"He was born in the rain storm," Alifair said as she sat by the front door tying her boots. "Mr. Sweetland says they'll probably just kill him."

"Why?" Hannah asked as she buttoned her coat to keep dry from the spring rain.

"Mr. Jersey only wants dairy cows and male calves become bulls which don't produce milk," Alifair said getting to her feet. "I wish I could adopt him. No calf should have to start his life out as beef."

"You mean end his life as beef," Hannah said.

"We couldn't keep a calf, Alifair," Miriam said. She sat turned sideways to the table counting out money. "We have enough animals to feed besides ourselves."

"He's only a baby," Hannah said. "How much could he eat?"

"More than you," Miriam said. "Besides we have no use for such livestock."

"He wouldn't simply be livestock," Alifair said. "He'd be my friend and I'd be the one to take full care of him like I do Dove and my chickens and Birdy."

"Dove mostly finds his own food," Miriam said with a sigh as she finished counting. "The chickens give us eggs and Birdy is a common pet. People don't normally keep bovine for pets." She got up from table. "If it were that simple then Taitiann would have bought Marzipan from Mr. Calico a long time ago." She looked out the door. "It sure is raining. I even hate to take Missy out in all of this."

"Do you think many students will show up at the library?" Alifair asked Miriam.

"Not in this," Miriam said. "Everyone is afraid of getting ill and the library isn't very warm. I'll talk to Mama about you and Heloise and Hannah staying home today but I'll have to go to the library in case someone does turn up."

Alifair and Hannah both liked the idea of not having to challenge the rain. However, such weather meant a house full all day and as the hours passed and the rain kept up they kept getting under each other's feet. Hannah decided to keep out of the way by working on the doll she was making for Astrid.

Heloise and Alifair were made to practice their samplers for school while Ottaline and Providence wrote essays. Birdy and Sacha had taken shelter on the back porch and the rest of the animals had been moved into the barn. The girls sat around the workshop mostly on the floor while Mrs. Fairchild went over a shopping list in the kitchen.

/

The following afternoon when it wasn't raining Alifair led the way to Mr. Jersey's pasture where about eight cows of various colors grazed the wet grass. Mud was splashed up high on their legs as they pulled the grass up and chewed it slowly all the while watching the curious girls.

"You can see him there by the far fence. He's brown with a white mark down his face," Alifair said pointing. "Mr. Jersey has no use for him and wants his dam's milk to sell at market for people. Come on. He said I could come by and see him if I wanted." She climbed over the fence with Heloise, Providence and Hannah following her.

"I'll wait here," Selene said holding her umbrella. "You girls be careful."

Alifair walked around the grazing cows. "See those two black and white ones?" she said pointing to two calves near their mothers. "And that black one over there too? They are females and will produce milk one day so he'll keep them only soon he'll pen them up so they don't take all the milk but my calve will be a bull and he already has studs so he has no use for him except to eat."

When they neared the calf he stood up and made his way toward them with a large wet nose and big innocent eyes.

"He should really be one of us, Alifair," Heloise said as she petted him. "What do you call him?"

"I haven't decided," Alifair said. "I don't want to be too attached in case I can't have him."

"I think you shall have him, Alifair!" Heloise said optimistically. "He can use the smaller pen next to Missy in the barn."

"Wysteria would like his manure for her flowers," Providence reasoned. "There, I found a way he could benefit us."

/

It didn't take much to persuade Mr. Fairchild to take on the little brown and white calf. Mainly because Alifair was responsible and always obedient and he had to admit that the little creature was too precious to make a meal out of. So the following morning they hitched up Missy and road down to get him along with Ottaline and Providence. Mr. Jersey was even kind enough to explain some things about cows to Alifair though he was certain that one day Mr. Fairchild intended to slaughter him. Thus a new member joined the family.

"Here is where you will sleep," Alifair said as she and the other girls went into the barn to put Missy away and give the calf his new home. "I've already put down clean straw for you to lie on." She reached atop the post that made up the pen and took down a bottle. "This is special for you to drink," she said as the animal poked his wet nose into the straw. "It is milk and Mama says it has to come out of my earning since you are my pet." She held the bottle down to him and the calf began to suckle. "Don't take it all at once!"

"He's greedy, Alifair," Hannah said perched on the fence with her feet and elbows. "That's a sin."

Alifair shot Hannah a look of disapproval then turned back to the calf when he tugged the bottle for more milk. "He'll drink me out of house and home."

Wysteria laughed. "He sure is thirsty," she said. "He drinks like a hydrangea."

"A hydrangea?" Heloise questioned. "That sounds like the monster Hercules fought."

"Well hydra, which makes up both of those words means water," Miriam said.

"Oh I see," Heloise said. "The Hydra was a water monster."

"And the hydrangea is a very thirsty plant," Wysteria said. "Just like your calf, Alifair."

