I will come and I will, I will live right here

The girls bustled about the table as Heloise red her poem: Poem of an Abandoned House. Ottaline and Astrid cleared the table as Alifair and Hannah got ready to go.

"It sounds like the makings of something wonderful, Heloise," Selene said. "I do wish Jethro were here, he'd love to hear it."

"You should send it to him, Heloise," Beatrice suggested. "He'd be happy to hear from you." She gave Selene a knowing look and Selene looked down at her hands.

"I'll be a little late getting over to Twelve Briars," Miriam said. "I've been so excited lately I've fell behind in grading papers."

"Miriam, I'd never thought I'd see the day," Selene said.

"I'll be late too," Taitiann said. "It looks to be a beautiful day and I'd like to ride Marzipan."

"And I've almost finished with the curtains and like to dedicate the afternoon to the dresses I've put aside," Selene said.

"Well I'll be there," Wysteria said. "I'll come back and pick you up from the school if you wish, Miriam."

"I don't mind walking," Miriam said getting up from the table.

Mrs. Fairchild came into the kitchen. "Morning," she greeted. "You girls don't forget to be home for supper and pick up your father on the way in."

"Yes, ma'am," Miriam said, "I'm ready when you are Wysteria."As Miriam left with Ottaline, Providence and Wysteria, Selene got up from the table to get started on finishing the curtains.

Beatrice was still working on the sign and thought she'd spend the day on it while Ladybird and Wysteria went to sell one of her paintings in city.

"Mama, will you listen to me sing?" Astrid asked as her mother sat down at the table.

"Of course, my dear," Mrs. Fairchild said. "I love to hear my girl sing." She turned her chair and Astrid went and stood in the parlor.

"I shall start with my favorite verse," she said. "Will you count me down, Beatrice."

Of course," Beatrice said. "And three two one..."

Astrid stood tall and opened her mouth wide. "Angels to beckon me, nearer my God to thee, nearer my God to thee, nearer to thee..."

/

The afternoon passed on and looking at her broach watch Miriam wished sorely she could be in Brickyard at that moment with her sisters. She hoped Ladybird's painting had sold as the poor one had enough rejection for the year.

When she heard galloping and the whinny of a horse she looked up to the closed door. Mr. Woodrow had not been in the class that morning and she dreaded to think he had invented a reason to come by now. When she heard no one come up the steps she assumed it was just someone passing and went back to grading papers. Not a second later the glass in the window shattered and flames came leaping in at her. In haste they consumed the curtains and climbed like a spider into the rafters. She backed away from her desk to the opposite wall as the flames leapt from desk to desk taking in the knowledge of books with their hungry hands before turning for the air that came through the door.

She was just at the opposite window when he glass broke onto her and more fire came leaping in like a rabbit and clawing at her skirt like a hungry alley cat. Screaming she ran through the flames to the door. In her panic she pushed on it instead of pulling thereby delaying her escape. She finally got it right and the door swung towards her sending the suffocating flames shooting her way. In a burning panic Miriam ran onto the porch steps coming down hard on her ankle. With a cry of pain she fell into the grass and lost consciousness.