Donners Bend (25 page)

“Why?” she asked quietly, “Why did you give me this, Johnny?”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly sure what to get you and Jamie Rhodes said...”

“Jamie?” Ellie interrupted him, “You talked to Jamie?  When?”

“He was at the bookstore with Gracie and Wesley when I was buying your gifts.”

“And he told you to buy me
Peter Pan
?”

Jon nodded, “He mentioned you might like it, and the children really seemed to agree so...  I ... You don’t like it, do you Mae?”

“Of course I do,” Ellie tried to assure him, “I love it.  Honest.”

“You really don’t have to say that, it’s okay if you don’t like it.”

“I’m not just saying it, Johnny.  I promise you, I’m not.  I was just a little surprised is all,” Ellie told him honestly, “But I really do love it and I thank you with all my heart.  I’ll treasure it always, Johnny.  I really will.”

As she spoke those last words, Ellie leaned into Jon’s arms for a friendly hug.  He greeted her warmly and hugged her back.  As soon as their embrace had ended, Jon chuckled and asked, “You haven’t forgotten a gift for Ol’ Johnny, have you?”

Ellie smiled, “How could I?”

And then she ran off to her room, returning just later with his gift, wrapped in a potato sack.  She handed it to him saying, “It’s not much, but I hope you like it just the same.”

“I’m sure I will.”

He opened the package and smiled.  It contained two pairs of socks and three handkerchiefs with LJM embroidered on the corners as well as a different border edging each one.

“Did you make them yourself, Mae?”

“I did,” she answered slowly, “Do you like them?”

He laughed, “I love them.”

“There’s more, you know.  Dig deeper,” Ellie urged him.

He did as she said and smiled widely when he found a box of chocolates, “You know just what I like, do you Ellie Mae?”

“And you’ll be glad to know that I didn’t make those myself; I bought them at McConnell’s.  So you needn’t worry.”

“I wouldn’t worry even if you had made them.  Chocolate is chocolate no matter who’s the one making it,” Jon replied as he plopped a few truffles into his mouth.  He held the box out to
Ellie, “May I offer you a delicious chocolate, Miss Henderson, on this fine Christmas day?”

Ellie smiled, “I’d love one, Mr. Smithton.”

And so they sat, munching on chocolates and sipping coffee beside the fireplace on that wonderful white Christmas.  Their bottoms were cold from the hard wooden floor and they were acting improperly wearing only their pajamas.  Neither were looking very handsome, but neither cared.  They wouldn’t have it any other way.

That night, everyone in Donners Bend met up at the Huntington Hotel for a ball.  While the adults danced and socialized downstairs in the ballroom, the children played upstairs.

Ellie spent the majority of the night at Jon’s side.  They danced and talked with Emily and Matthew, then danced some more and spoke with Ol’ Smith, then danced and chatted with Robert and Louise, and then danced and danced till their feet were aching.

Jamie, meanwhile, was standing off to the side with Phillip and looking quite dashing in a classic black suit.  He’d already danced with Sarah Walsh twice, finding it hard to refuse her invitations without damaging her spirit, and though he hadn’t noticed, Phillip said Sarah’s eyes hadn’t left Jamie all evening.  Despite all that though, Jamie really was enjoying himself.  How could he not enjoy Christmas when he was such a child at heart?

Near the latter part of the night, Jamie left his group of friends to cross the room filled with wreaths, candles, and Christmas spirit to speak with Jon and Ellie.

“Do you mind if I steal Miss Henderson for a few moments, Jon?” he asked.

“Of course not,” Jon replied.

Jamie held out his arm, Ellie took it, and he led her across the room and through several hallways until they’d reached a quiet empty one away from all the people. 

“Why did you bring me here?” Ellie asked, feeling quite confused.

“I have a gift for you.”

“You do?” Ellie asked reluctantly, and explained, “I was going to give you a present as well, and I went out and searched for one and everything, but I just couldn’t find anything that I thought you’d like.  You’re a hard person to buy for.”

“I know, and that’s alright,” Jamie assured her, “I wasn’t expecting anything anyway and I know how hard it can be to find a suitable gift sometimes.”

“I’m terribly sorry, Jamie.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he continued, “Now, here, sit down and I’ll give you your gift, alright?”

Ellie did as he asked and sat down on the only furniture in the entire hall, a small yellow armchair.  Jamie smiled and produced a flower from his coat pocket.  At one time it must have been a beautiful poinsettia, but it had become dried, weak, and withered since he’d placed it in his pocket before coming.  It was pitiful, to say the least. 

“Oh God,” he said solemnly as he looked upon it, “It wasn’t this sad looking when I put it in there, honest.”

“It’s alright,” Ellie returned with a meek smile as he handed it to her, “It’s the thought that counts.”

“That’s right,” he agreed, brightening up a little, “God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.”

Ellie smiled, twirling the flower around in her hand.

“There’s something else too, of course.  That’s not all,” Jamie said, digging around in his pocket some more.  He produced a small, black velvet box tied with a red ribbon and handed it to Ellie.  She smiled once more and removed the ribbon.  Then, very slowly, she opened the box and gasped at what she saw.  Her jaw practically hit the floor and she couldn’t find breath to speak. 

