“Have you had yours?”
Horace said he had eaten a bite at home. “Mother was too busy with the babies to fix much—”
“No matter,” Judy told him. “The Jewell sisters will spread out a feast for us the moment we enter the house. I know them. We’ll probably have home-made biscuits or doughnuts.”
She was right. She and Horace were invited to the table minutes after they arrived. Danny and his friends were already eating and apparently enjoying their breakfast. They had emptied the heaping platter of scrambled eggs, but there was corn bread and fresh apple sauce.
And there was Blackberry under the table eating the crumbs as the children let them fall!
“Shall I scramble some more eggs for you? The hens are laying plenty,” Violetta began.
But the corn bread, fresh from the oven, looked so good that Judy told her not to bother. “I’m so glad you found Blackberry,” she added, picking up her cat and hugging him. “I guess he didn’t even know he was lost.”
“He came up to the door and yowled to come in just like the gentleman he is,” Dorcas informed her. “I thought you’d sent him to us when you took those babies home. Meta called up and told us. She’s coming over this afternoon.”
“She said she was afraid she’d been a little hard on Danny’s father,” Violetta added. “It seems it was all a mistake. I’ll be glad to see her. She hasn’t been here since that thief borrowed her car. It wasn’t Danny’s father. The poor boy was so upset thinking it was—”
“Oh, we know it wasn’t. We’re not sure who it was,” Judy admitted, “but we’re certain who it wasn’t. Danny, your poor father was as surprised as we were to find your house full of stolen furniture. Here’s a picture of the man you were following. His name is Earle Haley—”