One summer day a terrible storm came up with much thunder, lightning and hail. It sounded as if the whole sky was falling on the tin roof of our house. We could hardly hear one another talk. It was so dark that Mama pulled the light cord so we could see. Terry and Pledge were playing checkers. Marcella and I played jacks on the linoleum covered floor. Mac cuddled up to our mother who was sitting in the rocking chair.

We thought a tree limb was blowing against the house and it sounded faintly like someone was knocking in the noise of the storm. Then I heard a frightened voice calling, "Minnie Mae, Minnie Mae, please let me come in!"

Pledge opened the door to see who was calling. It was Margaret Dexson.

Mama moved quickly to the door, "Come in, dear child, hurry!" she invited. "That weather isn’t fit for people or animals to be out in."

Margaret was crying something awful.

Mama grabbed a towel and began drying her off.

"Come to my room," said Mama. "I’ll see you have dry clothes." Our mother put her arm around the girl’s wet shoulders and dripping hair. She found an old worn robe in the closet and put it on Margaret. Then she hung the wet clothes by the fireplace to dry.

"I’m very sorry your mother died," said Mama. I thought you were living with your Aunt Mamie and her family.

"Yes, I was in Flatville with Aunt Mamie and her boys. I got plenty to eat there but, Mrs. Huddle, I couldn’t take it any longer because her children teased me all the time. Eddie squeezed me and pinched me until it hurt so badly. I ran away. I can’t go back there. I’d just die."

"There now, Sweetie", said Mama. "You don’t have to go back, at least not for awhile."

"Not ever, please Mrs. Huddle, can I stay here?"

"How did you got here?" I asked.

"A truck driver picked me up when I was on the high road and brought me here. If it was not for his kindness I would have died in this storm."

"I was so surprised that Margaret came to our house that I couldn’t think of much to say. I thought will Mama let her stay with us, we don’t have much food.

I did not have to wonder very long for Mama quickly assured my frightened friend that she could stay.

"Mama, where will she sleep?" asked Marcella.

"Tonight she can sleep in the bed with me," said Mama. "Tomorrow I will fix a place for her."

Margaret smiled. The look of fear left her face.

Mama went to the kitchen and made hot tea for Margaret and gave her two biscuits with sugar on them.

My friend Margaret hugged Mama and said, ‘Thank you! Thank You! I miss Ma so much but you are so kind and good."

"God will help us call," said Mama. "There will be a way."

Margaret’s hair was almost dry. I let her use my comb. She had beautiful black hair that fell long over her shoulders. It would be like having another sister with Margaret living in our house. This thought made me happy.

My friend was almost thirteen, a few months older than Pledge. I got to know her when I was in second grade and she was in the third grade. Both classes were in the same room. We had the same teacher. When she was promoted to the fourth grade she went to a new classroom.

It quit raining before dark and we girls went on the porch to play. The ground was wet with mud puddles. Mac played in them when Mama wasn’t looking.

Later Margaret and I gathered the eggs. We had scrambled eggs, biscuits and jelly for supper.

Margaret wanted to wash the dishes and I didn’t argue about that.

We went to bed early. Marcella and I talked a while about what it would be like having Margaret live with us.

"I don’t think I will like it," said Marcella. "You might like her better than you like me."

"Never, don’t be silly," I tried to assure my sister. "Marcella, I believe you are jealous."

"I got reason," returned Marcella.

"I’m surprised you said that," I responded. "Don’t you know that Margaret needs a place to live."

"She had a place," said Marcella. "She ran away."

"What would you do if boys bigger and older than you picked on you?" I asked my sister.

"I’m sorry I have been selfish," said Marcella. "I’ll try to get along with her. It is just that I wanted you for myself. Do you think she will sleep in here or in the empty room?"

"I don’t know," I said yawning. "Let’s go to sleep."

"All right, Minnie Lee," said Marcella, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Marcella," I answered.

In the morning Mrs. Pearl came to see if we had any damage from the storm. The storm had uprooted a tree in her back yard.

"That was some storm," said Mama. "And that poor child was out alone in the bad weather until a truck driver brought her to this house."

"What child are you talking about?" asked Mrs. Pearl.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that Margaret Dexson came here, needing a place to stay."

Surely, you already have your hands full," said the neighbor. "But knowing you, I think you said that she was welcome to stay."

"Sure did," said Mama. "She slept with me last night. I need some help like a sheet and pillow and a mattress. Do you know anyone who would be willing to lend these things?"

"Look no father," Mrs. Pearl replied. "You can count on me to help in any way possible. There are 2 mattresses on our guest bed and I have an extra pillow. I’ll get Wayne to bring the mattress to your house. Your children can come and get the bedding.

Mama was pleased. No matter what happened, Mama could always count on Mrs. Pearl. Our neighbor said Margaret would be living with me and Marcella.

Mama gave Margaret the room that had been empty and loved her as her own child. The new member of our family, the one we called our sister, was a neat person. Her room was always neat. Of course that was easy for her because there wasn’t’ much to straighten. She just smoothed out the cover on her bed and plumped the pillow.

