1.
Belle reorganized the office in the hardware store to do double duty for the 'Lodge Office,' and with Harry, she set up the necessary account ledgers and booking sheets
2.
The Tallow seeds had been harvested by Belle and the girls early during the construction weeks, and now could be rendered for candles and soaps
3.
George had just swept the porch and Belle was in the kitchen when Wang Fong offered a story to accompany them in their early chores
4.
“What a clever story,” remarked Belle to the ancient, in kindly appreciation
5.
Once again Belle voiced her appreciation, but this time, like George, she was uneasy about the subjects and timing of their counsellors' anecdotes
6.
It wasn't wholly unexpected, as Belle had made an a tentative appointment with Mandy to discuss the 'meal plan' arrangements earlier considered for the Lodge's patrons
7.
“I wanted to get to talk with you sooner, but last minute preparations for the Spring Tournament business has detained me,” she opened sincerely once Belle joined her at the table
8.
I had suspected as much; it is very kind of you to confirm those suspicions,” answered Belle tactfully
9.
Belle laid out the ideas she'd formulated for the conveniences of her future guests
10.
Mandy walked into the suite's sitting room and at once began to admire the careful attention to décor Belle had lavished upon the room since the completion of construction
11.
Delighted with her guest's reactions, Belle said, “In here is the bedroom,” and motioned to one of two brightly lacquered doors on the wall to their left
12.
“Through here is the shared bathroom,” Belle intoned as she opened the passageway door and moved proudly toward the main attraction
13.
Belle recognized the nature of the unformed plea, intuitively acknowledging that a woman's practical interest in the modern achievement stood in contrast to a man's academic appreciation; she said, “If you don't mind, I'll just go and check that the twins aren't into any mischief
14.
White Feathers came round the corner from the front door, reached into the kitchen and handed an envelope to Belle
15.
Belle had spent the morning assembling trays of assorted flowers from beside the meandering overflow that emptied the pond when heavy rains filled it past its rim
16.
The effect was not lost on Belle, and new-found pride swelled in her breast for her husband's elevated status and recognition among the citizens---so long overdue
17.
George and Harry were transplanting a few of the Tallows and installing 'locally obtained' shrubs, ones they'd relocated from around the lake that is, into the bedding areas Belle and the twins had prepared
18.
Belle had taken Tania and Poly on a walk to gather certain plants and roots to restock her pantry and medicines chest
19.
It wasn't until the children were each served that George and Belle stopped holding their breath
20.
“Where did that come from?!” demanded Belle once she'd resumed respiration
21.
“What about the Ice Box Cabinet?” insisted Belle
22.
” whispered Belle with resumed shock
23.
Belle was delighted to tears
24.
Belle introduced her daughters to the amazing craft of weaving to which the twins took with enthusiasm and creativity
25.
“George resumed his Sunday fishing excursions once the bungalows were completed, he took turns every few weeks with Belle
26.
This was the way George and Belle had been raised and educated and they passed their love and understanding on to their children---always balance, always respect
27.
George had been very thorough in explaining about the more curious aspects of the mast's construction to Belle
28.
It was of course George's Great-uncle Fong Li who had directed the construction, and it was Fong Li who meticulously explained the subtleties of sailing a small craft to Belle and George during the long construction process
29.
' Such were the responses Belle and George received from his forebears when he announced his intent to begin his daughters' external training
30.
For her part, Belle remained silent in the face of their ranting and simply waited for the squall to settle
31.
This time it was Belle who interrupted, “Forgive me but, this is a matter of 'tradition'? That's what this comes down to? Tradition? Perhaps you have failed to fully appreciate the uniqueness of the situation we are at present engaged
32.
” After a silence which was so prolonged George and Belle both began to wonder if communication had at last been severed with their cherished counsellors, finally Lizette spoke for all
33.
In the first place it was Belle who told them the story of the Guang donkey and the explanation of their purpose and the seriousness of their choices
34.
