When supper was over, and Charlie was pushing in her chair, and preparing to help clear the table, she was surprised when
Scott asked, "Would you like to go camping tonight?"
Charlie paused, a plate in each hand, to look at him hopefully.
"Oh, yes! Can we?"
"If you can get some food together for us to take-breakfast things and all."
"I'll help her pack some food," Teresa offered.
"Alright, thanks," Scott said.
"Where are we going?" Charlie asked.
"Not too far this time. We're getting a late start."
Charlie helped clear the table, and then ran upstairs, stuffing another pair of overalls and underthings into a knapsack. Then she raced
back to the kitchen, finding Teresa packing another knapsack with a camp coffee pot, coffee, Maria's homemade bread, and some cookies and
fruit.
"Do you want some bacon to fry up?" Teresa asked Scott, as he came thru the kitchen.
"No, what you've got there will be fine," Scott said. "I'll go get the horses ready."
When he'd gone out, Teresa said, "This is a good time to talk to Scott, about the rhyme you wrote."
Charlie, who'd been just thinking of the fun aspect of being out overnight, camping with Scott, suddenly felt brought down to
earth again.
"I don't want to ruin our time, though," Charlie protested.
"It's better now than later," Teresa said. "He may not even be that angry about it."
When Charlie still looked reluctant, Teresa shrugged her shoulders. "It's your decision," she said. "I'm just giving you some advice."
As they rode, Scott pointed out various trees, and shrubs, and they rode single-file, Charlie behind him on Gurth, while they made
their way up one of the rocky ridges.
Once they'd reached the top, overlooking a wide expanse of rolling grasses, the sun was beginning to lower.
"How's this for a spot?" Scott asked her, and Charlie nodded in agreement. After the horses were unsaddled and eating grass,
Scott began clearing a spot of earth.
"Is this where the fire will be?" Charlie asked him.
When Scott said that it was, Charlie watched him curiously. She'd been camping with Scott once before, but she hadn't paid attention
when he'd built their campfire.
"Come here," he told her, and when Charlie came closer, and knelt down beside him, he said, "I'm going to teach you how to build
a fire."
"You are?" Charlie asked, breathless with excitement.
"First, you never want to build a fire where there's any shrubs or trees too nearby, because they can catch on fire. This is going to be
your fire bed, here," he said, pointing to the area that he'd bared from some plants growing.
"Why is it called a bed?" Charlie asked.
"I don't know the answer to that. It just is. Now, see, once your area is cleared, it's time to make the bed. Gather up some dirt, and put it in
the center there."
Charlie helped him do that, and then watched as he moved the dirt. "This is called a platform," he said. "It's about three inches thick, or so."
"When that's done, then it's time to gather the wood," he said.
Charlie tagged after him as he walked around the area. "There's three basic types of materials you need to make a good fire," he told her.
"Tinder, kindling, and fuel wood. The tinder can be some of that grass I cleared. Right now, look for some twigs and branches. About the width of a pencil."
"Okay," Charlie said, and hurried to do that.
Once she'd found an armful of twigs and branches, she caught back up with him, as he carried some larger branches.
Once more by the fire, kneeling, and watching him, Scott first put the grass on the 'bed', and began to explain.
"Tinder can be dry leaves, or bark or dry grass. It catches fire easy, but burns fast. Has to be dry, though. That's the tinder nest," he said.
Charlie wrinkled her nose at him. "There's the bed, and now a nest?" she asked, and Scott smiled at her.
"Pretty silly, huh?" he said.
"You can't go right to big logs, or it'll smother the flame. That's where the kindling comes in. The kindling has to be dry, too," he said.
"What if there isn't any dry kindling around, though?" Charlie asked.
Scott tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. "Smart girl," he said. "Good question."
Charlie beamed at his praise.
Scott sifted thru the branches and twigs. "Here's one that's a little damp," he said. He took out his pocketknife and whittled away
the wet part of the branch. "That's what you do if your kindling's wet. After the kindling, then the fuel wood. It's what keeps the fire hot
and burning well. They don't have to be real big, either. About as wide as your wrist or forearm."
"My forearm or yours?" Charlie asked, impishly, holding her small arm next to his larger one.
Scott chuckled. "Mine, kiddo."
"Oh," Charlie said, grinning back at him.
"This is called the Tee-pee Fire Lay," he said, and Charlie watched as he made what did resemble a tee-pee of the kindling and fuel wood.
"You leave a little opening on the side the wind is blowing against, so the fire gets the air it needs." Scott struck a match on his boot, and
lit the tinder in the center.
Charlie sat, watching the fire take off, and get stronger and fiercer. She kept sitting there, as Scott went to fix up a picket line
for the horses, and then led them over to tie them for the night. He watered them from an extra canteen, and when they'd had their fill,
he went back to the fire, to find Charlie still sitting there, poking the fire.
Scott upended his saddle, using it to rest against, and Charlie said, "Can I do that, too?"
"Yeah, you can."
Charlie lifted her own saddle, turning it, and struggling a bit to get it like his, until he reached over and helped her.
He brought out some pieces of cheese and jerky from his knapsack, and they ate that and some of Maria's cookies, washing
it all down with water from their canteens.
"I was hungry, even after eating so much as supper," Charlie admitted, reaching for her second cookie.
"I was, too."
As they ate, and watched the flames, Charlie felt a warmth spread over herself, not just from the heat of the fire, but from the closeness with Scott.
"Scott?"
"Hmm?" he asked, poking the fire with a stick.
