The Last Carolina Girl

Leah cuts her finger while helping Mrs. Griffin peel potatoes; to prove herself a hard worker, Leah moves too quickly, which Mrs. Griffin kindly points out isn’t always the best way. She dismisses Leah for the afternoon, explaining that the children will be home from school soon. Leah explores the backyard, which is significantly smaller than the Barnas’. She removes her shoes to feel the grass and earth on her feet. Looking at the trees, Leah sees squirrels and birds returning to their nests for the evening.

Mrs. Griffin calls Leah inside for dinner, scolding her for not having a proper dress and having dirty feet. Leah retrieves her shoes before entering the dining room. Mr. Griffin sits at the head of the table behind a newspaper; he fails to introduce himself or look up from his reading. Eva Jane, one of the Griffins’ daughters, speaks excitedly to Leah, wanting to introduce herself. Mrs. Griffin insists that the family say grace before engaging in conversation, but Mr. Griffin must be asked several times to give the pre-dinner prayer before he relinquishes his paper.

Leah takes as little food as possible, not wanting to impose, while Mr. Griffin introduces the family to her. The Griffins have three children: Eva Jane, Michael Henry, and Mary Ann. Mrs. Griffin scolds Eva Jane for serving herself too many portions of meatloaf. Embarrassed, Eva Jane explains that Mrs. Griffin disapproves of her size and wants her to slim down. Leah sees tears well in the girl’s eyes. Leah learns that a previous employee, Alma, was recently dismissed and that Mrs. Griffin expects Leah to complete Alma’s domestic chores.

After dinner, the family sits together in the parlor while Mrs. Griffin cleans up—a task that will soon become Leah’s. Eva Jane talks animatedly and devises a plan for Leah to move into her bedroom and attend the same school class. Michael Henry is also nice, but he reminds Leah of Tom. Mrs. Griffin sends the children to bed, dismissing Eva Jane’s plan and explaining that girls like Leah don’t need to go to school.

Mr. Griffin requests that Leah stay behind after the children leave the parlor. He advises Leah to be helpful and complete the chores that Mrs. Griffin assigns, noting that she can become ill-tempered if her expectations are unmet. Though he speaks kindly, Leah feels disappointed, knowing that she will not be accepted into the family as an equal, though she already feels close to Eva Jane.

As the days progress, Leah settles into a routine of helping Mrs. Griffin in the kitchen and cleaning, starting early in the morning with breakfast. Though she assumes that Sunday will be her day of rest like with Harley, Mrs. Griffin wakes Leah even earlier to prepare for church. Mrs. Griffin gives Leah a plain, though clean, dress to wear. Leah returns to the kitchen, finding the family in the middle of breakfast. Before she can eat, Leah must iron Mr. Griffin’s dress shirt, a task that Leah has never previously done. Annoyed, Mrs. Griffin belittles Leah as she instructs her on how to work an iron.

Mr. and Mrs. Griffin excuse themselves from the table. Mary Ann accidentally spills the milk pitcher, and Michael Henry harshly scolds his sister for the mistake. Acting quickly, Leah grabs several dish clothes to clean the mess; Mary Ann reacts warmly to Leah’s gesture. However, in helping Mary Ann, Leah forgets the iron on Mr. Griffin’s dress shirt, which is ruined. Mrs. Griffin struggles to breathe through angry yells as she kicks everyone out of the kitchen upon seeing Mr. Griffin’s burned shirt.

At church, the other ladies compliment Mrs. Griffin’s generosity in taking in an orphan. The Griffins briefly socialize before sitting in their regular pew. Leah struggles to focus on the sermon; instead, she is mesmerized by the rainbow of colors created by the stained-glass window. Leah accompanies Mary Ann to the bathroom, and the girls ask each other questions. Mary Ann is curious about Leah’s parents. Leah asks about Alma, wondering if the former helpmate is now in a home for children. Mary Ann initially seems confused by Leah’s questions before confirming that Alma was sent to a home. Leah pictures a young girl crying in an uncomfortable bed, dirty and hungry. She thinks about Mrs. Griffin’s unkindness and worries that she may meet a similar fate.

Leah feels desperate to impress the Griffins. She wakes before Mrs. Griffin each morning, preparing breakfast so that Mrs. Griffin can relax with her coffee. She takes on as many chores as possible, often without being asked. Mrs. Griffin, however, refuses to allow Leah to collect the mail.

Leah offers to set Mrs. Griffin’s hair in pin curlers when Mrs. Griffin expresses frustration with rising prices at the salon. While she clumsily works on Mrs. Griffin’s hair, Leah asks questions about an upcoming ball that Mrs. Griffin and the other ladies in town are planning. Leah hopes that her interest is endearing in a mother/daughter way. As Mrs. Griffin talks, Leah imagines her mother attending similar functions. Leah pulls Mrs. Griffin’s hair a few times, and she snags the comb on Mrs. Griffin’s pearls. She experiences a “spell,” which disturbs Mrs. Griffin. She finds Leah’s work sloppy and the curls too loose.

Mary Ann attempts to show Mrs. Griffin a worm from the backyard, but Mrs. Griffin angrily shouts at her daughter to leave the house. Leah watches Mary Ann retreat to the backyard, where she lies in the grass and looks at the clouds. Leah wishes she could join Mary Ann, but she also wishes to be with the Barnas, where she could stargaze with Jesse.

