Chapter 1
Poor Miss Hall
Late Fall
1877
Nine-year-old
Andi Carter clomped down the schoolhouse stairs. Recess at last! She looked up into
the dreary November sky.
Plop!
A
raindrop landed on her cheek. “Rain, rain, go away,” Andi shouted at the dark clouds.
Andi’s friend Cory Blake took
the porch steps in one leap and landed next to Andi. “Come again another day!” he
finished. He tipped his head back and stuck out his tongue to try to catch a
drop.
Cory clearly didn’t care if
the rain stayed or came another day. Or even if it poured buckets. He looked glad
to be out of the classroom for twenty minutes.
Recess was definitely the best
part of the school day.
Cory looked at Andi and jiggled
his pocket. Marbles clicked. “Did you bring back my special aggies?”
“I forgot.”
Cory slumped. “You said you’d
let me try and win ’em back today.”
“I’ll bring them tomorrow,”
Andi promised.
A stiff breeze whipped her
face. She buttoned her coat and jammed her wool hat farther down on her head. “Besides,
it’s too cold to sit on the ground and play marbles. I’m gonna jump rope.”
She skipped away and joined
a group of little girls. Two were twirling the long rope. The rest stood waiting
their turns. Andi hopped on one foot and then on the other to keep warm.
More raindrops splashed her
sleeves.
When Andi’s turn came, she
jumped as fast as the rope slapped the ground. After fifteen jumps, she warmed up
enough to tear off her hat. Two long, dark braids bounced against her back.
“. . . thirty-one,
thirty-two,” the girls chanted.
Andi panted and kept jumping.
Mary Ellen Meyers had made it all the way to fifty-seven jumps, and Andi was determined
to beat her.
A loud scream broke Andi’s
concentration. The girls dropped the rope.
“Hey!” Andi shouted. The rope
lay limply at her feet. “That doesn’t count.”
Nobody listened to her. Mary
Ellen gasped. “Oh, my goodness!”
Andi whirled. Next to the seesaw,
Julianna Ross lay sprawled on the ground, screaming. Never mind that she didn’t
look hurt from her fall. Her disgrace was ten times worse. Every pupil in the schoolyard
was staring at her.
Julianna sat up. She looked
at her mud-splattered coat and hands and let out another ear-piercing shriek.
Miss Hall came barreling out
of the schoolhouse like a mama cow looking for her calf. “Whatever is the matter?”
She started down the stairs.
After the teacher’s first step,
everything happened too fast for Andi to remember all the details. Miss Hall’s long
skirt might have caught on a nail. Perhaps she took the steps too fast. Or maybe
the rain had turned the stairs slippery.
Whatever the reason, Miss Hall
went down hard. There were only six steps, but it must have felt like twice that
many to the aging schoolteacher. When she finally tumbled to a stop at the bottom,
she hit her head and lay still.
Mary Ellen and three others
screamed. Boys and girls swarmed around Miss Hall. Some cried, but most stood stock-still
in horror.
Julianna stopped shrieking
and ran over to see what had happened.
“Is she d-dead?” Cory stuttered.
His freckles stood out against his pale cheeks.
Andi let out the breath she’d
been holding. Cory sure was brave to ask that question.
“Don’t be a goose,” Sarah Jones
scolded. She crouched beside Miss Hall’s still form. “Of course she’s not dead.”
At almost fifteen years old,
Sarah along with Andi’s sister Melinda were the oldest girls in the school.
Andi winced. Correction. Only
Sarah was the oldest girl now. Melinda had gone to San Francisco to study at
a young ladies’ academy for the year.
I
wish Melinda was here! Andi wanted her big sister to put her arms around
her and tell her Miss Hall would be all right.
Thomas, the oldest boy, joined
Sarah beside the still form. “All of you hush!” he ordered. The children quieted.
“Miss Hall?” He gently shook her shoulder. “Are you all right, ma’am?”
A low moan greeted the small
crowd.
“Move back.” Thomas shooed
everyone away. “You’ll smother her.”
Andi and the rest of the children
jumped back to give Miss Hall more air. None of the younger pupils ever disobeyed
fifteen-year-old Thomas—not even mean Johnny Wilson, the classroom bully.
Miss Hall moaned again.
From a safe distance, Andi
watched Thomas and Sarah help the teacher up.
When Miss Hall tried to stand,
she cried out and crumpled back to the ground. “I’m sorry, children,” she whispered.
“I fear I have twisted my ankle.”
Andi bit her lip and glanced
at her friends. They looked as frightened as Andi felt. Miss Hall couldn’t be hurt.
What would happen now? Who would teach their class if—
Sarah shook Andi’s shoulder.
“Stop woolgathering and do what I told you.”
“Huh?” Andi pulled her bewildered
gaze from Miss Hall. “What?”
“Run and get your brother,”
Sarah said. “He’s on the school board. He’ll know what to do.”
