Courting Miss Amsel (4 page)

“Yes, Miss Amsel!” the children agreed.

“Inside, now, and take out your reading primers.” Edythe herded the youngsters back into the classroom, giving Little Will a slight push on the back of his head to encourage him forward when he lagged behind.

The morning passed quickly and pleasantly, and at exactly noon Edythe dismissed the children for lunch. In a noisy throng, they charged into the cloakroom to retrieve their lunch buckets. Then they headed outside to choose spots around the grounds for impromptu picnics. During the winter months they’d have to eat inside, but Edythe intended to send them outdoors at lunch break for as long as the weather allowed. She sat on the steps of the schoolhouse and ate the lunch Mrs. Kinsley had sent – an apple and a sandwich of cold sliced beef and pungent cheese on hearty rye bread. Simple, yet filling.

While she ate, she kept an eye on her young charges. She smiled when she spotted Martha peeling an orange for little Jenny. At fourteen, Martha would graduate from the Walnut Hill school after this year. Edythe hoped she’d be able to attend the high school in nearby Lincoln Valley. Sweet and helpful, Martha was very bright and deserved to continue her education. In many ways, Martha reminded Edythe of Missy. She quickly shoved aside thoughts of her youngest sister – it would do her no good to reflect on her former life.

Her gaze drifted to the boys, who sat in one big circle, jabbering and bopping each other with the heels of their hands while they ate. After only a few days, she’d already become fairly well acquainted with her pupils, and she prided herself on not only knowing their names but something of their unique personalities. She looked from boy to boy, tagging each with designations such as “ornery,” “studious,” “determined,” and “cheerful.” Her smile faded when her gaze reached William Sholes. She could only define him as “obstinate.”

Puckering her brow, she watched the boy snatch a hunk of cheese from nine-year-old Henry Libolt. She rose, opening her mouth to call out a reprimand, but Johnny Townsend leaned over and wrestled the cheese from William. He handed it back to Henry. William clenched his fist, and Edythe stood poised, ready to intervene. But then William shrugged and went on eating his own lunch.

Edythe sat back down, pleased the situation hadn’t required her involvement. When the children solved problems on their own, they were teaching themselves. Munching on her apple, she wondered if the other children found William’s rude behavior as unpleasant as she did. If so, they could possibly encourage William to behave respectfully. She would give that some additional thought. In the meantime, she’d keep a close watch over the boy. Based on his conduct thus far, she feared he might turn out to be a troublemaker.

At that moment, William spun around on his seat. He seemed to search the schoolyard, and when he looked toward the schoolhouse his gaze locked with hers. A conniving grin curled his lips before he turned away. Despite the pleasant fall day and warm sun, Edythe experienced a chill of apprehension. Yes, she most definitely must keep a close eye on William.

Chapter
FOUR

At the close of the school day, Edythe gave the oldest child in each family a handwritten note indicating the day and time she planned to meet with his or her parents. Juggling the schedules for almost a dozen families hadn’t been easy, and it would take three weeks to visit all of the houses, but at least she had a plan in place.

When she had distributed all of the notes, she addressed the class. “Give your note to your parents as soon as you get home.” She gave William Sholes an extra stern glance. He was the only child who hadn’t brought a response to her request for a convenient meeting time. She hoped the time she’d chosen would fit his parents’ schedule.

Children murmured excitedly. The ones holding notes puffed with pride while younger ones with empty hands poked out lower lips. Edythe swallowed a chuckle at Robert Townsend’s crestfallen expression. Maybe Johnny would allow his brother to carry the note part of the way home.

Flashing a smile, Edythe said, “I look forward to visiting with each of you and getting to know your folks. Have a good weekend, boys and girls. Class is dismissed.”

Whoops erupted. The children dashed for the doors, except for Martha Sterbinz, who approached the teacher’s desk with a shy look on her face.

“Ma’am, my ma told me to ask you if you’re more partial to berry or pumpkin pie. She’d like to favor you with your pick when you come to our house.”

William Sholes ambled back into the room and dawdled beside the paper-covered display board. What was he doing? Edythe frowned.

“Ma’am?”

Edythe shifted her attention to Martha, offering a smile. “Thank your mother for wanting to favor me. Since I don’t have a kitchen or a means of baking right now, any baked goods are a real treat. Why don’t you have her prepare your favorite – then I’ll know what kind of pie you like best.”

