Rooster first became aware of his feeling for Trudy when he saw her dancing with another man at a Christmas party at Beulah Land. He fidgeted uncomfortably, then found himself, unreasonably, becoming angry at the sight of her laughing and dancing with such evident enjoyment with Clarence Anderson, whom he had hitherto liked well enough. There was, Rooster had observed earlier that evening, a full moon in a clear sky, and he took his first opportunity to ask Trudy to join him in admiring the pretty sight. Before they returned to the wide hall where the dancing was done, he told her he loved her and asked her to love him. She laughed and threw her arms about his neck and kissed him full on the lips; and they were engaged to be married to each other. Rooster actually hurt with happiness; it had come so suddenly. His scalp tightened and prickled, the flesh of his arms crawled beneath his sleeves, his loins were hot and achey with the fullness of blood that rushed there.

Rooster refused to allow Trudy to dance with anyone else for the remainder of that evening, and when this roused comment, the blushing, laughing pair found themselves encircled by friends who demanded to know if they were lovers: They admitted they had become engaged within the last half hour. As soon as it was said, before the applause of friends subsided, Rooster dragged Trudy by the arm into the dining room where his father sat, with Edna in attendance on one side of him and Monday the other.

He told his parents what had happened and kissed them both, as then did Trudy, before she urged her fiancé away to repeat the performance with her mother and father. Both sets of parents were pleased, and presently the Cokers sought out the Davises to exchange approval, share satisfaction. Edna, who had always wanted a daughter, was to have one she knew she could love, a girl who, when the time came, would be completely capable of replacing her as mistress of Oaks. All she lacked was an experience of managing servants, and Edna would soon teach her that.

The wedding in February attracted a larger gathering from all over the county than the church could hold. There was no need to send invitations to those near at hand; everyone assumed rightly that he and she would be welcome. People were truly glad at the event, and no one was spiteful in pointing out the superior match Trudy had made, for her virtue and goodness were known and admired as much as Rooster’s worthiness of them.

2

The wedding of Rooster and Trudy, while giving such general pleasure, set Deborah to thinking again about the future of her own children. Although Rooster was her favorite of the Davis brothers, it seemed to her appropriate to promote as much as she was able the prospect of a marriage between her daughter Selma and Bonard.