It was Belle who, once the twins accepted the task, began directing their lessons on the new boat and arranged the course of exercises at home with George
35.
It was Belle who most fully understood Tania and Poly's natural bent toward teamwork, not just their apparent preference for each other's company
36.
It began like this: Belle announced one morning that she and the twins would be 'taking the boat out today
37.
When they had gotten quite a ways offshore, Belle began an introduction to what lay in store for them
38.
Belle finished the story and then she began the same explanation always conferred upon the child before a decision should be required of them
39.
Belle wondered for a moment how many generations of George's family had asked those very questions and she swelled with pride and resolve that her family would now both carry on the old, and begin the new traditions of so remarkable a lineage
40.
Belle instructed, “Aim for those two large boulders at the foot of those Ponderosa pines, just there, she pointed
41.
Belle, as George had done years before with Harry, lounged in the bow feigning sleep under her parasol; but she kept careful vigilance on both of her daughters' form and progress without them noticing
42.
George smiled to Belle and they smiled to Harry who returned it with the same pride they all felt for their girls
43.
Until on the fourth morning when Belle went to rouse them, they were not to be found
44.
A sideways glance to Belle and she too kept her face impassive
45.
On that next morning while Belle and the girls were on the lake, George and Harry installed the vertical receivers to both sides of each post
46.
So when they noticed the twins not boarding as Belle approached from the house, they were ready
47.
Belle turned on her heel saying not a word
48.
Belle had taken her place near George a little ways off, nd called out, “Let's try that again
49.
George and Belle walked onto the deck still holding hands and sat on the same bench so recently vacated by their son
50.
This all happened a year and a bit before the twins were born to George and Belle, and White Feathers at once began helping the new father care for his son while James also kept up his livery stable business
51.
Under White Feathers care the lad had been brought up and taught nearly identically to the upbringing Harry and his sisters received from George and Belle
52.
White Feathers and James were anxious that 'their' boy have some strong feminine influence and neither of them could imagine a better influence than Belle
53.
Belle mentioned his abilities and interest to Mandy, so Mandy dropped round to James at the livery one afternoon
54.
George and Belle walked behind their children, amazed again at how fast they were growing up, and getting so tall
55.
Belle said, “White Feathers informed me he will not be joining us this evening,” and she looked to George suspiciously
56.
George and Belle gave a bit of a wave for the congratulations now directed to them
57.
Belle not only encouraged this behavior but had them make reports, synopses and essays over the information, concepts and conclusions drawn from their readings
58.
Belle was delighted indeed and looked forward to mounting them
59.
George, Belle and White Feathers, who had been in on the secret for weeks, were still justly impressed with the results of the girls' labors, even as much as Harry
60.
Now glad that he'd made the timely trip, he wondered how to tell Belle that the old woman, she knew only as Great-grandmama Poriva, who had given her the strength and training that made her who she was, had now passed to air and sky
61.
But he needn't have spent too much time on that poser, for by the time he had returned, just after George and Harry, a new voice was counseling and offer succor to Belle and to George
62.
He stepped into the great room, weary of the road, and Belle greeted him, embraced him unexpectedly and informed him that that was from Great-grandmama
63.
” White Feathers wiped a tear from his eye and smiled warmly at Belle, who had gone on about her morning's tasks
64.
The way Belle saw it, this would be the last time he would see them for at least four years, maybe more, and she wanted him to leave with the memory of his sisters as young women, not the tall skinny girls they still were
65.
Belle told George and White Feathers the story and what she planned, eliciting both their encouraging consent
66.
Allcock hadn't really any doubts on the matter since Harry was the son of George and Belle Livingson, after all
67.
Belle set him to sorting yarns and threads for her blankets and rugs and stringing them on her traditional looms
68.
Belle and George were both pleased at the addition; representing to them the new advent of tradition that was soon to transform their family's own training for generations to come
69.