Inside the little box, on the plush white padding, there were two gorgeous pearl earrings laying side by the side.  They were the most beautiful earrings Ellie had ever seen in her entire life.

Jamie, waiting for her response, kneeled down beside her chair and took her cold hand in his two large ones, “Is something wrong, love?  You don’t like them, do you?”

Ellie’s voice came back to her and she stuttered in shock, “J-Jamie, I...  Well, of course I like them, but it’s just...”

“Just what?”  Jamie asked quietly, slightly worried, “They’re too big?  Too small?  Too long?  What is it?” 

“No, they’re perfect.  Absolutely perfect, but I...  I,” Ellie stammered, pulling her hand out of Jamie’s grasp, “I can’t accept these, Jamie.”

“Why not?  I want you to have them.”

Ellie was, surprisingly, becoming slightly angry and flustered all at once, “You must have spent a fortune on these, and I, I can’t take them,” she pushed them back into Jamie’s hands.

“Please Ellie, take them.  They really didn’t cost that much when you compare them to how much my dad’s got left in the bank.”

“I just don’t know.  I don’t understand why you’d give me these.”

“Because I thought they were beautiful and I thought you’d like them.”

“Well, of course I like them.  Any girl in the world would like them, but not every girl is fit to receive them.”

“And you don’t think you’re one of those girls?”

Ellie shook her head.

“Well, I think you are.  I think you’re the perfect receiver for those pearl earrings and I want you to have them.  Please take them, Ellie,” he urged, handing them back to her.

But she refused and stood up from her chair.  With a strange mix of sadness and anger she concluded, “I’m sorry, Jamie, but as beautiful as they are, I just can’t take them.”
             

Ellie began walking quickly back down the hall.  Jamie followed at her heel.

Don’t be mad, Ellie,” Jamie pleaded, “Please.  It’s Christmas!”

Ellie didn’t reply, but accelerated her pace.  She didn’t really know what had made her so displeased.  As she continued down the hall, with Jamie just behind her, she became even more irritable as she became lost in the maze of hallways, but always the gentleman, Jamie would instruct, “Right” or “Left” when Ellie would stand before two pathways, confused about which way to go. 

“Ellie, if you don’t take them they’ll just be sitting around without an owner!  I want you to have them!  That’s why I bought them!  Please take them, Ellie!” Jamie urged again.

Ellie didn’t answer.  Her hair began falling out of its pins as she jogged away from Jamie and was glad she’d worn ballet flats instead of heels. 

“You said yourself that any girl would want them and I know you want them too, Eliana Mae Henderson!  If you want them so much, then why don’t you just take them?”

She lifted her scarlet skirts and continued on, ignoring his pleas.  Finally, aggravated that she wouldn’t listen to him, Jamie stepped in front of Ellie’s path and wouldn’t let her pass.  She’d never noticed how tall he was compared to her until just then.  In that dark, empty hallway Jamie’s hand lifted up her chin gently, “I’m sorry, Ellie.  You don’t have to take them, though I really wish you would.  Just please don’t be angry with me.”

Despite his effort, Ellie couldn’t be appeased, and she said quietly, “I’m sorry too, Jamie.  Merry Christmas and goodbye.”

With that, Ellie abruptly ran back to the ballroom, leaving Jamie standing alone with only his shadow to keep him company.

She tried to find Jon, but Emily told her he’d left earlier; he hadn’t been feeling too well.  “A few too many chocolates,” he’d said.  Emily knew something was wrong with Ellie, but she didn’t ask what it was and Ellie wouldn’t have told her anyway.

Ellie couldn’t even understand what had gone wrong herself.  If it had happened to any girl other than herself, Ellie would have expected them to take the earrings without a second thought, and she didn’t know why she hadn’t done that herself.  She didn’t know why she’d gotten so mad when Jamie had been so sweet and earnest about it all.

As the hotel was emptying at the very end of the ball, Ellie realized she didn’t have a ride home without Jon.  She didn’t know what to do and she was still in such a sulky mood that she didn’t feel like looking.  Leaning against the cold brick wall outside in the snow and gazing up at the starry night sky, she waited for an empty hack to arrive that she could ask to take her home, but just then, Jamie exited the building and spotted her standing alone.

Without asking, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up into his carriage on the seat beside him.  Despite her best efforts, Ellie wasn't able to free herself from his strong hold on her.

“Jamie!  Stop!” she screamed, “Let me go!”

But he wouldn’t let go of her hand, “You need a ride home, I’m willing to take you, and I won’t let you hire some dirty hack driver, Ellie!  So just calm down and let me take you home.  It's
 
not very far anyway.”

“Stop!  Let me out of this carriage now, I say!” Jamie wouldn’t listen to her, but Ellie continued shouting, “I order you to let me go this instant, James Rhodes!”

Jamie took the reins and the horses began to canter quickly down the road.  Ellie wouldn’t sit still and let him do as he wished, though in her heart she was slightly thankful she’d gotten a ride home.

“You’re a horrible, horrid man, Jameson Ethan Rhodes!  I hate you!” she shouted, “And you’re certainly no gentleman!”

He chuckled, “I never said I was.”

“I’ll jump out of this carriage!  I swear I will if you don’t stop and let me out!”