The next morning, as Charlie was collecting her lunch pail from Maria, and preparing to leave for school, Scott came

back thru the kitchen door.

"Your horse is saddled and ready," he told Charlie.

While it wasn't entirely unheard of, it was still uncommon that one of them readied Gurth for her morning ride to school. Usually, she did it,

herself. Charlie was a bit surprised, but she said, only, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Standing there in the kitchen together, while Maria bustled about, closing Charlie's lunch pail, Scott said,

quietly, "Straight to school, alright?"

More surprised now, Charlie blinked at him.

"Yes," she said.

"Okay."

Maria had finished packing the lunch, and held it out for Charlie to take from her.

"I wasn't late yesterday," Charlie felt compelled to say. Again. Even though she'd told him that numerous times the

afternoon before.

"And, no point to being late today, either," Scott said, mildly.

Suddenly feeling mutinous, Charlie said, with attitude, "I won't be!"

At her raised tone, Scott lifted a brow, and Charlie could feel Maria's gaze, as well.

"Hey, now," Scott said, in light warning.

There was a charged moment-things could go one way, or the other. And, the other wouldn't be anything that would bode well

for her, Charlie knew that. Still-

"Can I go now?" she asked, abruptly. And then, in a mutter, she added, "Can't be late to stupid school."

Scott's brow rose yet again.

"What do you tell Maria?" Scott said, in a firm tone.

Charlie looked at the older woman, and said, quietly, "Thank you."

"De Nada," Maria said.

Scott put a hand in the center of her back, and ushered Charlie outside. Standing there by the back door, he returned his

steady gaze to Charlie.

"Why are you being disrespectful?" he asked.

"I wasn't," Charlie protested.

"You were, and you know it," Scott countered.

Charlie fastened her eyes on his top button, once again, and not his eyes. At her stubborn silence, Scott

prompted, "Charlie?"

Still silent, and still with her eyes on that brown button, Charlie heard Scott sigh lightly. Then his boots scuffed on the

wooden porch floor, and he sat down on the bench just outside the kitchen door.

"Put your things down," he said.

His voice was quiet, with no hint of anger, but Charlie knew very well what he was getting at.

With Maria within hearing distance, and the chance that Jelly, or any of the hands-might be walking by at any moment-Charlie

met his eye in a panic, feeling regretful for her stubbornness.

"Don't, Scott," Charlie said, so softly it was nearly a whisper. "Please?"

"You're misbehaving," he said. "A few spanks will get you straight again."

"I'll be straight-I'm sorry I'm acting so bad. Please, though-it's so so bad at school! Please don't spank me before I have to go

there!" Charlie said, pleadingly.

Charlie thought she saw his eyes soften, though his expression remained stern.

He stood up, then, and came the few steps to where she stood. He lifted her chin with one hand.

"Here's how it will go," he said. "You get to school, and you get there on time. You do your lessons, stay respectful, and do

not participate in any nonsense. Tonight, after supper, we're going to have a talk about everything. Including school." He released

her chin, but held her eyes with his. "We'll see if we can't remedy the situation a good bit."

To Charlie, that sounded ominous. She was swallowing hard, when Scott said, "Are we understanding each other?"

"Yes," Charlie said.

"Alright. Good." Scott cast a glance out towards the corral, where the sound of the men's voices could be heard. "I've got to

get to work." When he moved to step around her, Charlie gathered her nerve.

"Are you gonna spank me when I get home?" she asked.

Scott paused, looking as though he was thinking. Charlie would have much rather he'd answered immediately, and in the

definite negative.

For a moment, and only a moment, Scott thought about telling her that he might, and letting her worry over it all

thru the day. But then he remembered having the threat of a tanning hanging over his head when he'd been young, and how that

had made him feel. Still, though, Charlie needed reining in.

So, in answer, he cupped her chin in his hand again, and said, "We'll plan on it being just a good talk that we have. And see how that goes, before I

decide any more about spanking. Alright?"

Charlie bit at her lower lip, and nodded. At that exact moment, the thought of that rhyme she'd made up came into her mind. What would

Scott have to say about that?

Lancer

Charlie made sure she didn't tarry on the ride to school. If anything, she hustled Gurth along, so that, by the time she arrived at

the stables, Gurth had had a decent workout.

