There was a cold nip in the air as Jack walked Elizabeth to the school house the next morning. He held her hand snuggly in his own.
"The leaves will be changing colors soon," Elizabeth sighed as she drew the warm wrap she wore closer to her chest.
"My favorite time of year," Jack said. Elizabeth laughed and her hand tightened in his.
"You said that when the lilacs were blooming last spring," she said happily. "And again when the snow was falling on Christmas eve." Jack shrugged and grinned sheepishly.
"Is Coal Valley growing on you, Constable?" Elizabeth laughed softly. Jack's smile faded as they neared the school house. Children were gathered around the window trying to see inside. Miles was perched on his brother's shoulders.
"There he goes under teacher's desk again!" the little boy hooted. The children laughed and scrambled to pull themselves up to the window sill.
"What's going on?" Elizabeth dropped Jack's hand and moved toward the children.
"There's a coon in the schoolhouse, Miss Thatcher," Miles cried. "A big fat one!" He slipped off Gabe's shoulders and slid to the ground.
"What?" Elizabeth cried. "How did it get inside?" She stood on tip toe to look in the window as Jack moved beside her. They watched as a raccoon waddled out from under her desk and made its way under the children's desks. It stopped to pull a piece of paper from a desk and wadded it into a crumbled ball.
"It's just looking for a place to spend the winter," Jack said as he watched the animal move toward the book shelves.
"Ha…not in my schoolroom," Elizabeth scoffed. She grimaced as the animal pulled books off the lower shelves. "How do we get it out?" She turned around and leaned forlornly against the school and surveyed the children gathered around them.
"He's looking for food," Jack mused, still watching through the glass. Elizabeth frowned and then looked down at the biscuit tin that she held against her. She opened the tin and held it out.
"Mrs. Stanton's biscuits are going to feed a raccoon today," she said. "Children, we need to make a trail from the back door to the woods. Any direction as long as it's away from the school." Eager hands reached into the tin and they raced off to follow directions. Jack took the last biscuit and tipped it in the air toward her before her took a bite.
"So how do we get it out the back door?" he asked. Gabe led the children back to the side of the building and they followed Elizabeth and Jack to the front doors of the school. She handed the biscuit tin to Jack and took the keys from her pocket. She unlocked the front door and then tossed the keys to Gabe.
"Run around to the back and unlock the door," she said. "Prop it open and set this on the door sill." She took the biscuit from Jack's hand and chuckled at his disappointed frown. Gabe nodded as he caught the biscuit as she tossed it to him and sauntered off toward the back of the school house.
"Now what?" Jack asked as he put his hands on his hips.
"We go in," she said sweetly. "And we chase him out." The children burst out laughing as their beloved Constable Jack's mouth dropped open. Elizabeth's grin widened and then she took charge again.
"Children," she said. "I want you as far away from the school as reasonable. Go over by the swinging tree and wait. Don't go anywhere near this raccoon. It's likely to be angry and we don't want anyone to get bitten." Elizabeth watched as the group moved reluctantly toward the swings to watch.
"It's all set, Miss Thatcher." Gabe rounded the corner of the school and handed the key back to her. "What do you want me to do now?" Elizabeth nodded toward the children watching from the tree.
"Go watch the rest of the children," she said. "I don't want them chasing after this animal."
"Yes, ma'am," Gabe said as he hurried over to where the class stood watching. Elizabeth turned to Jack.
"Are you ready?" she asked as her hand rested on the door latch.
"Sure," Jack replied. 'But do you want to tell me what we are doing first?" Their eyes met and they both chortled softly.
"I'll go around one side of the coatroom wall and you go around the other," she explained. "And we'll shoo him toward the back door."
"Shoo," Jack stated firmly. He saluted. Elizabeth laughed and turned the door latch slowly. She slipped inside and held the door so Jack could squeeze quietly inside. They looked at one another and then peeked cautiously around both sides of the coatroom wall.
The raccoon sat up on its haunches surveying the book shelf again. It lifted its nose in the air and then turned toward the opened back door.
"Shoo!" Elizabeth cried as she came around the wall with her skirts swishing. The startled raccoon fell to all four feet and headed toward the other side of the room. Jack stepped out and waved his hands as the raccoon skirted under the nearby desks toward Elizabeth again. She swished her skirts and the animal headed toward her desk and then disappeared up onto her chair.
"What do we do now?" Jack laughed.
"I have no idea!" she shrugged worriedly. She bent over to look under the desk but couldn't see the animal at all. "Is it in my desk?" Jack inched toward the desk and then reached out cautiously to shake the high back chair. The raccoon hissed and then plopped down on the floor. Elizabeth jumped onto a desk seat and then Jack climbed up beside her. The raccoon made its way to the biscuit on the door sill and picked it up in his paws. He brushed the biscuit and then put it in his mouth before heading out the door and off into the weeds and towards the woods behind the school. Jack grinned as they heard the children cheerinG outside. He kissed Elizabeth lightly on the lips, grinned and then jumped down to help her off the desk.
"Well, your day is off to an exciting start," he said as the children clattered and chattered back into the school. "I'll see you this evening." And with that he tipped his head and made his way through the happy crowd to leave,
nodding as they clapped him on the back. Elizabeth smiled and put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the mess left by the raccoon.
"Let's get this room back to order," she said. "Hannah and Rosaleen, take care of the book shelves please. Gem, find the broom and see if there are any droppings that need to be swept away." The children busied themselves putting things away and talking happily about the raccoon. Elizabeth looked down as Emma Grace handed her the empty biscuit tin and turned away. Elizabeth fit the top on tightly and then set the tin on her desk. She turned to see Emma Grace seated at her desk, studying the tin sadly. She frowned and then contemplated the classroom.
