She woke up shivering early in the morning. It wasn't because of the thin nightgown or the shaggy blanket, but the whistle of the wind coming through the walls. A few nights before she had curled up comfortably beside the wood stove.
As Jeri climbed out of bed, she noticed her younger sister beside the stove. "Angie", Jeri whispered. "Get up before Matron Elsie sees you".
"I'm sorry. I was so cold, and I couldn't sleep." Angie said. "Plus, Matron Elsie would whip me if I did my chores too slowly."
"Well you're just going to have to get used to it. You remember the beating I got when she caught me sleeping there."
"Yes, I know. But I was planning on waking up before she found me."
They heard a door slam from across the hall. Jeri and Angie scrambled to their beds before Matron Elsie caught them.The door swung open with a bang, which woke up the other girls.
"Who the hell did I hear talking in here?" Elsie yelled. Her aged glare went slowly around the room. When her search ended in front of the stove, Angie stared at her horrified.
"Follow me Angie" Elsie said with a forced calm.
"Wait," Jeri said, "Angie wasn't sleeping there. I was. She was cold because her blanket is thinner than mine. I offered to trade, and we must have forgotten to trade back. Please don't punnish her for my disobedience."
"No! She's lieing." Angie was beginning to cry. "It was really me. Jeri's lieing."
"Well, I guess she's just going to have to be punished even more for lieing, isn't she?" Elsie smiled as she led Jeri out the door.
Angie threw her face into her pillow, and wept quietly for her sister. Tess, the oldest girl next to Jeri, put her arms around Angie trying to comfort her. "Jeri's only taking your punishment because you're too young to endure Matron Elsie's beatings."
All seven girls could hear Jeri's muffled cries with the crack of the leather strap across her back. Angie flinched with every snap because she knew her older sister didn't deserve any of it.
During breakfast. none of the girls would look at Jeri because they didn't want Elsie to see their pity for Jeri. All of them knew that for Elsie to see pity for anyone of the others, would bring on a beating for themselves.
When Elsie mentioned she was finished her breakfast, all the girls cleared their plates wheather they were finished or not. Nobody knew what would happen if they did continue to eat, but they all knew it would be none too pleasant.
Each morning, while all the girls cleaned the table and dishes, Elsie would make up a list of chores all eight girls had to do for the day. The chores were always gladly accepted because it meant escaping Matron Elsie's presence, if only for a few hours.
Just as all the dishes were cleaned and put away, they heard Elsie clap her hands twice. From youngest to oldest, they lined up neatly in Elsie's sitting room, waiting for their assigned chores.
"Washing and mending all clothing, Angie and Kimberly. Feeding the animals and milking the cows, Sarah and Kelly. Cleaning the stables and cutting wood, Rebecca and Victoria. Going to town to pick up any telegrams, cloth for patches that may be needed for the week, Tess and Jeri.And for any girls who are done their tasks early, will churn butter and bake bread."
"Yes Ma-am" they all answered, and went to get whatever they may need for their chores. Luckly for Jeri and Tess, Elsie never noticed their excitement. Even though going to town meant walking seven miles in the bitter autumn wind, it meant Elsie wasn't breathing down their necks for the entire day.
Jeri was standing at the door, waiting for Tess to finish putting on her boots, when Elsie approached them. "If you two doddle again like you did last time, be sure you'll never get the privlage to go to town again!" They both nodded their heads and hurried out the door. "Humph, stupid kids" Elsie muttered and stormed off to her reading room.
"What time do you think it is?" Tess asked
"I guess it's about seven thirty." Jeri said. "If we move quickly, we should be back in time for supper, and we wont have to worry about Matron Elsie getting mad at us."
They reached town around noon. "Lets's stop and get the telegrams first," said Tess. "Maybe Reverend Bennet found someone to adopt one of us out of that unholy orphanage."
