|
"See, Katie Scarlett hasn't forgotten what you told her, that the land
of County Meath is the best in the world, better even than the land of
Georgia, of TaraI'll do my best to tend it, Pa, and love it the way
you taught meIt's O'Hara soil, and it's ours again The age-old
progression of plowing and harrowing, planting and praying had a
simple, hard-working dignity that won Scarlett's admiration and
respect
for all who lived by the landShe had felt it when she lived in
Daniel's cottage and she felt it now for the farmers at BallyharaFor
herself as well, because she was, in her own way, one of themShe
hadn't the strength to drive the plow, but she could provide itAnd
the horses to pull itAnd the seed to plant in the furrows it made
The Estate Office was her home even more than her rooms in the Big
HouseThere was another cradle for Cat by her desk, fake vintage chanel wallet identical to the
one in her bedroom, and she could rock it with her foot while she
worked on her record books and her accountsThe disputes that Mrs
Fitzpatrick had been so gloomy about turned out to be simple matters
to
settleEspecially if you were The O 'Hara, and your word was law
Scarlett had always had to bully people into doing what she wanted;
now
she had only to speak quietly, and there was no argumentShe
enjoyed
the first Sunday of the month very muchShe even began to realize
that other people occasionally had an opinion worth listening toThe
farmers really did know more about farming than she did, and she
could
learn from themThree hundred acres of Ballyhara
land
were set aside as her own farmThe farmers worked it and paid only
half the usual rent for the land they leased from her
Scarlett understood sharecropping; it was the way things orange hermes birkin were done in
the SouthBeing an estate landlord was still new to herShe was
determined to be the best landlord in all Ireland"The farmers learn
from me, too," she told Cat"They'd never even heard of fertilizing
with phosphates until I handed out those sacks of it
Might as well let Rhett get a few pennies of his money back if it'll
mean a better wheat crop for us She never used the word "father" in
Cat's hearingWho could tell how much a tiny baby took in and
remembered? Especially a baby who was so clearly superior in every
way
to every other baby in the worldAs the days lengthened, breezes and
rain became softer and warmerCat O 'Hara was becoming more and
more
fascinating; she was developing individuality"I certainly named you
right," Scarlett told her, "you're the most independent little thing I
ever saw Cat's big green eyes looked at her mother chanel necklace attentively while
she was talking, then returned to her absorbed contemplation of her
own
fingersThe baby never fussed, she had an infinite capacity to amuse
herselfWeaning her was hard on Scarlett, but not on CatShe
enjoyed examining her porridge with fingers and mouthShe seemed
to
find all experience extremely interestingShe was a strong baby with
a straight spine and high-held headAnd, in a
special way, respected herShe liked to scoop Cat up and kiss her
soft hair and neck and cheeks and hands and feet; she longed to hold
Cat in her lap and rock herBut the baby would tolerate only a few
minutes of cuddling before she pushed herself free with her feet and
fists
And Cat's small dark-skinned face could have such an outraged
expression that Scarlett was forced to laugh even when she was being
forcefully rejectedThe happiest times for both of rolex datejust oyster them were at the
end of the day when Cat shared Scarlett's bathShe patted the water,
laughing at its splashes, and Scarlett held her, jounced her up and
down, and sang to herThen there was the sweetness of drying the
perfect tiny limbs, each finger and toe individually, and spreading
powder over Cat's silky skin and into each baby wrinkleWhen
Scarlett
was twenty years old, war had forced her to give up her youth
overnightHer will and endurance had hardened and so had her face
In the spring of 1876, when she was thirty-one, the gentle softness of
hope and youth and tenderness gradually returnedShe was unaware
of
it; her preoccupation with the farm and the baby had replaced her
life-long concentration on her own vanity"You need some clothes,"
Mrs
"I've heard there's a dressmaker who wants to rent the house you
lived
in if you'll fresh paint the louis vuitton fake bags inside |