The girl rewarded Edythe with a wide grin. “Thank you, ma’am.”

William suddenly zipped into the cloakroom, and Edythe followed. Martha and William retrieved their jackets and lunch buckets, then clattered out the door. Edythe stood on the schoolhouse porch, watching until every child had left the schoolyard. When all of the children were safely on their way home, she went inside to straighten the room and collect her shawl. She passed the paper backdrop where essays titled “What I Did This Summer” by her sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students hung in a neat row against the blue flowers. The sheet bearing Louisa Bride’s essay seemed to poof out in the middle, pressing against the restraining tacks on the bottom corners. She remembered William standing there, and trepidation struck. Had he pushed something disgusting beneath the page to tease Louisa? The boy seemed to take delight in pestering the girls.

Holding her breath, she worked one corner free of the tack. A folded piece of notepaper fell to the floor. Edythe sucked in her lips, biting back a rise of fury. Even before she picked it up and unfolded it, she knew what it was.

“Oh! That boy!” Wadding the note in her hand, she marched to her desk and retrieved her shawl. She flung it around her shoulders, knotted the ends, and then clomped to the porch. She slammed the doors, pretending to box William’s ears. Giving the key a vicious twist, she secured the lock and then headed for the road.

So William Sholes wanted to hide his note rather than take it home. Well, he wouldn’t avoid a visit from the teacher
that
easily. She stomped toward town, dust swirling in a cloud around her feet. Mrs. Kinsley had promised her the use of her wagon and mare whenever she needed it. As soon as she reached town, she would drive to the Sholeses’ place. It was time for a serious talk with William’s parents.

Edythe sat stiff-backed on the edge of the parlor settee, her hands in her lap. Despite the churning in her belly, she maintained an even tone as she shared William’s misdeeds from earlier in the week. His mother, a thin woman with lank brown hair straggling from a sagging knot on the back of her head, seemed more bored than indignant concerning her son’s behavior. Edythe wondered if Mrs. Sholes had even heard anything she’d said.

“So I hope you agree, Mrs. Sholes,” Edythe said in conclusion, “that William’s behavior is not only a disruption to the class, but could very well impede his own learning. Therefore we must determine a means of building a cooperative spirit in your son.”

Mrs. Sholes ran a weary hand over her disheveled hair. “I don’t rightly know what you expect me to do.”

Edythe drew in a breath, battling for patience. “I hoped we could work together to bring an end to William’s inappropriate behavior. For instance, the notes he neglected to bring home, even though he was directed to do so. How do you intend to address those with William?”

The woman laughed weakly. “Oh, you know young’uns – their minds’re on play. They’re always forgettin’ somethin’.”

“Tucking a note beneath an assignment on the wall seems more deliberate than forgetful to me, Mrs. Sholes.” Sarcasm colored Edythe’s comment, but Mrs. Sholes didn’t appear to notice.

“Maybe he was just embarrassed ’cause he forgot to bring us the first one, an’ that was his way of pretendin’ he never got it.”

Although Edythe didn’t agree, she chose to move to another issue. “Then let’s discuss the bullying. William dunked Sophie Jeffers’s pigtail in the inkwell, and I witnessed him taking cheese from Henry Libolt’s hand. Additionally – ”

“No reason for William to take somethin’ from Henry. The boys’re friends. Have been for a long time.” Mrs. Sholes toyed with a loose strand of hair. “You sure Henry didn’t give it to William?”

“I’m very sure Henry did not offer it. William took it.”

“That just don’t make much sense to me. William’s got plenty of food in his lunch bucket – I pack it myself with enough to keep his belly satisfied. Can’t see any reason why he’d need to be botherin’ somebody else’s lunch.”

Frustration filled Edythe’s chest. “That’s just the point, Mrs. Sholes. There is no reason for William to bother any of the other children. He simply chooses to do so.”

A weak laugh left Mrs. Sholes’s throat. “Young’uns . . . always playin’ pranks on each other. It’s harmless, don’t you think?”

William’s belligerent glares and sneaky behavior was not harmless to Edythe’s way of thinking, but it was obvious she would get nowhere with Mrs. Sholes. The woman’s eyes were blinded toward her son’s misbehavior. “Might I speak with your husband?”

“He’s out workin’ in the barn.”

“Yes, you indicated that when I arrived.” Edythe used her best teacher voice. “But I believe it’s necessary for me to speak with him.”

