More of Lulabelle Gimlin's Diary, Turkey Day Troubles

November 29, 1900

Mercy me!  I've just come home from sharing a most harrowing Thanksgiving dinner with that nice lady who owns the detective agency, Miss Trolley.  I was mighty glad to be invited because I woke up Thanksgiving morning feeling pretty blue. it being the first year without Mother to cook the turkey and spend the day helping her.  Of course, it's also the first year without my father to wreck the dinner she prepared, so that's the silver lining in that cloud, isn't it? 

I know it's a horrible, awful sin to be glad about someone's death but when Miss Trolley asked everyone at her table to say something they were grateful for on Thanksgiving, I thought in my head that I am grateful my father isn't here in Philomenaville (or anywhere else) to cause trouble and hurt folks.   That man was a mean brute and I will never regret what happened that last day before I left home.  He deserved to die and I will never forgive him for what he did to Mama.

Still, I couldn't very well say that at Miss Trolley's Thanksgiving table, so I said I was grateful for all the new friends I've made since moving to Philomenaville and that is definitely true.  But wouldn't you know that's exactly the moment when Mr. Heximer Thane showed up for dinner at Miss Trolley's table?  THAT was not something to be grateful for.  A cold chill went right up my spine when I saw that man standing in the doorway tipping his hat to all the ladies present which I nearly forgot completely included me!  And then he sat himself right down in the vacant chair right next to me!  I about near had a heart attack right there in front of the turkey and everyone. 

And then he was asking me how I was feeling and I remembered how I'd faked sick the last time I ran into him just so I could get away from him and how that had backfired!  I told him I was completely recovered now and he smiled and said that was good, he hated to think of someone so pretty as me being sick.  That almost made me choke to death trying to swallow one of Miss Trolley's fine biscuits.  The man had to hit me square between the shoulder blades to keep me from expiring right at the dinner table.  That got the biscuit out of my wind pipe, which would have been a good thing, except next, Heximer Thane was telling me how glad he was I hadn't died because he would miss me something horrible.  "Wouldn't you miss me too, Miss Lulabelle?" he asked.  "I mean, I know we barely know one another, but wouldn't you be a little bit sad if you was never goin' to see me again?"

I musta turned red because Miss Trolley commented that Mr. Thane shouldn't embarrass me like that.  "Miss Lu's a shy one," Miss Trolley told him.  "If you don't wanna scare her off, Mr. Thane, you're gonna have to sneak up on her nice and slow and give her some time to see what a fine man you are." 

Just what I need!  Heximer Thane sneakin' up on me!  Dear heavens, the very idea makes me fear for my life.  I can't any man sniffin' around me, but especially not that one!  If he were to realize my secret and recognize me from back home, I'd be in more trouble than you can imagine. 

Lu sits on a bench near Miss Trolley's place and ponders what to do.

I'm startin' to wonder if maybe I need to leave Philomenaville.  When that Mr. Thane first showed up here, he said he was just passin' through on his way out west to find work.  But you know what he said he was grateful for yesterday at dinner?  He said he was grateful for his new job!  So that means he plans to stay here and he's never leaving.  And he clearly has his heart set on courtin' me! 

Nope, I have to make sure that never happens.  I really like this little town, but I just can't stay here, not with that man chasin' after me all the time.  Maybe I should head on west? 

Read more of Lu's Diary here.