"Okay, that's good enough," she said as she clapped her hands. "Now I want you to take out your notebooks because we are going to write about our adventure this morning. Raccoon…phylum…chordata…class…mammal. Raccoons are carnivorous…which means what?" Hands shot into the air as children settled into their seats and pulled out their notebooks and pencils. Elizabeth surveyed the waving hands.
"Jonah?" she said.
"It's a meat eater, Miss Thatcher," the boy said. "Raccoons eat mice, chipmunks, small fish…..and Mrs. Stanton's biscuits." He grinned as the children laughed. Elizabeth nodded with a smile.
"Exactly right, Jonah," she chuckled. She pulled out the chair at her desk and sat down to survey the bent heads as they wrote in their notebooks. Her eyes swept the room and then stopped as she saw a movement at the back wall. A small curly head peeked around and then disappeared again. She waited and then a small boy eased around the edge of the wall and searched the room.
He grinned and hurried down the center aisle of the classroom. He stopped and grabbed Emma Grace's arm.
"I hungry, Emmie," he whined. "I want me biscuit." Emma stared up at Elizabeth with startled eyes and then wrapped a protective arm around the little boy. She kissed the top of his head.
"I'm sorry, Thomas," she said. "There aren't any biscuits today."
"No biscuits?" the little boy whined and then scrubbed his nose sadly with a dirty fist. Anabel stood up from her seat next to Emma Grace and went to the shelf where their lunch buckets were stored. She rummaged around in her bucket and then slid a biscuit across the desk when she sat down again. Thomas' eye brightened as Emma Grace handed the biscuit to him. He crawled up into the seat with her and happily munched on the biscuit in his hands. The classroom was silent as eyes shifted from the little boy to their teacher.
"Your mother must be here," Elizabeth said cheerfully. Ned stood up slowly.
"No, ma'am," he said quietly.
"She's helping with a wedding dress today," Emma Grace interrupted. "I'm taking care of Thomas for her."
"But where…." Elizabeth's voice trailed off as Ned sat back in his seat and stared at his tightly folded hands on the desk top. She took a deep breath and glanced around at the rest of the students.
"Boys and girls," she said. "Please continue with your writing while I talk to Ned and Emma Grace." The children went back to their work while Elizabeth waited for Ned and Emma Grace. Their faces were white as they led their teacher toward the coatroom and door of the school. Emma Grace had Thomas firmly by one hand and the little boy was chewing away on the biscuit in his other hand.
"So where have you kept him today?" she asked as she reached out to touch his hair. Thomas grinned up at her and a dimple flashed in his cheek. He went back to eating.
"We made a little hidey back in the trees for him," Ned said quietly. "He has a quilt to sleep on and some of his toys to play with."
"You left a little boy alone in the woods?" Elizabeth gasped.
"He is fine there," Emma Grace replied emphatically. "We've been chec….." She stopped and covered her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at her teacher. Elizabeth's brows furrowed.
"That's why you have been going to the outhouse so many times," she said. "…to check on Thomas?" Ned and Emma Grace exchanged glances. Ned nodded.
"Well, he can't stay at this…hidey….alone any longer," she said. "It's getting too cold and there are animals in the woods foraging for the winter. I want you to go gather up the quilt and his toys and bring them back here. I am sure that he is a good boy so we'll keep him in the school house for the rest of the day."
"Really?" Emma Grace cried softly. Her arm tightened around her little brother and Thomas squirmed.
"Emmie!" he whined. "You squeezing me too hard!" Elizabeth smiled and then nodded at Ned.
"Go now," she said. "You can finish your work when you get back." Ned nodded and jumped off the steps and hurried off toward the wooded area behind the out house. Elizabeth led Emma Grace back inside.
"You have to be very, very good today, Thomas," Emma Grace whispered softly as she brushed biscuit crumbs away from the little boy's face. "Then maybe you can come to school with me every day."
"I be good, Emmie," Thomas nodded. "I be berry good." Emma Grace slipped back into her seat and pulled Thomas up beside her. Elizabeth thought for a moment and tapped Joe Tolliver's arm. She whispered into his ear. He nodded and quietly left the school room. Elizabeth saw him sprinting off in the direction of town through the window.
"It looks as though we have another guest today, children," Elizabeth said quietly as she moved to her desk in front. "I expect you to remain focused because I have planned to cover a lot of material today." Thomas' dark eyes met Elizabeth's and his face fell. He stuck a finger in his mouth and sat very still. Writing began again in earnest. But there were smiles as they watched Thomas now and then. Elizabeth crossed to the book shelves and searched till she found a small red volume. She circled to the center aisle and bent down to give the book to the little boy. Thomas grinned up at her and opened the book. His short legs began to swing happily.
"Look, Emmie!" he cried. "Apple….A!" Elizabeth's gaze moved to Emma Grace's proud smile.
"Thomas knows most of his letters, Miss Thatcher," she said. "I have been teaching him all summer."
"You are a wonderful teacher then, Emma Grace," Elizabeth said. "How old is he?"
"Three, miss. He'll be four at Christmas time," the little girl smiled. Her brother turned to her again and held up the little book.
"T…Thomas! See?" Emma Grace nodded and they all looked back as Ned entered the room carrying a ragged quilt. Thomas jumped up and ran to his older brother.
"I got a book, Ned," he said happily. "Teacher gived me a book to read!" The other children tittered and Elizabeth stood up.
"I can make a bed for him in the corner, Miss Thatcher," Ned said. "He'll take a nap there." Elizabeth nodded and Ned carried the quilt to the corner of the room. He busied himself folding the quilt. Joe Tolliver entered from the back of the room and nodded at Elizabeth. He took his place at his desk. Elizabeth looked up at the clock. It hadn't even been an hour since she'd left Abigail's café and she was already exhausted.