Happy to be given a task, Andi
bolted out of the schoolyard and ran the four blocks to her oldest brother’s law
office. She slammed through the door. “Justin!”
His office looked deserted.
Maybe Justin was across the street at the courthouse, presenting an important case.
Andi’s heart sank. She knew
better than to barge into a courtroom uninvited. Judge Morrison would peer over
his spectacles and scold her in his courtroom voice. He might even bang his gavel,
which would embarrass Justin and frighten Andi.
No, she couldn’t go looking
for Justin. What do I do now?
Just then the door to a small,
private office opened. Justin appeared in the doorway. “What’s the matter, Andi?”
He crossed the room. “Why aren’t you in school?”
A big lump clogged Andi’s throat.
No words came out.
Justin led Andi into his
office and set her on his desktop. “Big breath, honey. What’s wrong?”
Andi took a big breath, which
helped a little. She swallowed the lump. “It’s Miss Hall.”
“What happened to her?”
Tears filled Andi’s eyes. Her
cheeks felt hot and flushed from running. Her heart raced. “She fell down the stairs
and can’t get up. Sarah sent me to get you.”
Justin pulled a handkerchief
from his vest pocket and dabbed Andi’s eyes. “And so you have. Let’s go see.” He
helped her down from the desk, found his hat, and put it on. “I’m sure it’s not
as bad as it sounds.”
Andi slumped. She couldn’t
run all the way back to school just yet. “Will you carry me?”
“You’re too big to carry.”
“But—”
“Luckily, Thunder is tied up
just outside.” Justin winked.
Yippee! Andi’s tears
dried up in a hurry.
Justin climbed into Thunder’s
saddle and pulled Andi into his lap. With a touch of Justin’s heels, the big, bay
horse trotted down the street.
A horseback ride during the
school day was an unexpected delight. Andi sat up straight and tall, all smiles.
Too bad the schoolhouse isn’t clear across
town.
Two short minutes later, Justin
pulled Thunder to a stop in the schoolyard. He lowered Andi to the ground and dismounted.
Miss Hall sat on the bottom
step. Her face was still pale, and her bun had come undone. Strands of gray-streaked
brown hair fell about her shoulders. A bruise was beginning to darken her forehead.
She gave Justin a weak smile.
“Thank you for coming, Justin. I’m afraid I was a bit clumsy this morning. Thomas
went for the doctor.”
Justin scooped Miss Hall up
in his arms as if she weighed no more than Andi. “I’ll take you home. You can freshen
up before you see the doctor.”
Color returned to the teacher’s
cheeks. She smiled. “You always were my favorite pupil.”
“School is dismissed,” Justin
announced. “You older pupils see that the younger ones get home. Andi, bring Thunder
and follow me.”
Andi jumped to obey. No more school today!
Chapter 2
Sick?
It was too
bad Miss Hall had fallen and sprained her ankle. Andi felt sorry for her teacher.
But she didn’t feel sorry that school had closed for the rest of the week. The school
board wanted to meet and decide what to do with twenty-five pupils who now had no
teacher.
Andi wriggled with joy. Three
whole days without school. Three extra days to ride Taffy, her palomino filly.
The rain washed away Andi’s
horse-and-rider plans the very next morning. Worse, it poured the rest of the week.
Instead of galloping Taffy up to her special spot, Andi spent every afternoon in
her filly’s stall, curled up under a blanket with one of her brother Mitch’s dime
novels.
Andi wished she could read
this exciting story to Sadie, just like her friend Riley used to do for Andi when
she couldn’t read. Riley had left the ranch months ago, and it was too cold and
too wet to ride out to Sadie’s sheep ranch.
She read the dime novel to
Taffy, but it wasn’t the same.
In spite of the weather, Andi
stayed cheerful the rest of that whole rainy week. “Maybe school will stay closed
until Miss Hall’s ankle heals,” she whispered in Taffy’s ear. “It can’t rain forever.
Soon as it lets up, we’ll go for a ride.”
The rain did not let up.
Worse, school did not stay closed.
“Your holiday is over,”
Justin told Andi at supper Saturday night. “We found someone to take over the
classroom until Miss Hall is better.”
“Who?”
Justin smiled and winked,
like he was giving her the best news ever. “Mother.”
Mother? Her big
brother must be teasing.
“Eat your peas, Andrea,”
Mother said calmly. She did not seem to be in on any joke.
Andi’s stomach turned
over. What would the other kids say when they found out Mother was taking Miss
Hall’s place?
I
can’t go to school on Monday. I just can’t.
[text
break]
“Watch out, little sister!”
Andi jumped back from the cookstove.
Why did Chad always sneak up on her?
Chad poured himself a cup of
coffee from the shiny brass pot. “Hurry up,” he called as he pushed through the
swinging door into the dining room. “Breakfast is getting cold.”