Mrs. Sholes sighed. “He won’t be happy about bein’ disturbed. Gettin’ those sickle blades sharpened is mighty important so he can be cuttin’ millet next week.”

“I trust his son’s success in school is equally important to him.” When Mrs. Sholes didn’t move, Edythe rose. “Would it be better if I went to the barn rather than ask him to leave his work?” If she had to, she’d follow the man into the millet field.

William’s mother jerked to her feet. “I-I’ll take you, Miss Amsel.”

Edythe followed Mrs. Sholes out the front door and across the dirt yard toward the barn. A shadow at the corner of the house slinked away, and Edythe suspected William had been standing beneath the window, listening to every word she’d said. If he’d heard his mother’s excuses, he no doubt saw himself as the victor in this particular battle. How she hoped William’s father would take his son’s misconduct seriously.

They entered the large log barn, and the stench of moldy hay and old manure combined with an acrid, metallic odor assaulted Edythe’s nose. Swallowing, she trailed Mrs. Sholes to a small room at the rear of the barn, where the metallic scent overrode the other odors. Mr. Sholes bent forward, running a large file over a long, curved blade. With each swipe of the file, small sparks flew through the air like tiny shooting stars.

“Lloyd?” Mrs. Sholes squawked her husband’s name.

The man jerked, clanking the file against the blade. He hissed through his teeth. “Betsy, whaddaya mean, creepin’ up on me thataway?” He glared at his wife, who seemed to shrink inside herself. “I could’ve nicked this blade!”

“I’m sorry, but the new schoolmarm come out and wanted to talk to you.”

The man pushed his hat to the back of his head. “What about?” He didn’t flick so much as a glance in Edythe’s direction. She squirmed uncomfortably.

“About William. Seems he forgot to bring home a note tellin’ us she wanted to visit, an’ he’s been talkin’ out of turn an’ such in the schoolroom.” Mrs. Sholes recited William’s offenses in a calm, unemotional voice. Listening, Edythe experienced a small jolt of shock that the woman remembered every misdeed. Apparently she had been listening.

Mr. Sholes worked his jaw back and forth while Mrs. Sholes talked, his brows low and his gaze aimed somewhere behind his wife’s head. Edythe took hope in the man’s deep scowl. When Mrs. Sholes fell silent, he plopped his fist on his hip. “That it?”

Mrs. Sholes nodded.

Finally Mr. Sholes looked directly at Edythe. “Miss Amsel – that your name?”

The furrows in his forehead deepened, and Edythe’s heart doubled its tempo. She belatedly put out her hand. “Yes. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”

The man stared at her hand for a moment. Then he wiped his palm on his dirty pant leg and gave her fingers a brief shake. “Seems to me those troubles are your troubles, not ours.”

Edythe’s hopes plummeted. “Surely you agree parents and teachers are in partnership when it comes to the education of children.”

“Yep.” Mr. Sholes tapped his leg with the file. “My part of the teachin’ happens here. An’ your part of the teachin’ happens at school. I wouldn’t want you to come to my house an’ give my boy lessons on farmin’ or shoein’ a horse. You’d be interferin’ in my job.”

Edythe knew where he was leading. “I’m simply requesting your support. If William sees that you view education as important, then his attitude toward school – and his behavior – should change.”

Mr. Sholes removed his hat, wiped his forehead with his wrist, and then plunked the hat back into place. “Look, you got a job to do. You want me to respect that. All right, I respect it. But I have a job to do, too, an’ if I have to run to the school every time my boy gets a little ornery, I won’t get my job done. So I’ll say it again: I’ll take care of William when he’s at home, an’ you take care of him when he’s at school. Do your job, Teacher.”

Edythe’s face flamed at his insolent tone. Harsh words quivered on the tip of her tongue, but she held them back. It would be pointless to argue with this muleheaded man and his mouse-like wife. “Very well.” She whirled toward the wide opening at the opposite side of the barn. As she charged into the sunlight, she heard a snicker. Looking up, she spotted William in the loft window.

He grinned, the curl of his lip impudent. “See you on Monday, Miss Amsel.”

Edythe snorted as she climbed into the wagon and released the brake. Taking up the reins, she gave them a little flick. “Yah!” The horse obediently lurched forward, and Edythe aimed the wagon for the road. The sooner she left the Sholeses’ place, the happier she would be! And over the weekend she needed to concoct a scheme to bring William under control.