Eva Jane talks nonstop about the upcoming ball, during which she will be presented as a lady. She’s hopeful that a boy named Aiken will ask her to dance, and she teaches Leah a fortune-telling trick with an apple: Eva Jane peels off the skin of an apple in one long strand, recites a specific poem, and then tosses the peel behind her back. Whichever letter the apple peel most resembles will be the first letter of the name of her future spouse. Eva Jane declares that her peel resembles an “A,” and Leah agrees, though she secretly cannot see the letter. Leah’s peel falls into an apparent “J,” which makes her think of Jesse.

Michael Henry joins the girls and asks Leah to help him practice for the dance. He holds Leah too close for her comfort and occasionally steps on her toes, but Leah avoids looking at Michael Henry while imagining that she’s dancing with Jesse instead.

Leah helps Mrs. Griffin prepare to entertain; she cleans the house with extra vigor and prepares tea sandwiches while completing her other chores. Feeling unwell, Mary Ann remains home from school, though Mrs. Griffin firmly instructs her to stay in her room. Mrs. Griffin panics when a mouse runs across the kitchen floor; she instructs Leah to kill the animal, assuming that Leah’s “shack” was infested with rodents. Leah attempts to catch the mouse, but it evades capture.

Mrs. Griffin rudely orders Leah around, embarrassing her and making jokes about her in front of her friends. When she receives a compliment on her curled hair, Mrs. Griffin lies and tells her friends that she frequents an expensive salon in Charlotte. One of the ladies, Mrs. Foster, is interested in Leah, asking about her age and origins. Leah enthusiastically attempts to answer, talking about her mother’s debutante days in Raleigh, hoping to establish a closer connection with the upper-class ladies. However, Mrs. Griffin interrupts and dismisses Leah, with evident anger. Leah experiences a “spell” while pouring Mrs. Foster’s tea, spilling it on Mrs. Foster’s dress. Leah apologizes profusely and attempts to rectify her mistake, but Mrs. Griffin angrily dismisses her, roughly grabbing her arm and instructing her not to leave the kitchen table.

Leah watches birds fly from tree to tree. She remembers when she and Jesse found a cardinal nest and watched baby birds hatch and grow from chicks to fledglings. Mary Ann approaches, looking sickly, and asks Leah to hold her. Leah listens to the conversation from Mrs. Griffin’s party, overhearing the women talking about Dr. Foster’s work: a new, cutting-edge procedure that will be good for society. The women compliment Mrs. Griffin for taking in an orphan, and Leah dislikes but accepts the label.

Mary Ann falls asleep in Leah’s lap. Mrs. Griffin scolds Leah for allowing Mary Ann to stay in the kitchen. Mrs. Griffin sees the other ladies out, handing them their coats, though annoyed that Leah isn’t available to accomplish this task. Leah and Mary Ann see the mouse skitter across the kitchen floor; both girls quietly giggle.

Leah is tasked with gardening and pulling weeds from the Griffins’ garden. She thinks about Mrs. Griffin’s anger at the mention of Emma, not knowing why her mother’s status as a debutante would upset Mrs. Griffin. She thinks about possible ways of escaping the Griffins’ house and returning to the Barnas.

Missing Tulla’s biscuits, Leah attempts to bake them herself, adding a pinch of sugar to enhance the recipe. Leah reads whatever she can find around the house, though Mrs. Griffin audibly expresses her belief that Leah is “stupid.” Leah reads an advertisement for a fair coming to town soon, news that she’s excited to share with Eva Jane. Leah sees the mouse nearby and leaves a piece of her sandwich for the creature, which only accepts the food when Leah is out of sight. Leah remembers Tulla’s saying, “[T]he quietest mice are the ones who go free” (141). Leah hides the perfectly cooked biscuits, intending to surprise the Griffins at dinner.

Mrs. Griffin insists that Mary Ann nap after school, though Mary Ann believes she is too old for a nap. Leah thinks that the ritual is more about maintaining peace in the home. She settles Mary Ann, and the girls discuss what it means to be naughty. Leah spots a letter addressed to herself on Mary Ann’s dresser, which Mary Ann admits she stole from Mrs. Griffin’s apron pocket. The letter is from Jesse; he writes about snuggling with Maeve and asks Leah to write back.

Mrs. Griffin shares the details of an unplanned visit with Dr. Foster at his office at dinner. Mr. Griffin exclaims that his wife likely bothered a man at his place of work, but Mrs. Griffin rebuts that Dr. Foster seeks upper-class ladies to spread the word about his new procedure. Mr. Griffin agrees that Mrs. Griffin could be successful in this endeavor. Mrs. Griffin expresses disappointment in Michael Henry for not achieving higher grades at school; she wants her son to become a lawyer, though Michael Henry wants to work in sales like his father.

Mary Anne asks why Leah cannot attend school and if she might want to become a lawyer someday. Mrs. Griffin laughs at the idea. Leah says that she desires to live at the beach. Mr. Griffin teases Leah, explaining that fishermen have no use for servants. Michael Henry defends Leah, positing that she might have a house someday. The parents dismiss the idea as absurd. Leah retreats to the kitchen angrily, but she remembers her biscuits and serves them to the family. Simultaneously, the family spits out the biscuits, and it becomes obvious that Leah confused sugar for salt. Having provided further evidence for Mr. and Mrs. Griffin that she is “simpleminded,” Leah flees to her room. She writes to Jesse and asks him to meet her at the fair.