"Then it's settled," Alifair said. "I shall call him Hydra." She pulled the bottle from his mouth. "Your body will have to grow to fit your name but your stomachs won't"

Selene joined Taitiann who was brushing down Missy. "Now might be a good time to ask Papa again about Marzipan," she said.

"I couldn't take the attention away from Alifair's calf," Taitiann said. "Besides I'm working on Marzipan. I want to buy her with my own money."

"Papa will like to know that," Selene said.

"The Sweetlands have been generous," Taitiann said slapping Missy's shoulder. "I'll have the money soon but there will still be the matter of keeping her. Can you imagine how hard Alifair will have it when that calf gets grown?"

"We'll have a bull on our hands," Selene said. "Dear I hadn't thought that far."

Taitiann laughed. "If Sacha can be tamed then so can a bull," she said stepping out of the pen. She looked around at the cozy barn. Providence had kept the rabbits in as it called for rain and she, Ottaline and Beatrice were playing with them. Breakfast was watching from a post where his cat judgment deemed viewing better. Dove was cooing in the roost and Sacha and Birdy were watching Hydra curiously outside the pen.

"I must still introduce him to everyone," Alifair said.

"Let's start with Bambi and Racket," Astrid suggested and the rabbits were brought up to the pen followed by Breakfast and Missy next door. Dove was pointed to as he rustled in the rafters.

"And this is Sacha," Wysteria said. "He does the protecting around here. And don't forget the chickens, Ada, Portia, Minnie and Custard. "

"And Birdy is going to watch out for you too," Hannah said. "She's a good dog."

"I love our barn," Astrid said dreamily. "I love our family."

"Me too," Ottaline said. "And I also love dancing!" She grabbed Heloise next to her and spun around. Soon the other girls all found partners and danced too as they hummed a song. Sacha leapt around them eager to join while Breakfast once again found a spot out of the way. The rain came down on the roof outside and pet and dancers alike were glad to be together and glad to be dry.

/

After school the following afternoon the twelve went to Twelve Briars to do more work. The warm spring breeze carried the scent of the new wood through the building which no longer smelled of mold. Ladybird had painted branches gold and silver and hung the boughs in the foyer. They seemed to glimmer in the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the windows and trees.

Granville's piano had arrived and found its place in the main studio with Astrid constantly playing at it. "Mr. St. Cloud is fixing up the church piano," she said from the bench. "He didn't think it right a church have such a poor piano."

Ladybird's point shoes tapped the floor as she pique turned. "That is nice of him," she said coming to a stop. "It does give him something to do since it doesn't seem we'll ever stop those CARCAS Boys."

"Let's hope they are finished with us," Miriam said opening a window for cool air. "I hope Twelve Briars no longer interest them."

"I don't think they'll give up that easily," Wysteria said from the corner.

"I was trying to be optimistic," Miriam said. "No, I don't think they'll give up that easy either."

"Do you think they'll destroy Twelve Briars?" Heloise asked. "And all the work we've done."

"We just don't won't let them," Beatrice said.

"And how do you figure that?" Miriam asked her.

"I don't know," Beatrice said. "But I sure don't plan to let them get away with it if they do."

Ladybird wrapped her arms around her sister. "Baby B, you are bold but don't go getting yourself into trouble."

"The last thing we need is a reason to make them angry," Taitiann said.

"They are already angry," Miriam said coming away from the twilight window. "And the only reason they need is simply not to like us and they already have that."

"Then what do we do?" Beatrice asked. "It's foolish to think they won't strike again."

"We've got a secret weapon," Selene said and they all turned to her. "We've got a friend in Mr. Woodrow. He's played with them all his life and knows how they think. Mr. Christenson is his uncle and he takes charge of just about everything over in Brickyard. He and Mr. Burnstead that owns the bank."

"I don't want to make Mr. Christenson too mad," Heloise said. "Papa could lose his job."

"That's bad," Hannah said.

"Maybe it was a bad idea to enter the auction in the first place," Alifair said.

"Of course it wasn't, Alifair," Ladybird said. "We had a right to do it the same as everyone else. And we can't let what they have done discourage us. Imagine if Jesus had given up when all those people left because they lost faith in him. We would have no savior. If we take a lesson from Him we won't give up either."

"But Jesus ended up impaled!" Hannah pointed out.

"No, Jesus ended up with his full reward in heaven," Wysteria said.

"Yes," Ladybird said. "I'm not meaning it that way for us but we've got to keep faith in our dream and what we believe in."

Alifair nodded slowly. "Hmmm, Jesus," she thought. "You know there were twelve apostles and there are twelve of us."

"I want to be Peter!" Hannah declared. "He has more lines."

Alifair got up from the floor and looked around. "This place, Twelve Briars has a whole new meaning to me now. Twelve in heaven means completion," she said as they all gathered together at the center of the floor.

"Then may it be done on earth as it is in heaven!" Miriam said. "Amen."