"I know you're hoping it'll be you Tess, but you have to face reality. Nobody will want either one of us. I'm sixteen now and you will be in six months. The only people who will give us a good home now would be a young man who would take us for their wives. And Matron Elsie wont let any of us meet any young men." Jeri was almost in tears when she said her thought.
They went through the telegrams before putting them in their pockets. Tess was always excited over the possibility of seeing one about a visit from Reverand Bennet. She almost began to cry when nothing was sent from the Reverand.
Quietly, they picked up the needed cloth, and headed back to the orphanage. Neither one of them spoke to the other. Then, as if she had run into a wall, Jeri stopped.
"What's wrong with you?" Tess asked.
"I just had a brilliant plan." Jeri said. She proceeded to tell her plan for the rest of the walk back home.
They could smell the wonderful babbit stew when they walked in the house. Elsie met them at the door. "You're late" she said. She grabbed the bag of cloth and the telegrams from their hands, and sat down in the sitting room.
"Supper is ready, Matron Elsie." Angie said meekly. Rebecca had just finished setting the table. The girls were all standing behing their chairs waiting for Elsie.
"I trust you are all washed up?" All nodded. "Well then, be seated."
When all their fod was dished out, and Elsie finished saying Grace, she said, "Thank you Kelly for dusting the furniture in my sitting room. It's about time one of you did something without being told." She glared around the room at the rest of them.
"On another note, my widow sister and her two sons will be here tomorrow. I trust you will all be wearing your best dresses and be on your best behavior."
"We will be Matron Elsie." Tess said. Elsie just nodded at the shy reply.
After supper, while the girls were cleaning up the dishes, Jeri and Tess quietly spread around Jeri's plan. The other six girls just smiled with agreement.
It was bitterly cold outside, but all eight decided not to stoke the fire. They wanted to stay awake to carry out Jeri's plan. Within about an hour, they could hear Elsie's snore.
Jeri gave a quick nod, and everyone wrapped their tattered blankets around themselves. They slowly filed through Elsie's bedroom door, then crowded around her bed, waiting anxiously.
Tess picked up one of the extra pillows, and handed the other side to Jeri. As soon as Jeri and Tess slammed the pillow on Elsie's face, the other girls held down her arms and legs to keep her from struggling free. Within about five minutes, Elsie lay completely still. Tess slowly removed the pillow.
Elsie's eyes stared at the celing without blinking. Very gingerly, Jeri felt for a pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't find one.
No one spoke. They all just stood staring at Elsie's lifeless body. Kimberley was the first to move. When she started to leave the room, they all followed. Filing out of the room, youngest to oldest.
Everyone was up early the next morning. Still nobody spoke. There came a knock at the door. Jeri stared at the door in fear. " guess that is Matron Elsie's sister."
Victoria answered the door, "can I help you?"
"my aren't you a lovely child. My name is Mary. I am Elsie's sister. I'm sure she was expecting me." She looked around the room, saw all the girls had the same look of fear on their faces. "What's wrong?" Mary asked.
"Matron Elsie didn't wake up this morning." Jeri replied.
Mary looked unexplainably calm. "Where is she?"
"She's still in her room. We weren't too sure what to do with her." Jeri said.
"Come here young lady," Mary said, "you're not telling me the truth are you?"
"No." replied Jeri. Then she told the story of how Matron Elsie had treated all of them. Mary just nodded throughout the entire tale. She didn't seem too surprised with any of it.
"She was always like this. Elsie was an only child until she was ten. Then myself and our two younger brothers were born. She's hated children since then. That's why she never married. I always knew something like this would happen to that old bat." Mary said. "I hope the Lord takes pity on her."
Within a month, Mary had full controll over the orphanage. Most of the girls found happy homes. Jeri and Angie were adopted by the new Matron Mary. Mary's youngest son, Seth, remained at the orphanage to keep up the heavy work, while her other son, Terrence married Tess just a few years later.
By Kristy Lozanski copyright. � 2003