The next afternoon, an hour before school was due to be released, Miss Susan rapped on her desk for attention.
"I'm assigning homework, and then school will be dismissed early," she began.
A couple of the boys, Monte among them, let out a 'hooray', and the teacher frowned them down.
"That's enough. This is for today only. My mother has fallen ill." She assigned homework, and then dismissed school,
telling the children who were generally picked up by family to wait in the school yard.
Charlie couldn't help being excited, as well. Now she could spend some time with some of the other kids, and it wouldn't
be disobeying, because she had to wait for Scott or Murdoch to come anyway.
Once dismissed and outside, Charlie turned to Rebecca.
"Let's go get some candy at the mercantile," Charlie told Rebecca.
"I've got no money," Rebecca said.
"I've got some," Charlie said. "Scott gave me my allowance."
"Becca, let's go," Jason called to her.
"Charlie says we can go to the mercantile, and get some candy," Rebecca said, as Jason walked up.
"We've got chores waitin'," Jason told her.
"But, we're out early," Charlie pointed out. "You won't be late for your chores."
"She's right, Jase," Rebecca agreed, looking at Jason hopefully.
"I guess you can go and get a piece of candy if you want to," Jason said.
"You come, too," Charlie encouraged.
"No. I'll go on home, and let Ma know you'll be right along," Jason said.
Charlie felt disappointed. She really liked Jason, and admired him. He was always so nice, and seemed so responsible.
As she and Rebecca walked along, to the store, she asked Rebecca about it.
"Oh, Jase has always been like that," Rebecca said. "My Ma says he was born old."
"You mean because he's so serious?" Charlie asked.
"Yes. And never up to mischief. Or much of it, anyway. My Pa calls Jase his right hand man."
"Isn't it nice, though?" Charlie asked, curiously. "Having a brother?"
"If he's like Jason, then yes. I know some girls that don't like their brothers, though."
"I wish I had a brother sometimes," Charlie confided.
Rebecca looked at Charlie in sympathy. She hooked her arm thru Charlie's. "I'll share Jason with you," she said.
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At the mercantile, the girls looked around a bit, and then stood before the candy containers, deciding on what to get.
They decided on three cents of licorice. Once back out on the sidewalk, Rebecca said she needed to be walking on home.
So, they said goodbye to one another, and Charlie set out for the school yard, to wait for whoever came to fetch her.
Just past the post office, Charlie cut thru the alleyway. She was surprised to round the corner behind the building, to
nearly trip over a foot, that was poised there, in the dirt. The worn-out shoe belonged to the mystery man, as Charlie thought
of him. He was seated there on a bench, and was carving at a small piece of wood.
"Oh!" Charlie said, startled.
The old man didn't look up from his carving. "The sunshine is a child's smile," he said, in that lilting voice of his.
Charlie regarded him, puzzled, again, by the way that he spoke.
"The sunshine is nice," she said, hoping he would talk more.
When he said no more, but only held up his carving, and blew off the excess, Charlie knew she had to go. If Scott or Murdoch got
to the schoolhouse and found her not there, there would be trouble.
She saw that the small carving was that of a horse.
"Well," she began, "Goodbye."
The old man looked up at Charlie. And then, he held out the carving to Charlie.
Surprised, Charlie looked at him.
"It's for you," the old man said.
Charlie reached out and took the wooden horse from his hand. She saw that his hands were crooked looking.
"Thank you," she said.
The man gave a brief nod, and Charlie said, in a burst, "What's your name?"
"Without a name, any flower is a stranger to you," the old man said, and stood up. Charlie was shocked to see that he was
only just a bit taller than she. Maybe a head taller. Very short for a grown man.
And with that, he walked away. His step was spry, and quick. He headed around the back of the dry goods store.
Charlie began walking towards the school again, and she could see another wagon arriving, to pick up one of the other children.
She was nearly running, and she heard her name called.
She stopped, looking, and saw Murdoch driving briskly along, in the buggy.
In instinct, Charlie took the carving, and put it inside her lunch pail. She walked to meet Murdoch, and he pulled the buggy to
a stop.
"And what are you doing?" Murdoch asked her.
Charlie handed her pail, and books up to him, and scrambled into the buggy, her other hand still holding the piece of licorice.
"School was let out early," she said, breathless from the running. "Miss Susan's mother is sick."
"Ah," Murdoch said, laying Charlie's belongings in the seat between them. "Where have you been?"
"Rebecca and I walked to the mercantile to get some candy," Charlie told him.
Murdoch nodded, and then asked, "When did school let out?"
"It was an hour early," Charlie explained.
"Licorice, is it?" Murdoch asked then, nodding to the candy in her hand, as he flicked the reins to begin Shep walking.
"Yes," Charlie said. "I should have gotten gumdrops. Then we could have shared them on the ride home."
"Next time," Murdoch told her, with a smile.
As they rode along, Charlie chewed at her licorice. She was so very curious to look at the horse carving, but didn't want to
explain to Murdoch where it had come from. Then she considered that. After all, Charlie told herself, she hadn't done anything
wrong. She'd just happened along upon the old man. She hadn't gone in search of him, or been anywhere she wasn't supposed to
be.
Charlie reached for her lunch pail, and opened it, saying, "I want to show you something."
"Alright."
Charlie took the carving from the pail, and ran her hand over the smoothness of the wood.
"Look," she said, holding it out so that Murdoch could see.
Murdoch held the reins in one hand, and with the other he took the carving, and surveyed it.
