Life Lessons
Hope heard a gasp from the other side of the room and immediately realized what Emily was referring to. “Emily, sweetheart, be mindful of your words, please. It isn’t polite to refer to someone using that word—outlaw.”
Emily’s forehead crinkled, as if she had no idea what Miss Tucker was getting at. “I mean, her house,” she said, pointing at Ginny, making the situation ten times worse.
Ginny didn’t gasp the second time, but she turned her face away. George seemed confused but said nothing.
Hope tried again. “Emily, dear, that would be the Pembroke home, or the Pembroke Farm. Ginny’s last name is Pembroke. Her father is a farmer. No one there is an outlaw.”
“But my mama said...” another boy, Jeffrey, began from the back of the classroom.
Hope cut him off. “Who here knows Sheriff Roan?” she asked. Almost every hand went up. “Good. Now, who thinks Sheriff Roan is a responsible lawman who does his job correctly?” Again, hands went up. “Very good. Now, if we trust the sheriff and know he will do whatever he can to keep our town safe, how can we think there are outlaws taking up residence on the outskirts of town? Now, that doesn’t make a whole lotta sense, does it?”
“But my mama said...” Jeffrey began again.
“Listen, boys and girls. What parents and other adults say outside of our school has nothing to do with what goes on inside of these four walls. Here, we will treat each other with kindness and fairness. While I appreciate your efforts to enlighten me as to where Steven’s parents live, let’s be mindful of the way we speak about each other. All right?”
“Yes, Miss Tucker,” the class answered, and Hope was glad to see that Ginny was looking at her again. She had a feeling a few parents may want to speak to her about the way she chose to handle the situation, but she would be happy to address it with them if the topic came up. So long as there wasn’t a refusal by the other families to send their children to school where the Pembrokes attended, she wouldn’t count this as a problem just yet. And Steven was another issue. She had a feeling there wouldn’t be much she could do to get him to stay at school, but she’d have to go visit his granny once the day was over.
She pushed all of those thoughts aside and focused on arithmetic, the next subject she needed to teach. Of course, she’d have to assess what prior knowledge her students had of the subject before she could begin any sort of lessons, and that took much of the afternoon because without any slates, the children had to come to the board. By the time she’d established most of her students were able to count and some could do simple sums, it was time to go home.
“All right, boys and girls,” Hope said, sitting back on the corner of her desk. “Our first day together is almost over. I want to thank all of you for your hard work today. Your behavior today was exceptional, and I hope that you will continue to put your studies first while you are at school. Now, there are no assignments for home tonight.” She couldn’t have made any with no books or slates even if she’d wanted to. “I suggest you get plenty of rest tonight, and be back here in the morning by the second bell. Please be careful exiting the building.”
The children stood and walked out in line, though some of them seemed in a hurry and wanted to push. Hope shouted out a reminder about lunch pails that got a few to come back, but soon enough, all of the children were either headed down the lane on their way home or making a beeline for waiting carriages. There were not many who wouldn’t walk home. Hope looked out the window to watch them disperse, satisfied smiles on their faces.
Ginny and George did not take off running like the other children did. Instead, they took their time walking to the wagon where their mother waited. Ginny glanced over her shoulder several times at the schoolhouse, and Hope waved at her, but she wondered what was wrong. Surely, the girl wasn’t still thinking about Emily’s and Jeffrey’s comments. She wondered if any of the children would go home and report what she’d said. There was a possibility she would have a few irate parents awaiting her arrival in the morning. Hopefully, she’d made her meaning clear, and the children would respect her enough not to go home and infuriate their parents. But even if they were angered, she would deal with it. There was no reason Ginny and George shouldn’t feel welcome in the schoolhouse. They had every bit as much of a right to be there as the others. If she had to stand up to parents in their defense, she would do so.
Thinking of Ginny and George’s plight caused her to think of Judah, and Hope let out a sigh. How could it be that someone so friendly had such an awful reputation? He certainly didn’t look like the sort of person who would murder his wives... not even one of them, let alone two. She wondered what the true story was and if she’d ever know his side of it. It crossed her mind that Ginny might know, but she couldn’t imagine sitting down with the young lady and asking her details about such a heinous affair.
Hope shook her head and set about righting the schoolhouse. She’d wiped down the desks and the chalkboard and was almost finished with the floor when she heard another carriage outside. It was an unexpected sound since all the children were long gone, and part of her feared someone had already decided to come and protest her standing up for the Pembroke children, but when she saw Nicholas hop down from the seat, a smile warmed her face. He saw her through the window and waved. Hope returned the gesture and then turned away, hoping he didn’t notice her smooth her hair back or the fact that her cheeks felt as if they were on fire.
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