Chapter 1
September Storm
“Jeremiah!”
Jem sucked in his breath. Mama meant business when
she used his full first name.
“Jeremiah Isaiah Coulter!”
Roasted rattlesnakes!
Did Mama have to shout Jem’s whole, entire name so
it was heard by every miner along Cripple Creek?
He looked around.
Half a dozen miners were lined up on their gold
claims.
They didn’t pay any attention to Mama’s shouts. They
were too busy panning for gold.
A sudden rainstorm had filled the creek overnight. Everybody was surprised.
Especially Jem. It never rained in September.
Well, almost never.
Last night’s thunderstorm had dumped buckets of
rain. The muddy trickle had turned into a rushing creek.
Quick as a wink, Jem had grabbed his gold pan this
morning and headed for the creek. He didn’t even eat breakfast.
A gold miner never knew how long the water would
flow this time of year.
“Jeremiah
Isai—”
“Coming,
Mama!” Jem hollered.
What
was the big hurry?
Lumpy
breakfast mush—even soaked in molasses—was nothing to get in a hurry about.
Jem
dumped the sand, gravel, and water from his gold pan. He rubbed the mud off his
pants.
Then
he ran back to the tent on his family’s gold claim.
“The
creek is full, Mama,” Jem said, out of breath. “I have to eat fast and get back
to—”
He
stopped short.
His
little sister, Ellie, sat on the split-log bench at the outdoor table.
She
was dressed in her best dress—the one with the colored apron that she always
wore to Sunday school.
Only,
today was not Sunday.
“Sit
down and eat your breakfast,” Mama said.
She
plunked a bowl of steaming hot cereal down at Jem’s place.
Jem
sat. He and Ellie looked at each other.
“Why
are you dressed up for Sunday school?” he asked.
For
once, chatterbox Ellie didn’t answer.
Instead,
she spooned another bite of mush into her mouth and didn’t say a word.
But
her hand was shaking. She looked scared.
“For
goodness’ sake, Jem.” Mama put her hands on her hips. “Today must have flown
right out of your head.”
Jem’s
eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean, Mama?”
“No
gold panning today. You need to eat quick and change into clean clothes for
school.”
School! Jem
groaned, but only to himself.
Mama
was right. The first day of school had flown out of Jem’s head as soon as he
saw Cripple Creek.
No
wonder Ellie was dressed up. But why did she look scared?
Jem
nudged her. “You told me last spring you wished you could go to school.”
Ellie
shrugged.
“Now
your wish is coming true.” Jem swallowed his lumpy mush.
“I
changed my mind,” Ellie whispered. “I want to stay home and play with Nugget.”
The
golden dog lifted his head. Woof!
His
tail thumped the ground.
For
once, no dust puffed up. The dirt was too wet.
Jem
wanted to stay home and play with Nugget too.
He
wanted to pan gold in the swollen creek. He wanted to help Pa and their friend
Strike-it-rich Sam wash gold in the rocker box.
“I bet
the storm washed more gold down the creek,” Jem said. “Can’t I stay home and
pan? Just for today?”
“Me
too, Mama.” Ellie raised her voice. “Just one more day?”
Mama
shook her head. “I won’t hear of you children missing even one day of school.”
Jem
didn’t say anything out loud, but he was thinking a lot.
Learning
the three Rs—reading, writing, and ’rithmetic—was important to Mama and Pa.
Very
important.
Mama
had more to say. “You children should be grateful. Goldtown has a good school.
Miss Cheney is a fine teacher.”
She
sighed. “The teacher in Bootjack moved away, so now they have no school.”
Mama
made it sound like not having a school was the worst thing that could happen in
a mining town.
Jem thought
it would be the best thing that could
happen. He secretly wished he lived in Bootjack.
Lucky
ducks! The kids in Bootjack could run and
play all day long.
They
could pan for gold. They could explore old coyote holes.
They
could—
Mama
clapped her hands. “Enough daydreaming. You can’t be late on the first day of
school.”
Jem
washed down the last of his mush with four big gulps of water.
Mama
shooed him into the tent to change. “Make sure you comb your hair,” she called.
Jem
changed his clothes, scrubbed his face in a bucket of cold water, and ran a
comb through his dark hair.
When he
returned, Mama handed him the tin lunch pail. “Look after your sister, Jeremiah.
It’s her first day of school.”
“Yes,
ma’am.”
“And
come straight home after school.”
Jem
nodded and started walking toward town.
Ellie
dragged her feet behind him.
Woof!
Nugget leaped up.
Mama
caught the dog just in time. “You’re staying home.”
“Sorry,
Nugget,” Jem called over his shoulder.
Nugget
whimpered and flopped to the ground beside Mama.
Halfway
to school, Ellie grabbed Jem’s hand.
He
tried to peel away her fingers, but she wouldn’t let go.
“You
can’t hold my hand all the way to school,” Jem hissed. “What will the other
kids say?”
Ellie
held on tighter.
Jem
rolled his eyes.
This
was going to be his worst first day of school ever.