It was White Feathers who had almost raised the lad himself from near infancy, who gave his own blessing to the arrangement and helped George and Belle passed any hint of trepidation they might have had over the lad
70.
Hipolyta picked up her sister's slack, assisting Belle at the Lodges and in large part filled Harry's shoes left vacant at the hardware store
71.
Though now every morning and evening he awoke and retired in the Livingson home and under the aegis and instruction of George and Belle
72.
Belle never over-indulged this resource
73.
The carriage occupants were too shaken to help themselves, so it fell to George and Jameson, Belle, Titania and Hipolyta to send for the doctor, rescue the driver and passengers from their now very crumpled carriage, extricate the horses from their harnesses, right the nearly overturned carriage, remove the damaged carriage and still unhurt horse to the livery and lead away the injured horse
74.
Hipolyta and Belle opened all the bungalow windows, stripped the beds, and scrubbed the bathrooms for the last time that season
75.
The girls ran to their room and returned promptly with their two letters apiece, Belle took down the two letters they kept on the mantle, and they all opened the first set received together
76.
White Feathers and Jameson with George sat in the rockers, drinks in hand, and listened as Belle and the girls compiled the events variously presented through the three initial documents
77.
Belle read aloud, We most thoroughly enjoyed the theater again our last evening in the city that doesn't sleep
78.
Belle had not read aloud, nor would she consent to do so, the record of Mr
79.
Their ancestors watched the developments of Harry's endeavors carefully, but would not comment or apprize George and Belle until, “the bold experiment had reached the end of its first fragile stage
80.
” George promptly began to relate to White Feathers all that had been spoken and so did not hear what next was said next, but Belle heard every word
81.
“It's about time,” said Belle and she was seconded by White Feathers
82.
The children were out of the house and George was in the store, White Feathers wanted to attend the little meeting, but Belle would not hear of it
83.
They were seated around the great room and Belle served them tea
84.
She laid them face up on the table and turned them for Belle to view them directly
85.
“I am very pleased, in fact personally honored, to confer this village School's first diplomas upon Jameson Aloysius Connor, Hipolyta Belle Livingson, and Titania Belle Livingson with top honors
86.
” She handed them to Belle with a broad smile and added rather sheepishly, “I never expected anything like the results they provided on their examinations from any children of their age, or any other for that matter
87.
Belle gathered her strained wits about her and calmly explained that their son Henry was, this day in fact, “
88.
“Oh,” rejoined Belle and Mandy together without knowing the context of their appreciation of that fact, except that it seemed important to Sarah Bunker
89.
” Belle simply nodded, as Mandy came from Bungalow Seven with a tray of refreshments, the ingredients for which she consistently maintained in 'her' rooms
90.
” The two friends politely ignored Sarah's little mess and Belle continued
91.
” Belle began, but searched for an accurate yet non-labeled description
92.
Belle conceded with a sigh of resignation that those were apt descriptors
93.
It was Sarah's turn, “But Belle, you yourself are the very epitome of elegance
94.
Belle and George tended the daily routines of the store and lodges assisted in the afternoons by the girls
95.
What they also saw, prominently presented just below the title at the top of the walnut plaque, there for all the village to see and remember, on the first brass plate were the three names of the School's first graduates---the class of '84: Jameson Aloysius Connor, Hipolyta Belle Livingson, and Titania Belle Livingson
96.
George and Belle greeted them as if they were returning family, indeed Harry had made so thorough his frequent mention of one or the other of the Spelmans that they did consider them more than mere acquaintances
97.
Belle took her under her wing and treated her as her own daughter
98.
They were constantly in each other's company as Belle went about her various and many duties and responsibilities of home and Lodges
99.
Belle sat up with her one evening on the occasion of one of the men's weekly fishing trips and turned the conversation intentionally to the subject of her son
100.
Belle continued, seeing she had hit the mark in one, “For you will have to win him outright, and then inform him of the change in management