that she had a ring of what looked like woven twigs wound around it.
Ella folded the lard into the herb mixture to form a smooth, greenish brown salve. She removed the strips of the
plant and spread the salve on Alice's arm with her fingers. Unwrapping the last packet, she drew out a long roll of cheesecloth and a ball of a thin, lacy-looking material.
Ina came up behind Ella and looked over her shoulder. "What all is that, Ella?" she asked. "That looks like a spider's web."
Ella very gently unfolded the web, raised it to the level of her face, and muttered words while gazing through it. She then lay the web over Alice's burns. "Yes, ma'am," she an-swered. "This is the web of a granny spider. It'll heal a burn before you know it."
Alice and Ina exchanged skeptical looks while Ella worked. Johnnie Mae marveled at Miss Ella. Miss Ella Brom-sen was as unusual a person as had ever drawn a breath.
She finished dressing Alice's burns by wrappng her arm with cheesecloth. "Thank you, Ella, it does feel cooler," Alice said politely with a questioning look. "What all was that you put on me?"
"Just a salve made from plants. My daddy taught me."
While Ella collected her herbs and carefully rewrapped them into her satchel, Ina started to drain off the remaining string beans in the pot. "Johnnie Mae, go about gathering up those beans from the floor," she commanded the girl, afraid that her idleness might set something else in motion.
Ella Bromsen stopped Ina as she tipped the pot over a colander. "Let's draw off a cup of that water to take auguries," she said. Ina opened her mouth to question the idea of water reading, but Ella took the pot from her decisively and poured out a cup oi water.
Ella took the cup in her left hand and swirled it counter-
River, Cross My Heart - 93
clockwise. Johnnie Mae's eyes followed the swirling cup. Ella reached out and drew Johnnie Mae to her side without taking her eyes from the cup. Johnnie Mae looked down into the cup and then up into Miss Ella Bromsen's face. She saw the yellow flecks that sometimes came into Miss Ella's eyes. Aunt Ina said Miss Ella Bromsen had the cat's eye. Johnnie Mae didn't know what having the cat's eye meant, but it was in the category o{ things that were talked about in husky whispers—the subjects that had to do with your "pocketbook" or your bosoms or bathtub whiskey or anything to do with men and women.
Miss Ella's right palm was cool when she touched the side of Johnnie Mae's face. She grasped the girl's elbow and slid her palm down to take Johnnie Mae's hand in hers. "What did you see in that water, Johnnie?" Ella's voice was sweetly coaxing. "Did you see something in the water?"
Surely they didn't actually want to hear about what she'd seen. It was Clara—pure and simple. There was a face in the boiling pot and it was Clara's face. Johnnie Mae's mouth got dry, then moisture flooded into it and set her head and stomach whirling. Heat started traveling up her body, and she thought that it was Miss Ella's palm heating her body. Miss Ella's fragrance started to overwhelm her, too—a fragrance or blend of fragrances that was hard to separate out. Miss Ella Bromsen—everyone who ever got close to her said it—didn't smell like other people. She smelled sweeter and stronger and odder, and, in the kitchen, cloying.
"Nothing," Johnnie Mae said. "I didn't see anything." She wanted to sit down. She wanted to say the right thing and sit down. The aroma of Miss Ella and Aunt Ina's nervous-
ness and her mother's fear and annoyance pressed in on Johnnie Mae.
Alice broke into the dizziness. "Why'd you go to put your arm in? You were reaching for something! You lose your sense? Getting ready to put your arm in boiling water? You scared the life out of me!"
"It could've been some evil thing that made her do that," Ina said. She came around behind Johnnie Mae and pushed down on the girl's shoulders. "Sit down, Johnnie Mae. What did you see in that water?"
"Yes, it
Ella folded the lard into the herb mixture to form a smooth, greenish brown salve. She removed the strips of the
plant and spread the salve on Alice's arm with her fingers. Unwrapping the last packet, she drew out a long roll of cheesecloth and a ball of a thin, lacy-looking material.
Ina came up behind Ella and looked over her shoulder. "What all is that, Ella?" she asked. "That looks like a spider's web."
Ella very gently unfolded the web, raised it to the level of her face, and muttered words while gazing through it. She then lay the web over Alice's burns. "Yes, ma'am," she an-swered. "This is the web of a granny spider. It'll heal a burn before you know it."
Alice and Ina exchanged skeptical looks while Ella worked. Johnnie Mae marveled at Miss Ella. Miss Ella Brom-sen was as unusual a person as had ever drawn a breath.
She finished dressing Alice's burns by wrappng her arm with cheesecloth. "Thank you, Ella, it does feel cooler," Alice said politely with a questioning look. "What all was that you put on me?"
"Just a salve made from plants. My daddy taught me."
While Ella collected her herbs and carefully rewrapped them into her satchel, Ina started to drain off the remaining string beans in the pot. "Johnnie Mae, go about gathering up those beans from the floor," she commanded the girl, afraid that her idleness might set something else in motion.
Ella Bromsen stopped Ina as she tipped the pot over a colander. "Let's draw off a cup of that water to take auguries," she said. Ina opened her mouth to question the idea of water reading, but Ella took the pot from her decisively and poured out a cup oi water.
Ella took the cup in her left hand and swirled it counter-
River, Cross My Heart - 93
clockwise. Johnnie Mae's eyes followed the swirling cup. Ella reached out and drew Johnnie Mae to her side without taking her eyes from the cup. Johnnie Mae looked down into the cup and then up into Miss Ella Bromsen's face. She saw the yellow flecks that sometimes came into Miss Ella's eyes. Aunt Ina said Miss Ella Bromsen had the cat's eye. Johnnie Mae didn't know what having the cat's eye meant, but it was in the category o{ things that were talked about in husky whispers—the subjects that had to do with your "pocketbook" or your bosoms or bathtub whiskey or anything to do with men and women.
Miss Ella's right palm was cool when she touched the side of Johnnie Mae's face. She grasped the girl's elbow and slid her palm down to take Johnnie Mae's hand in hers. "What did you see in that water, Johnnie?" Ella's voice was sweetly coaxing. "Did you see something in the water?"
Surely they didn't actually want to hear about what she'd seen. It was Clara—pure and simple. There was a face in the boiling pot and it was Clara's face. Johnnie Mae's mouth got dry, then moisture flooded into it and set her head and stomach whirling. Heat started traveling up her body, and she thought that it was Miss Ella's palm heating her body. Miss Ella's fragrance started to overwhelm her, too—a fragrance or blend of fragrances that was hard to separate out. Miss Ella Bromsen—everyone who ever got close to her said it—didn't smell like other people. She smelled sweeter and stronger and odder, and, in the kitchen, cloying.
"Nothing," Johnnie Mae said. "I didn't see anything." She wanted to sit down. She wanted to say the right thing and sit down. The aroma of Miss Ella and Aunt Ina's nervous-
ness and her mother's fear and annoyance pressed in on Johnnie Mae.
Alice broke into the dizziness. "Why'd you go to put your arm in? You were reaching for something! You lose your sense? Getting ready to put your arm in boiling water? You scared the life out of me!"
"It could've been some evil thing that made her do that," Ina said. She came around behind Johnnie Mae and pushed down on the girl's shoulders. "Sit down, Johnnie Mae. What did you see in that water?"
"Yes, it
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