it quit raining for a couple of days and Ben brought more food for both Buster and her. Susan came with him to check out Buster which had grown quite a bit and told Audrey to continue the good work with him and he was getting enough food but here was some sugar cubes that he could have a couple of them in the evening and carrots one or two of them a day also. Audrey told Buster that evening that he getting to be a spoiled child and he just shook his head and nayed.
It started to rain again but this time she felt something that she hadn't felt before and even heard like a rumbling sound and then the earth shifted she got buster and stayed as close to the side entrance and saw the top of the mine slid away She called Ben with a desperate plea that there had been a mudslide and Buster and her needed help again. Ben got Jim and they came up as fast as they could and saw where the some of the mine had slid away and nothing but a color of gold. They scooped several buckets full and talked about getting it shored up to where it could be a working mine again.They decided to take Audrey and Buster down to the house to live, Ben talked to Jim about something but Audrey couldn't hear what was being said but it was a mutual agreement whatever it was.
She settled into a nice small bedroom and really enjoyed Ben's folks company. They talked about school but realized for the time being she couldn't attend but even Audrey agreed with them that if the time ever did happened she would. She even told them all she had wanted since she was young was a normal life.She helped Ben;s mother Mary with the cooking and cleaning even hanging up sheets on the line.Buster stood there supervising them and then he would go around checking them with his nose and would come look in the window and nayed at them then go back to the laundry on the clothesline and then they would go out and every time the clothes would be dried.
The ladies group at church gathered together at Jim's and Mary's place to plan the fall festival shindig and Audrey would stay either in her room or in the barn with Buster and wished that she didn't have to stay out of sight. The big day came and the town's people gathered at the barnyard where there was a big syage sat up. A man named Fred after a few drinks started yelling some accusations toward Ben. He told the crowd that Ben wasn't just walting Susan but he had a nice little arrangement going on with a young woman if she was old enough to be that he thought that she was underage and that Ben was keeping her under tabs for his own gratification and sharing her with his brother and probably his father just trying to get Ben to fight which Ben was going to but Mary stepped up to the nicrophone and asked for the attendees attention and Fred yelled oh now Ben is such a baby he needs his mommy's help and then Mary yelled in the microphone no Fred Ben can take care of himself but when you belittle a child and especially my grand daughter you will have all of us Hills to deal with and I want you off of my property now. She was taken out of this very house when she was only two by her mother and now we have her back fourteen years later and I'll be darn if I let anyone talk that way about her.