Once at school, today well-before the bell, or the closing of the school doors, Charlie took her seat. Determined to be good, and

pay attention, so that she could keep her promise to Scott, she did her best. The classroom was in chaos. One of the boys had

erased the previous day's lessons from the chalk board again, rewriting it so as to confuse Miss Hummel.

A garter snake had also been placed in the drawer of the teacher's desk. Which caused a great commotion when Miss Hummel

discovered it, lifting out a writing tablet that the snake was curled up on. She then gave the tablet a toss and a scream, and

both it and the snake landed near the front row of younger girls. Which caused several of them to scream as well.

All of the boys and some of the older girls were laughing outright. Rebecca wasn't, and Charlie didn't, either. She knew the snake

was harmless enough, but she herself did not like snakes, either. Not one little bit. So, she felt a certain-not sympathy for Miss Hummel,

but a repulsion of the snake.

She was glad when Tommy Brewer jumped up and grabbed up the snake, and took it to the side door, opening it, and tossing the snake

outside into the grass.

Miss Hummle was so distraught that she called an early recess, and she didn't keep anybody inside as punishment. Every single

student got to go out.

Some of the kids that had been instigators in the morning's mischief were exceedingly merry at recess, reeling with laughter

at the success of frightening Miss Hummel. Charlie thought that the school board should have just saved their breath and their time

the day before-obviously their visit had done nothing to deter any classroom misbehavior.

So, in high spirits, some of the little boys began singing the favored rhyme. The one, which by now, had Charlie cringing.

"Ole Hummie, tried to talk, but could only squaaaawk-"

"Why did I ever do that?" Charlie bemoaned, to Rebecca.

"You didn't know it was gonna come to all this," Rebecca said, in loyalty.

"I've got to tell Scott," Charlie said, miserably.

The afternoon was more of the same, and when Jason was sent off with a note sealed by Miss Hummle, all the classroom wondered

who it was for, and what it was about.

After school, all Jason would say was that he had taken the note to Lucy's father at the bank, and that he had no idea what had been in it.

Puzzling over it, while he walked with Charlie to the stables to collect her horse, Monte was mulling over what it could be about.

"He's President of the school board, isn't he? Maybe she's reporting to him about the snake and all that," Charlie suggested.

Monte agreed that it could be so, and Charlie shared her worry that Lucy might tattle to her father about who had made up the

insulting rhyme, and that then Mr. Stone would tell Miss Hummel, and then Scott or Murdoch.

"Just say it ain't so," Monte told her. "Tell 'em it was me that did it."

Charlie gave him a look of surprise. "Why? That wouldn't be right."

Monte shrugged. "It's okay. I'll take the blame for it if they ask me."

Charlie stopped walking, just as they reached the stables. "Why would you do that?" she asked, incredulous.

Monte shrugged again. "Aw, it's no big thing."

"But, what would your father do? Or Miss Hummle? She might do what she did to John-or maybe even whip you," Charlie said.

"I'd still say it," Monte insisted.

"But, why?" Charlie persisted.

Monte's neck began to redden until it reached his cheeks. "I wouldn't want you to get into trouble over it," he said.

Her forehead wrinkled in question, Charlie studied him. "Why not?"

"Cause. You meant no harm." He shrugged yet again, scuffing the toe of his boot in the dirt. "I like ya, Charlie."

Charlie felt her own face get hot. It wasn't so much embarrassment, as it was that she felt awe that Monte was willing to face punishment,

maybe even a whipping, for her. For her.

"Oh," she said.

"Yeah," Monte said, still looking embarrassed.

"Well," Charlie said, feeling as though she should say something. Something to thank him.

"I didn't have any real friends before I came here to live," Charlie told him. "I had kids, you know, that I hung around with, but

they were mostly always in trouble-" She paused as she thought that that described Monte as well. He was always in some sort of

trouble, too. "Well, I mean they weren't real friends," she went on. "If any of them got caught doing something-they would rat out

any of the others or blame each other-"

"Yeah," Monte said, in apparent understanding of what she was saying.

"But, here, well, Rebecca's about the best friend I could ever have, and Jason, and you-you're a good friend, Monte."

Monte's grin lit up his entire face, red though it was.