As soon as Chad disappeared,
Andi crept closer to the stove again. She pulled back her long, dark hair so it
wouldn’t catch fire. Then she leaned her face close to the hot metal.
“One, two, three . . .”
She counted the seconds. Can I make it all
the way to—
“Ouch!” Andi stepped away and
felt her burning face. She could tell without looking in the mirror that her cheeks
glowed a nice, rosy red. “This has got to work. It just has to.”
She coughed and sniffled. She
tried to sneeze, but she couldn’t make one come out.
Andi pushed open the door and
dragged her feet to where Mother sat at one end of the breakfast table. Justin sat
at the other end. Chad and Mitch sat on one long side.
Melinda’s chair was empty.
It would stay empty all this school year except for a short visit during the Christmas
holidays.
Andi wrinkled her nose. She
could not think of one good reason why Melinda would want to leave her family, the
ranch, and her horse to spend a whole year in the city.
Especially if it meant staying
with grumpy old Aunt Rebecca.
When Andi watched Melinda board
the train in September, she decided that older sisters must be a little bit crazy.
But Mother said Melinda liked the city. She liked going to a young ladies’ academy.
She enjoyed meeting people, making new friends, and seeing the sights.
Not Andi. She liked staying
on the ranch with Taffy. She’d rather work on her lassoing skills than learn a new
embroidery stitch or a fancy dance step.
“Stop daydreaming and find
your seat, Andrea,” Mother said. “We’re waiting on you so Justin can ask the blessing.”
Andi covered her mouth as a
big cough burst from her throat. She tried to make it sound deep and harsh. “Feel
my cheeks,” she croaked. “I must have a fever.”
Mother laid the back of her
hand against Andi’s forehead.
“No, Mother. Feel my cheeks.”
Chad grinned. “So that’s why
you hung back in the kitchen for so long.”
Shhh! Andi glared
at him.
“You’re not sick, sweetheart.”
Mother smiled. “Surely you’re not trying to find a way to stay home just because
I’m going to be your teacher? It’s only until the holidays. Miss Hall will return
after the New Year.”
Andi sighed. So much for her
great idea. “No, ma’am. I guess not.”
Mother hugged Andi and sent
her to her seat. Justin prayed for their meal. Soon, everybody was eating breakfast.
Chad sawed away at his ham
and looked at Andi. Glad it’s you and not
me, his twinkling blue eyes said. He chuckled and popped a big piece of meat
in his mouth.
Thank goodness it kept him
from saying anything out loud.
“Chad.” Mother didn’t need
to say anything more. Her gaze bored into Chad like a hot branding iron on a calf.
Chad got the message. He dug
into his biscuits and gravy and kept his chuckles inside.
Andi ate half a biscuit and
most of her ham. She swallowed her milk in four big gulps and asked to be excused.
“Yes, you may,” Mother said,
rising from the table. “Don’t dawdle. Wash up. Then find your books and your coat.
Don’t forget your hat. The rain’s coming down in rivers this morning.”
“Yes’m.”
“When you’re finished, hurry
out to the front yard. Mitch will have the buggy hitched up by the time you get
there.”
Justin winked at Andi when
she passed him on her way out of the dining room. “Cheer up, honey. You’ll have
a fine day. I promise.”
Andi did not smile at her favorite
brother. Not even a wink would help her get through this day.
She washed up at the
kitchen pump and ran up the back stairs. No
dawdling!
She yanked her red wool coat
from the wardrobe and dug around for her hat. Then she scooped up her books and
darted down the hallway.
Andi paused when she reached
the top of the wide staircase. Twenty steps curved down from the upstairs hallway
to the entryway near the front door.
Andi peeked to the right. The
polished wood banister was too tempting to resist.
She peeked to the left. Their
housekeeper Luisa was nowhere in sight. Mother never scolded Andi for sliding down
the railing, but Luisa scolded her every time—in Spanish.
Before she changed her mind,
Andi hiked up her coat and dress. She clutched her books under one arm, climbed
aboard, and pushed herself backward.
Whee!
Andi
sailed down the banister. Her hat came off. Schoolbooks fell to the floor.
She gripped tighter. Her palms screeched against the smooth wood, but she didn’t slow down. She glanced behind her shoulder—
Whoosh!
Andi
flew off the banister straight into Justin’s arms.
Smack!
They
hit the floor together.
Quick as a bucking bronco,
Andi leaped up. Her hands flew to her cheeks. “I’m sorry!”
Justin lay groaning on the
hardwood floor.
“Are you all right?” Andi
asked.
Justin nodded and pulled himself
to his feet. “You’re getting much too big for me to catch.” He brushed himself off
and eyed her. “Enough horsing around. Mother’s waiting.”
Andi picked up her schoolbooks
and held them close to her chest. “Good-bye, Justin.”
“Good-bye.” He kissed her forehead
then scooped up her hat and plopped it on her head. “Now, get going.”
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