"That's some nice carving work," Murdoch said. He held it out, so Charlie could take it from him again.
"Yes," Charlie said, looking over the details of the carving.
"Did you buy it at the mercantile?" Murdoch asked then, and Charlie swept her gaze up to his.
"No," she said. "Somebody gave it to me."
"Well, it's nice work," Murdoch said again.
It didn't seem as though Murdoch was going to ask any further questions, and Charlie ran her fingers over the smooth wood again,
and then put the horse back into her lunch pail.
She was thinking that she would tell Murdoch about the source of the carving, when he spoke first.
"Scott got quite a bump on the head earlier today."
Instantly, Charlie felt all her senses spring into alert.
She sat up very straight, looking at Murdoch with wide eyes.
"Is he alright?" she asked. "What happened? Did he go into town to see the doctor?"
"Slow down," Murdoch told her, his gaze kind. "Don't get worked up. He's alright. He got pushed against the side of the corral
while they were working horses."
"Should he go to the doctor?" Charlie asked again, feeling her heart thumping in anxiety.
"Maria doctored him up. He'll be alright," Murdoch said, calmly.
"Oh," Charlie said, subsiding a bit, but with her thoughts still jumping all around in worry.
Murdoch laid a hand on her knee, and patted it. "He's alright, sweetheart. I wouldn't say it if it wasn't so."
Charlie nodded, and scooted closer, slipping her arm thru the crook of Murdoch's.
She was so quiet then, and a little pale-looking, that Murdoch said, quietly, "I know it's worrisome to you, thinking of
something happening to Scott."
Charlie nodded again. "I just-never worried about anybody before I met Scott. I was so little when my mother was sick,
that I didn't really understand that she might die and leave me. And then, with Katherine-well, you know how it was. She didn't worry
about me, and I didn't worry about her, either."
"I know," Murdoch said, patting her knee again.
"I'd worry about you, too," Charlie said. "And Johnny. And Teresa. All of you."
"Just as we have concern for you," Murdoch acknowledged.
"It's hard-worrying about someone," Charlie said.
"It is," he agreed. "But, that's part of family, darling. It all mixes together, in a large package. The caring, and the worrying, as well."
Charlie squeezed his arm. "You're wise, Murdoch," she said.
"I don't know about that," Murdoch said, smiling at her. "I'm mostly just old."
"You're not old," Charlie said, loyally.
"I thank you, and my creaking bones thank you," Murdoch said, in humor.
As they were nearing Lancer, within eye-sight, Charlie asked if Scott was inside the house, resting.
"He was already back out when I left to come and fetch you," Murdoch said.
As the buggy trotted up to the barns, and Murdoch pulled it to a stop, Charlie was nearly out before he stopped.
"Be careful now," Murdoch cautioned.
"I want to find Scott," Charlie said, jumping to the ground.
She went running to the barns, and found no one but Jelly, mucking out stalls.
"Haven't seen him," Jelly said, when Charlie asked him.
Charlie was off again, at a run, while Jelly was still talking.
She ran thru past the corral, where several hands were working, and saw Cip walking towards her.
"Do you know where Scott is?" she asked the older man.
Cip pointed in the direction that he'd last seen Scott, and Charlie ran again, until she found Scott, with Johnny,
at the pond. Johnny was knee deep in the water, putting a rope around a calf's neck.
"Ready?" he asked Scott.
"Ready."
Johnny tossed the end of the rope to Scott, and Scott began to pull.
Breathless from running, Charlie stood there, looking at Scott. He had a small bandage on the right side of his forehead, but, otherwise,
he looked as usual.
"Hey there, kiddo," he greeted Charlie.
"Are you alright?" Charlie asked, without preamble.
"Let me do this," Scott said, and put his effort and muscle into pulling the calf to the edge of the pond.
"Darn fool calf," Johnny muttered, wading his way out of the water.
Johnny reached to give Scott help in pulling, and the calf was brought to dry land again.
Johnny reached out and pulled the rope loop from around the calf's neck, and said, "Ya!"
The calf scampered away, in search of his mother.
"Are you alright?" Charlie asked again, going to clutch at Scott's hand.
"I'm alright," Scott told her, reaching out to brush her hair back from her face. "Have you been running?"
"Yes. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Why do you have that bandage on? Did you get a bad cut?"
"No, just a little one," Scott told her.
"Maybe you should go to the doctor, just to make sure you're alright," Charlie worried.
"No need," Scott said.
"Maria patched him up alright," Johnny said, rolling his rope back up neatly.
"I'm worried for you," Charlie said, looking up into Scott's tanned face.
"I really am alright," Scott reassured her.
"Well, okay," Charlie said, still sounding uncertain.
As they began walking, towards the house and barns, Scott asked, "How was your day? School go well today?"
"Yes. Miss Susan's mother is sick, so she let school out an hour early," Charlie told him.
"That's too bad, about her mother," Scott said.
"Uh huh," Charlie said.
"What did you do while you waited for Murdoch?" Scott asked, as they walked.
"I walked with Rebecca to the mercantile, and we got some licorice," Charlie answered.
"Ah," Scott said, with a nod.
"Rebecca didn't have any money, so I treated her," Charlie said.
"That was nice."
"Yes, I wanted Jason to come too, but he went on home to do his chores."
Charlie reached up to take his hand.
"Does your head hurt a lot?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Not too much."
"Scott wouldn't complain, even if it did," Johnny said.
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