No Tattletales
A Little Girl Learns to Hold Her Tongue
by
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Mary Jane ran to the well and drew up a bucket of water. She poured it into a large white enamel basin on the porch. It was cold. She knew her sisters would complain.
“If we hurry we can be ready for bed before dark,” she said. “And we won’t have to light a lamp.”
Mandy stuck her toe in the water. “Cold!” she shrieked, holding her foot up.
“Well, we’re not going to warm it now. It’s nearly dark. Just put your feet in and don’t piddle around. Do it now!”
Laura sat on the floor facing Mandy with the pan of water between them. They splashed each other and laughed. They were in no hurry.
Old Bull trotted to his bed underneath the porch. He turned around a couple of times, and plopped down on his bed of straw. He put his paw over his nose. The swelling had gone down some. He looked over the yard while the girls sat washing their feet. The only sounds were the crickets and the splashing of water. Somewhere in the woods a whippoorwill began his nightly call. In the early darkness the moon cast long shadows through the trees. Mary Jane glanced over her shoulder toward the woods. She dreaded the coming nighttime.
“Hurry up!” she urged her sisters. She held a towel to dry their feet. Why did I tell Mrs. Williams that we‘d be fine? What was I thinkin’? I’m not fine. I’m scared. The crickets had stopped their noise. The stillness was overwhelming.
“It’s too quiet,” Mary Jane murmured.
“What if somethin’ comes out of the woods and gets us?” Laura whispered.
Mandy began to whimper.
“Hush, you’re scarin’ Mandy! Why did you say a silly thing like that?” Mary Jane snapped.
“’Cause I heard somethin’.”
Old Bull began a low growl from underneath the porch.
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About the Book
Nine-year-old Mary Jane is thrust into a grownup role when she finds herself in charge of her two younger sisters after her mama’s death. Her papa’s marriage to a neighbor widow bent on securing her own children’s future, threatens to tear apart Mary Jane’s once happy home. Under strict orders from Papa not to tattle, Mary Jane and her sisters are forced to quietly endure the mistreatment of their stepmother as they struggle to adhere to their papa’s rule. No Tattletales is a heartwarming story of triumph through adversity, as Mary Jane receives encouragement by remembering her mother’s lessons. She learns to believe that she can do all things through Christ who strengthens her—a big concept for a little girl. No Tattletales shows challenges faced by a young girl growing up on an isolated Arkansas farm in 1888.
About the Author
Born in the piney woods, six miles north of Valliant, Oklahoma, Betty B. Cantwell grew up in the heart of Choctaw Nation, and attended a two-room country school in the community of Mound Grove. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in art education from the University of Texas at Arlington, and her Master of Fine Arts Degree from Texas Woman’s University. After teaching art for several years in the Arlington Independent School District, she retired to write, travel with her husband, and enjoy their grandchildren. Betty’s other interests are painting and pottery. Her love for genealogical research was helpful in the writing of this book. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Her stories have been published in Guidepost Books and Christian Woman Magazine. Betty and her husband Don live in Arlington, Texas.