"Well," Charlie said, feeling suddenly awkward, "I better get going."

"Yeah. I'll see ya, Charlie."

"See ya, Monte," Charlie said, and waved goodbye as the redhead took off, jumping a ditch, and turning to give her a jaunty wave.

Lancer

Charlie had changed to overalls and a comfortable brown blouse after school, and was gathering the eggs, when an approaching horse and

rider came to the hacienda. She recognized the older boy as one of the helpers at the newspaper office, and he knocked on the front door,

handing off a note or something to whomever answered the door.

She wondered what it was about, but felt she had enough to be concerned about. She had that talk with Scott this evening, and

she was truly debating confessing to him about the rhyme. Thinking over various ways to explain it filled her thoughts.

She took the eggs inside, and washed her hands at the sink, then going to set the table for the evening meal.

Charlie didn't see Scott until he'd come in with Johnny, just as it was time to be sitting down to the supper table. He and Johnny said

quick apologies and went upstairs to wash up and change their shirts. When they joined Teresa, Murdoch and Charlie at the table,

Scott greeted her with customary good nature. "Hey, kiddo," and ran his hand over his shoulder on the way to his own chair.

Once seated, he smiled at her, and somehow that made Charlie feel a whole lot better. It was as if the morning had never happened,

with no sassiness or threats of spanking between them.

Teresa remembered the note that had been delivered, and got up to fetch it, returning to hand it off to Scott.

"The boy who delivers for the newspaper brought it out," Teresa explained.

"Hmm," Scott said, putting down his fork, and opening the envelope.

He read it over quickly, and then said, "It's about a meeting they want to hold at the school tomorrow afternoon. For parents of kids

at the school. To discuss the situation." He read over parts of it again, and added, before laying the note aside, "Teacher's threatening

to leave if she doesn't get some support."

At that news, Charlie stopped, her fork halfway to her mouth, shocked. Miss Hummle was thinking of leaving? At first she felt a sense

of gladness at that, but then she went on eating, quietly, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She could feel Murdoch's gaze, and when

she looked up, she found she was correct.

"That's news, alright, isn't it?" Murdoch said.

"Yeah," Scott said, and returned to his meal.

"Sounds as though she's had her fill," Johnny said.

"What time tomorrow?" Murdoch asked.

Scott glanced down at the note again. "Two o'clock," he said.

"Hopefully they'll get a good turnout, and get some results," Murdoch said.

"Yeah," Scott said.

From his end of the table, Murdoch addressed Charlie. "The classroom's still rowdy, hmm?"

Charlie nodded in answer.

"Such as?" Murdoch asked.

Charlie swallowed her bite of potato, and said, "Well-today there was a snake."

"Inside?" Teresa said, sounding horrified.

At Charlie's nod, Teresa said, "That's just plain mean. A snake is-well, that goes beyond a prank."

"In her desk?" Johnny asked Charlie.

"Uh huh."

"Scared her pretty bad, huh?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah."

"What sort was it?" Murdoch asked.

"The boys said it was a garter snake," Charlie answered.

"She hack it to death with that ruler of hers?" Johnny asked, looking amused.

"Tommy Brewer put it outside."

"Not much learning going on there, is there?" Murdoch asked, looking somber.

Charlie met Scott's eye, at his serious expression.

"No, sir. Not much," Charlie said, looking down the table at Murdoch.

"It's unfortunate," Murdoch said, and took a drink of his coffee.

"I'll bet it's hard to concentrate with all the commotion," Teresa said, and Charlie knew she was trying to help.

"Sometimes," Charlie admitted.

"I would imagine that it would be," Murdoch said, kindly.

"Some of the pranks were harmless enough," Teresa said. Teresa, who knew about Charlie being the author of the

insulting rhyme about Miss Hummle, was leading up to helping Charlie confess. Charlie knew that, and she appreciated Teresa's

help-but she wasn't sure that she wanted to confess yet.

"Just harmless fun," Teresa went on. "Until things got out of hand."

"Are you remembering pulling a prank or two of your own, darling?" Murdoch asked her.

Teresa gave him a smile. "Nothing too horrible."

"We've had a letter from Beets," Murdoch said, thus turning the conversation into a different direction.

Lancer