The Mystery at Sag Bridge

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I always forgot how much work picnics are for women. Sally and I worked like the devil all morning to get ready, and it made me wonder why I was looking forward to the picnic at all. By the time we fried up chicken, made potato salad, chipped ice for keeping, and every blessed thing was done up and packed up, I was ready to go back to bed, not to start a full day of socializing. Heaven be thanked at least we did the baking yesterday and got that out of the way. Uncle Denny promised to make ice cream. I wondered if he'd make chocolate-my mouth was watering thinking about chocolate ice cream.

I did recover a wee bit while riding over in the wagon. The men unloaded and Mick took the horses to graze in the shade. Since he was likely to run across distractions on his way back, I sat on a chair near our table to relax before friends and relatives came. I wondered again why Mick was so grumpy these days. He didn't talk the whole drive over. I s'pose he was worried about the farm.

It was a perfect day, not so hot as the Fourth of July usually was, and a gentle breeze helped make it comfortable, even in the bright sun. Mam was so excited about getting out for a day of gabbing she didn't go on at Sally and me for a change. She had to inspect the food for sure, but looked satisfied well enough, even said she liked Sally's fried chicken, which took Sally by surprise.

Mam caught sight of an old neighbor right off and went to chat, and Sally went to talk to friends too. Packey settled me on a blanket to lean my back against a tree before going off to find out about the games. I knew what he'd want to know: about the base ball game, and surely if someone was organizing a boxing match. The ring wouldn't be at the picnic grounds, as such matches weren't legal. The men would want Packey to fight. I wasn't fond of that, but Packey's the best prizefighter around, and there'd be no escaping it for sure.

With everyone gone for a while, I rested in the shade and watched the goings on, and planned to find Maggie, wander around and chat with friends later. It was lovely in this grove, all shady with great old trees and overlooking the valley, the river, and the canals, the old canal and the new one. I closed my eyes and listened to people chatter as they went by. This was a grand place to hear the latest gossip, and I expected to have my fill of it before the day was done.

Some men walked by complaining about wolves killing their sheep. Wolves were common here before the farmers settled, but that was a while ago, and the wolves were supposed to be chased off. Now it seems they came back, probably attracted by sheep, and the farmers were trying to clear them out again.

"Are they goin' to offer a bounty for wolves this year?" one man asked. "I hear the beasts howlin' at night agin', so seems we have work to do."

"I hear they're postin' a five-dollar bounty like they done last year," another man said.

"I spotted a female near my herd last week," a third voice said. "Her teats were heavy swollen, so she must have a den nearby. I thought they stayed in their den when feedin' their young."

One man answered in a confident voice, as if he thought himself an expert. "Most likely someone shot her old man. The mate brings food for the mama and her pups before they leave the den, but if he's gone she has to hunt."