Wysteria was happy to have her cup filled for the day was hot and the work was hard. Astrid and Hannah had been assigned to water the workers though Hannah spilled more water on herself than made it into their cups.

The work being done at Twelve Briars was finally beginning to show. The floors were complete, the ground floor walls had all been replaced; many had gone as far as being painted. The roof had to be redone, but the stairs were now firmly in place and the fence had been put back up with a fresh coat of paint.

Wysteria was the first to notice the man coming up the road with a wheelbarrow and alerted Selene next to her.

"That looks like Mr. Woodrow," Selene said as he came through the gate and was met by Travis who received him nervously. "What's he doing here?"

"It looks like he's come to help," Wysteria said as Travis reached out and shook the man's hand.

"I brought some paint," Sumner said. "I think it a strange coincidence that I happened to have the same shade of blue you're using."

"Thank you kindly," Travis said with a smile. "You can leave it over there by the gate. If you feel up to it, you can join us on the roof. Here, let me give you a hand."

"Travis," the all too familiar voice stopped Travis Goode in his tracks as Miriam came across the yard towards them holding a chart. "What's going on?"

"I uh," Travis rubbed the back of his neck. "Mr. Woodrow came to help us."

"I see," Miriam said not looking Sumner's way. "Well you tell Mr. Woodrow we don't need his assistance."

"Uh," Travis said feeling caught in between. "Come now, Miriam he's brought paint, you were going on the other day about how much it was costing you. Well here it is."

Sumner looked from Travis to Miriam who was still avoiding eye contact. "I also brought nails and a few extra hammers if they're needed. I have lumber left over in my yard that I was going to use when I brought up my horses but—"

"You want to be nice now?" Miriam boomed. "Why? How come?" With each word the work about the property became quieter. "You want to be friends now that you know you're one of us! Well we don't need your help and I certainly don't want it. I reckon by now you've gotten a taste of what it's like to be colored, huh? Well it looks like your former actions reject you from both worlds. We don't need your paint or your lumber we have more than enough. And we don't need you!"

Sumner kept his eyes fixed on Travis' worn out shoes.

Miriam eye's bore into him, daring him to look up at her; to look down at her as he had so many times in the past.

"Miriam," Travis said pulling her away as Sumner gathered his things.

"Stop it, Travis!" Miriam fought him but he managed to get her in the foyer. "Go ahead, speak your mind!"

Travis whistled. "Woman, you rage like a river, you know that?"

Miriam scoffed. "I had every right to send him away."

"You realized your power over him and couldn't wait to use it," Travis said.

"What power?" Miriam questioned. "He's still a man after all."

Travis looked up as the hammering resumed. "I'm not talking about being black or white or man or woman. I'm talking about emotions."

"Speak sense, Travis," Miriam said.

"You saw he was vulnerable and feeling low and you took a swing at him," Travis said. "You couldn't hit him when he was high."

Miriam looked down at the grooves in the floor. "After all he has done..."

"You were cruel, Miriam Carrie Fairchild," Travis said. "Now I'm your friend and I'm always on your side but the way you just acted isn't you."

Miriam couldn't take his honesty. "Then you don't know me, Travis Goode." She turned quickly away and marched back outdoors to be away from Travis and whatever guilt he made her feel.

/

The incident was still heavy on their minds that evening when the girls sat in their room making wedding decoration. They cut out bells and crafted doves from paper and twined vines together to make garland.

"How lovely this all is," Ottaline said. "It will look wonderful on the bridge."

"Do you think we should make it longer?" Heloise asked.

"Let us see," Ottaline said getting up. "Go to that end of the room and I'll go to this one." They stepped away from each other stretching the garland across the room. "I don't think the bridge is wider than this room."

"You had better give yourself extra space to twine it," Taitiann said. "We don't want it coming down."

"I'm am excited out of my skin," Ottaline said. "Aunt Grace said I could start wearing a corset a day before the wedding; that it tomorrow. I shall wear it all day so that I will be ready for the wedding."

"I saw Nancy's dress," Selene said. "It must be the finest array of lace and silk I have ever seen."

"Mama made her veil as a wedding gift," Alifair said. "I thought that was very neighborly."

"Especially since Mrs. Goode can be anything but a good neighbor," Miriam said as she cut out another bell. "First I felt poor for Travis because he says Nancy's family is aloof but now I pity poor Nancy."

