milliways_bar | (no subject)

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william evans

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"I said, WHOSE BOSS ARE YOU?!" Almanzo yells just outside the door, before lobbing the blacking brush he was holding at one of his sisters. There is a scream from his other sister, then Almanzo comes running at top speed through the door, an expression of extreme terror on his face.

Someone just got stove blacking on the parlour wallpaper.

That someone is in big big trouble.

Almanzo runs through the bar to the stable and hides himself in a stack of straw, trying not to cry.

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William's in the stables checking up on the horses when Alamanzo runs in and slowly moves over to where he's hiding, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Father's going to kill me when he gets home." Almanzo says, looking up.

He kneels down to his level, "What did you do?"

"I threw a blacking brush at my sister and she ducked and it hit the wallpaper in the parlour."

"Oh, that's bad but it can be cleaned up. Did you hit her or just the wall?"

It will definitely be worse if his sister got hurt.

"The wall. The paper is white and gold."

"Sure that can be cleaned off, it'll take some time and you'll have to apologize but it can be fixed. Its clear you didn't mean to do that and just got angry. Come on out, I think I've got some hot chocolate in the tack room."

"I'm gonna get whipped." Almanzo says gloomily, but he follows William because chocolate is good.

He gets the water boiling with a frown, "Is your Pa fair about whippin'?"

"He is." Almanzo admits. "I know I deserve it..."

"What did your sister do to get you so angry?"

"We all got left home alone." Almanzo says. "And she made me clean the stove, and even when I did it, she was real bossy."

"Is she much older than you? Cause I'm an older brother and know I can get bossy sometimes, don't mean to but it happens."

Almanzo nods.

"I'm the youngest."

"Well, why don't you wait a bit before goin' back, let things cool down and then you can apologize. I'm sure it won't be as bad as you're thinkin' it will be."

Almanzo nods. But he knows how proud his parents are of the parlour; heck, the kids aren't even allowed in there unless there's company.

"They ain't home until later."

"Maybe you can clean most of it off before they get back."

"Does black stuff come off paper?"

"It should just might take some scrubbin'."

Almanzo looks doubtful that they won't notice, but nods politely.

"You ever damaged anything big?" he asks.

"Yeah, couple of times. Broke a stool once cause I stood on it when I shouldn't have. Also caused a lot of messes and gotten into lots of fights. Those are worse though cause they were at school so other folks knew about 'em."

"Did you get whipped?" Almanzo asks.

"Yeah, but not with a whip just flat of his hand and sometimes boxed my ears."

Almanzo nods. He doesn't get corporal punishment all that often, but the threat is usually enough.

"Wish I was a girl." he says.

Beat.

"Actually not really, girls don't get to do fun stuff."

"Which fun stuff? Cause most of the ones here do whatever they like,"

He pours the hot chocolate out, handing a cup to Almanzo.