Chapter 22
First Day of School
Jem and Ellie walked into Goldtown half
an hour later.
Big canvas tents spread out everywhere.
Here and there, new wooden buildings poked up above the tents.
The town was still rebuilding after
burning down a few years ago.
“Why are you so scared?” Jem asked. His
hand felt crushed by Ellie’s grip.
“I’m not scared.” Ellie’s face
turned red. “Don’t say that.”
“Then let go of my hand.”
Ellie let go. Her feet moved slower and
slower.
Soon, she was far behind.
Jem turned around. “Hurry up, slowpoke.
The teacher will punish us if we’re late.”
Miss Cheney was good at finding a
corner for Jem to stand in.
Ellie scuffed the dirt and caught up. Mud stuck to her high-topped shoes.
“If you’re not scared, then what’s the
matter?” Jem asked.
Ellie took a big breath and let it out.
“Look.” She spread her arms wide.
Jem looked. Then he shrugged. “At what?”
“My dress. It’s—” A sob caught in her
throat.
Jem took a closer look.
Ellie’s once-white Sunday school dress
had turned a dirty gray. The sleeves were too short.
Worse, Mama had sewed a patch on
Ellie’s apron. She had sewed a patch on her dress too.
Jem let out a big breath. “Who cares?” He
started walking. “Wait till you see what the other kids wear to school.”
“What?” Ellie asked.
“Patched overalls. Clothes that are too
big. Or too small.” Jem shrugged. “Scruffy stuff.”
“Really?” Ellie ran to catch up. “No
foolin’?”
“No fooling.” Then he laughed. “Except rich
Will, of course. He always dresses fancy.”
Just then, the school bell rang. Clang,
clang, clang!
Ellie’s worried face turned smiley. She
darted ahead.
“Come on, slowpoke,” she hollered. “What
are you waiting for?”
Jem rolled his eyes. One minute, Ellie
looked ready to cry. Then quick as a passing rainstorm, her tears dried up.
Little sisters were so silly.
Jem climbed the five short steps and
clomped into the classroom. He looked around.
Ellie was already inside. She had
picked out a seat way up front and was sitting as still as a stone.
Like a wild bunny sniffing the air for
danger, Jem thought.
Only, there wasn’t any danger in this
stuffy ol’ classroom.
Jem sat down at his desk and grinned.
“Hey, Perry! You came back to school.”
His seatmate wrinkled his nose. “Ma
always makes me go the first week.”
Perry was right about that. In no time
at all, he’d be back in Two-bit Gulch, panning gold with his pa.
Lucky duck!
Just then, Will Sterling slid into his
seat across the aisle from Jem. He wore his fancy dark-blue jacket and snow-white
Sunday shirt.
Like always.
“Howdy, Jem.”
Jem’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He
didn’t know what to say.
Why was Will talking so friendly? That mean
rich boy was never friendly.
At least not to Jem and Ellie.
Jem and Perry looked at each other.
Will was not friendly to Perry, either.
Perry shrugged and turned his head
away.
Jem wanted to turn his head away too.
He wanted to tell Will to leave him alone.
But he didn’t.
Every time Jem wanted to say something
mean to Will, a Bible verse popped into his head.
This time it was a verse about being
friendly. A man that hath friends must show himself friendly.
“Howdy, Will,” Jem said at last.
That was as friendly as he could be this
morning.
Will pointed to the front row. “Did you
see my little sister?”
Jem shook his head. He didn’t pay
attention to other boys’ sisters.
Especially not to Will’s sister,
Maybelle.
He looked to where Will was pointing.
Maybelle was a prissy thing. Today she
wore a frilly dress with bows and lace.
She was sitting next to Ellie.
Poor Ellie, Jem thought. Her dark-red braids
looked scraggly next to Maybelle’s long curls and fancy hat..
“I want you to tell Ellie to play with
Maybelle today,” Will said.
“Huh?” Jem stared at Will. “Why?”
“Because it’s Maybelle’s first day of
school.”
“So what?”
“She’s scared,” Will said. “And I don’t
want her tagging around after me. If Ellie plays with her, then I won’t have
to.”
No wonder Will had been friendly to
Jem. He wanted something.
He wanted Jem to make Ellie play with
prissy Maybelle.
Jem laughed on the inside. Will didn’t
know Ellie very well.
Nothing Jem could say would make Ellie
play with Maybelle. Not if she didn’t want to.
“Please, Jem,” Will pleaded. “Will you
do it?”
Jem just looked at him.
Will leaned across the aisle. “I saw
something this morning on the way to school. Something you might want to see.”
“What is it?” Jem asked.
Perry poked his head around Jem. “What
did you see, Will?”
“I’m not telling.” Will’s face turned
sneaky. “I’ll show you after school, but only if Jem gets Ellie to play with
Maybelle.”
Jem wanted to say no, but he didn’t. He
was too curious.
What had Will seen?
“Oh, all right,” he told Will. “But it
better be worth it.”
Will laughed. “It will be. I promise.”
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