"Minnie Mae, do y’all want to go over to my shanty with me and pick up a few things I left there when I went to my aunt’s house?"

"We must ask Mama first," I said.

Mama gave permission for all us children to walk to Margaret’s old home place, but she said, "It’s probably all gone by now, Margaret."

"Maybe not," returned Margaret. "I hid some things in the wall where no one could see them in case I didn’t stay with Aunt Mamie for long. We’ll need a crowbar or claw hammer. My cousins took Pa’s tools.

Pledge carried the crowbar which was a long metal bar with a bent fork end to pry planks loose.

It was about two miles to the shanty where the Dexsons had lived.

Margaret’s pa had been killed in a hunting accident when she was nine. She spoke lovingly of her pa and ma who had loved her so much.

"Let’s rest a few minutes in the shade," said Mac. "The hot dirt on the road burns my feet."

They all stopped for a few minutes in the shade, then they traveled on.

"I’m going to walk on the rails," Terry said, when they came to a railroad. Then he jumped off of the rail as soon as he stepped on it. The rails were very hot from the summer sun.

Soon they were at the house that Margaret had lived in most of her life. The place was almost empty. It looked as if everything useful had been taken away. A dirty rag-doll lay on the floor in a corner of the bedroom. Next to it was Margaret’s doll with broken legs that the cousins had torn apart. Margaret cried a little when she picked it up. She remembered they had good times together in the past.

Margaret told us how her Pa would serenade her and her Ma with his guitar. Now the guitar was at her cousin Phil’s house. He wouldn’t let her touch it.

"They took about everything," remarked Pledge.

"Yeah," said Margaret, wiping tears from her face. "Except that old wringer over there that I used to turn for Ma to wring out the clothes.

"Can we have it?" I asked, knowing how hard it was for me to rinse the clothes.

"Do you think we can get it to your house?" asked Margaret. "It’s sure heavy."

"Sure," offered Pledge. "Terry, Mac and I will carry it."

That offer made me happy.

"I’m taking the dolls," declared Marcella, "Mama will fix them like new."

"Give me the crow bar," said Margaret.

She pried loose two boards between the door and window. Behind the boards she found an old shoe box and a cigar box just as she had left them. In the shoe box was her ma’s recipes and pictures of the family.

I’ll open the cigar box when we get to the house," Margaret said. "I don’t want to lose anything that’s in it."

The trip back to the gray house seemed very long because of the things they were carrying. The boys had to stop several times to rest their arms from carrying the heavy clothes wringer.

At last they were home in the gray house and out of the heat of the summer sun.

Mama looked at the wringer. "I’m surprised that your aunt did not want this," she said.

"My aunt has a real washing machine – one that cleans clothes," returned Margaret. She had no need for just a wringer that clamps on to the tub."

"We surely can use it," Mama said happily. "You can help Minnie and Marcella do the laundry."

"I will help them," promised Margaret. "I am used to doing the wash, Ma was sick so long and couldn’t work."

"Good," said Mama elated at the thought of this girl helping Minnie and Marcella. "I have much work to do to make money for our food and get you children ready for school come fall."

Margaret opened the cigar box that held her treasures – the things she had hidden by nailing boards over the wall space. First she took out a little pearl-handle knife that her grandpa had given her pa years before. This she gave to Pledge.

"I want you to have it since I’m going to think of you as my brother," Margaret said.

Then she removed a sling-shot her pa had made. This was her gift to Terry. "Mind that you don’t shoot at anybody," she said.

"Right, agreed Mama, "You can knock cans off the fence post."

"And Mac, here is a little harmonica Pa used to play for me. It is yours."

"Great," said Mac as he began to play."

"Marcella, you can have my gingerbread cutter," said Margaret.

"Minnie, how about these old maid cards?" she offered. "We can have fun playing them."

"I’m keeping Ma’s locket," declared Margaret. It’s got Pa and Ma’s picture in it."

"Because you were so good to give me a home, Mrs. Huddle, "Here’s Mama’s silver brooch."

"Thanks, dear," said Mama. "I’ll wear it with pleasure and keep it for you to have someday."

Margaret put her ma’s recipes in the kitchen cabinet and carried the photos of her family upstairs to her room.

Marcella washed the rag doll and hung it out on the line to dry. Then she wiped the other doll with no feet as clean as possible.

Mama took time to cut out two doll dresses from scraps of material but she said that Margaret and I had to sew the dresses. We did the sewing by hand and the dresses turned out pretty.

Margaret had an idea. She was smart. She cut out and sewed a pair of stockings for the doll. Then she stuffed the stocking with bits of rags and sewed them on to the doll’s body. Now it was a whole doll again and Marcella was very happy. Marcella was liking our new sister more and more each day.

Margaret stayed on with us and became a part of the Huddle family. She announced that her name was now Margaret Dexson Huddle. Seeing that we often talked of Papa, she, too. Looked forward to his homecoming.