The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

The hardest drop on Cussy Mary’s Wednesday route is Hogtail Mountain, where she climbs up to a WPA fire watchtower to deliver books to R.C. Cole. He’s trying to use his learning from the library loans to work his way up to fire watch dispatcher, then forest ranger. Today, he can’t come down because he’s keeping an eye on a potential fire in the distance. The work is dangerous—his father died in a lightning strike, and a thunderstorm almost got R.C. himself last summer.

In addition to his old loans, R.C. gives Cussy Mary two letters, since she can get them into town—and on to their recipients—faster than he can. One is to Ruth Beck’s father, asking for her hand in marriage. Firewatching is a lonesome job, and after a year of faithful courting, R.C. is ready to take the next step in their relationship.

At the foot of Hogtail Mountain, Cussy Mary waits for Queenie since their paths cross on Wednesday. To pass time, she reads a passage from Wind in the Willows aloud to Junia in her best newscaster voice, stumbling over some of the longer words. When Queenie rides up behind her, she gently mocks Cussy for concreting up her own “musical words” with “city airs.” Cussy protests that she wants to learn as much as she can, to know all the words and their meanings. Queenie lends her the dictionary she got from her pa.

Queenie has been thinking of leaving, maybe for Philadelphia, where she learned that there’s an assistant librarian job opening. She applied last week. Queenie longs to live in a big city where there is opportunity and a Black community. As she and Cussy Mary part ways, Cussy envies Queenie for having a community to belong to. Even in the city, Cussy fears she’d be singled out for her blue skin.

Cussy Mary sometimes delivers her patrons’ letters with their books, and she has mail for the Evanses. Mr. Evans is away, and Mrs. Evans is illiterate, so she asks Cussy to read the letter to her. The letter from their son announces the birth of their first granddaughter, named after Mrs. Evans, and bears news of their success in cattle ranching in Nebraska. As a thanks, Mrs. Evans gives Cussy some crackling bread for her ride.

Cussy Mary’s next patron is Timmy Flynn. Because his mother refuses the Pack Horse Library, Cussy leaves his books in a pot on the edge of the property. Today, Timmy playfully sneaks up on Cussy. He’s skinny and underfed, but too prideful to accept charity. So Cussy tricks him into eating the bread Mrs. Evans gave her. Before she leaves, she has another trick up her sleeve, convincing Timmy to carry her best scrapbook to his mother. Cussy hopes that the recipes and whittling tips it contains will convince her to borrow some more books. As Timmy runs home and Cussy Mary turns back to the path, she and Junia hear something—or someone—rustling in the trees behind them. They’re still being hunted.