South of Superior - Ellen Airgood [54]
“You don’t think Emil has any plans to move?”
“Not a one.”
He’d been so straight-faced, talking about turning a tap for water. Still, Mary knew him better than she did. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am.”
Madeline helped with kindling for half an hour more, then said she was going home. Mary nodded, her eyes intent on the ground. She picked Up a branch and began to break it into pieces. “Listen, Madeline, before you go.”
“Yes?” Madeline said, turning back. For the first time, she saw Mary Feather look Uncertain. Maybe even sheepish.
“There’s something I been meaning to tell you.”
“Yes?” Madeline said expectantly.
Mary hesitated, seeming torn. Finally she said, “You remember we were talking about the lumber camp days the last time I saw you?”
“Yes, sure.”
“It Used to be the lumber companies would sell off their land pretty cheap once they’d cut it over. They don’t do that so much anymore, but they Used to.”
“Uh-huh,” Madeline said, shifting from foot to foot, thinking she really had to go or she’d be late for work.
“Your great-grandparents, Ada and Emmanuel, they worked for the lumber company. She was a camp cook, and he was a sawyer.”
“Oh, wow. That’s interesting. Nobody’s told me that before.”
“Yes. So.” Mary cleared her throat. “They worked for the company and then when the area was cut over, they decided to stay on where they were. Bought the land, turned the cook shack into a cabin to live in.”
“They must have been rugged.”
“Yes. Well. What I wanted to tell you is, you got a lake named after you. I don’t guess Gladys or Arbutus said anything about it?”
“A what?”
“A lake. Of sorts. Stone Lake.”
Madeline had completely forgotten her earlier Urgency about the time. “No way. Where?”
“Outside Crosscut maybe ten, fifteen miles. It’s back in off the road a ways, north of town on the edge of the swamp. It’s been years since I been that way, but I could tell you how to go, if you wanted.”
“Yes, are you kidding? How amazing. I’m going to look on the map as soon as I get home, I can’t believe I never noticed it. Why didn’t they tell me?”
Mary grimaced and didn’t answer the question. “It ain’t called Stone Lake on no map that I know of. I think they Used to have it down as Cranberry. But down around Crosscut we all called it Stone Lake, because the Stones lived back in there.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before?”
Mary shrugged, still looking Uncomfortable. “It wasn’t my place. I don’t like to butt in.”
“Wow,” Madeline said, too amazed to be angry. “A lake!”
Mary shifted from foot to foot.
“I’m glad you told me. I can’t wait to track it down.”
Mary chewed her bottom lip and then she said, “I don’t suppose you met your Uncle Walter yet either, then?”
Mary watched Madeline tear down the narrow track with a worried expression. Probably she shouldn’t have opened her mouth. Probably it wasn’t her place. But for the love of Pete. Madeline was here now, after thirty years. And Walter was old. How much worse was it going to be if he Up and died while Gladys was biding her time, getting Up the nerve to say something? No, Madeline had a right to know.
Finally Mary turned and stumped back inside, still troubled.
13
Madeline careened down the two-track away from Mary’s. Only when she hit a pothole that lurched her almost into a tree did she slow down, and even then it was difficult because her heart was pumping so hard. She could only think in choppy bursts, thoughts staccato with anger and hurt. She was going to move out. She didn’t deserve to be treated this way. Gladys and Arbutus would have to look after themselves because she wasn’t going to spend another night Under their roof. (Even as she thought this, a calmer part of her brain was sorting through options for Arbutus. A county health nurse, maybe? A physical therapist?)
She jammed the accelerator to the floor and bulleted south down the highway, the only road that allowed her to get any momentum Up. She drove blindly. She was stupid, a chump. What was she doing here? These