"Just be glad it isn't you, Miriam," Beatrice said. "That woman can be a sow...or maybe a cow...I haven't decided yet."

"I know one thing," Ottaline said picking up a bell and climbing onto her bed. "Everything had better be just as lovely at my wedding." She tide the bell on a nail over her bed and turned to her sisters with a proud smile.

/

The noise that distracted Sumner from his fishing was that of laughing girls running over the flat land to the bridge over the small creek. When he recognized them he thought to leave but by the looks of it they didn't recognize him. They came in six, that was half the flock and he hoped they would accomplished whatever they were wanting to accomplish with the garland the two in the lead held between them.

Heloise and Ottaline raced onto the bridge with the swinging garland vines. The roof shaded them from the glaring sun as they searched for a place to hang it.

"We should put it here, at the center," Heloise said. "Then when my Papa gets home we can ask him to hang the wreaths on the outside. He'll have his ladder.

Ottaline, not so discreetly pulled up on her corset. "I think we need a ladder now," she said.

Hannah and Alifair soon joined them and wrapped their garland around the railings. "This is going to be beautiful!" Hannah declared.

"I have an idea," Ottaline said going over to where they knelt. "If I stand on the railings I'll be much taller."

"I don't think you can reach, Ottaline," Alifair said.

Ottaline climbed onto the railings and raised her arms as high as she could get them. "See I can touch the top!" she said. "I just need the hammer and a nail and a little more..." she boosted herself up and tittered. "Whoa!"

"Ottaline!" Heloise screamed and ran for her but Ottaline fell backwards into the dark creek water with a loud scream and splash." Ottaline!"

"Help!" Ottaline surfaced and shouted as she kicked and splashed. "Heloise!"

Heloise ran down the bridge and rounded its corner to the bank. She started into the water when Alifair grabbed her arms.

"Heloise, you can't swim!"

"There's no time!" Heloise said. "Hurry get Selene and Miriam!" As Alifair ran to get them Heloise looked for another way to reach Ottaline. She had been at the center of the bridge when she fell in thus putting her at the center of the creek. She remembered Providence boat. "I'm coming, Ottaline! She shouted and ran to the little dock.

Sumner had heard the girl go in and went running up the opposite bank. Not removing one bit of his clothing he raced into the water and swam toward her.

"Help!" Ottaline kept screaming.

"Stay calm," Sumner said grabbing her by the waste. "Don't kick, I've got you." Holding her tight he swam back to shore and laid her on the bank.

Ottaline coughed and sputtered, trying to get the creek out of her. The sound of feet echoed on the bridge and soon Hannah and Alifair arrived and Selene and Miriam directly behind them, When Heloise saw what had happened she abandoned the boat and ran down the opposite bank to the bridge.

"What are you doing, get away from her!" Miriam shouted shoving Sumner away from Ottaline.

"No, Miriam," Ottaline said. "He saved my life. "Mr. Woodrow saved my life."

Miriam looked from Ottaline to Sumner who was breathing hard as water streamed from his curly hair. She wanted to ask a thousand whys but she had no reason to. She toyed with her pride before looking him in the eye. "Thank you, Mr. Woodrow," she said. "You know...not many people around here can swim. I suppose...I'm glad it was you who was here."

Sumner nodded his head.

"Come, Ottaline," Miriam said getting to her feet and helping her up. "We had best get you out of those wet clothes."

Ottaline looked down at her ruined self but was grateful to be alive. "Thank you for saving my life, sir," she said then they walked away, still worrying over her. They met Heloise on the bridge and gathered their garland to be hung when they had a proper ladder.

/

Ottaline closed the bottom wardrobe drawer locking her corset away in its box. All the girls were in the room getting ready for bed and she dusted her hands and headed to her own. "It is the curse of the corset with me," she announced. "Astrid does not wear a corset and nor shall I."

Astrid smiled. "You want to be like me, Ottaline?"

"Yes I shall be very much like you," Ottaline said. "The first time I wore a corset I got a rash. Worse this time I nearly drown. Perhaps next I will be trampled by wild horses. It is punishment for my vanity."

Wysteria shook her head. "Ottaline, that has nothing to do with van—"

"No, my mind is made up. I shall be simple from now on."

"I bet you won't stop wearing your bonnet," Beatrice said from her bed.

Ottaline looked over at the bonnet perched merrily on the dressing screen. "Oh, but that is another matter all together," she said and they all laughed.