"I'm sorry I was disrespectful to you this morning."
Scott turned to look at her, instead of at the fire.
"I appreciate the apology," he said. "It seems sincere now."
"It is," Charlie assured him. She tilted her head at him. "Do you mean you don't think I seemed sincere this morning when I said sorry?"
"It seems to have more of a ring of the truth to it this time."
Charlie considered that, and then said, in honesty, "I guess it is. I didn't want you to-" She halted her talking, and felt her face flame.
Scott gave her a perceptive look, and Charlie knew that he knew just exactly what she was referencing to.
Instead of putting her reference to a spanking into words, though, he just said, quietly, "I don't want you to behave that way, Charlie. Whether you're
frustrated or just irritated with me-or any other adult-you still need to stay respectful. It's important."
Charlie felt herself wanting to please him-to have him think well of her-
"I will. I'll try hard," she promised.
Scott gave a slight nod. "Good."
He looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "School sounds dismal."
Charlie thought that described it accurately. "Yes. Dismal."
"Who does most of the pranks?" he asked.
The question shocked Charlie. She felt immediately uncomfortable. She didn't want to tell on anybody, really-and it was
coming a little too close to home. Pranks, no, she hadn't done, but that rhyme...
Scott was still regarding her, waiting for an answer.
"Mostly all of the kids have done some sort of a prank," Charlie said. "Or at least misbehaved a little."
"Rebecca?" Scott asked, with a raised eyebrow.
"Well...no," Charlie admitted.
"Jason?"
Charlie sighed a little. Scott knew very well that Rebecca and Jason would neither one be likely to be involved in any pranks or
misbehavior.
"Not Jason, either," she said.
"Mostly the older boys, then?"
"Mostly," she admitted.
"Hmm," he said.
"Today with the snake-all the kids were laughing at Miss Hummle when she was screaming, except for the little girls, cause they
were scared, too, and me and Rebecca."
"You didn't think it was funny?" Scott asked her.
Surprised into momentary silence, Charlie wrinkled her forehead at him. "Not really. I don't like snakes, either."
"What about when the lessons are changed on the chalkboard?" he asked. "You and the other kids think that's funny?"
Charlie stared at him, wide-eyed, and shocked. How did he know about that?
When he just waited, Charlie thought it was like a trick question, almost. If she admitted she thought it was funny, then he wouldn't be
pleased. If she said she hadn't been, he might think she wasn't being honest.
Torn, Charlie answered honestly. "I guess so."
"You guess so, what?"
"I thought it was funny, when she got confused," Charlie admitted.
"Hmm," Scott said, never taking his eyes from hers.
"I don't want you to be disappointed in me," Charlie said, meekly, feeling emotional.
"Charlie, I'm not disappointed in you because you thought a prank on a teacher was funny," he said.
"You're not?" she asked, hopefully.
"No," he said. "You're a kid. That's part of it."
Relieved, Charlie watched his expression, as he turned to poke up the fire again.
"I would be disappointed, though, if you had a hand in any of the pranks," Scott said, laying the stick aside and turning
back to her. "Since we discussed it beforehand, and you knew what I expected."
Instantly, Charlie felt her stomach knot up. "I knew about some of them-but I didn't actually do it-like the chalkboard or pins on her
chair-"
"Tacks on a chair, too?" Scott asked, and for a moment Charlie thought he looked amused.
The amusement was gone in an instant, though, and Charlie nodded.
"Miss Hummel's been put thru a lot," he said.
Charlie at first felt compelled to protest. "She's put all the kids thru a lot, too."
"She has," he said, in agreement, and Charlie was glad he said that.
"How did it begin?" he asked. "I've forgotten."
When Charlie looked at him, puzzled, he continued, "Did she start out being abrasive and then the bad behavior followed that? Or did it
start with the behavior and then she became harsh?"
Charlie thought back, to the first days of Miss Hummel in the classroom.
"She was real strict starting out, and she said we all were 'woefully' behind in our lessons," Charlie began.
"Maybe that's true," Scott said.
"That we were woeful?"
"Well, maybe not woeful, exactly. But, as a classroom, maybe not up to where you should be with your lessons."
"If we weren't, does that mean that Miss Susan wasn't a good teacher?" Charlie asked. The thought of that made Charlie feel
as though she was being disloyal to the fresh-faced cheerful Miss Susan.
"No, it doesn't mean that. Some teachers are more exacting than others, and expect more from their students. Different styles of
teaching. But, if Miss Hummel thought the class needed to be caught up, then it's probably so."
After a few moments, Scott said, "So she was strict, but she didn't start out being cruel, or anything like that?"
Charlie considered. "No. I guess not. She wasn't nice, though."
"There's a difference between not-indulgent and cruel, Charlie. You know that."
Charlie knew he was right, and she nibbled on her lower lip, as he asked, "Okay. So-after she talked about the woeful situation, then what
happened next?"
Charlie thought back again, and said, "The kids just didn't like her. So-they made up a nickname and stuff."
"And-it progressed from there, huh? To the pranks and the meanness?"
"I guess," Charlie said. But, then, feeling overcome with emotion, Charlie felt tears well up in her eyes, and she burst
out, "But she hurt John, Scott! And, it was like she enjoyed it!"
Scott looked serious, and as though he was measuring his words. "I hope that's not really so." He paused again, looking
regretful. "It sounds as though there's been kindness and tolerance lacking on both sides."
Charlie brushed at her cheek, and sniffled. "I guess."
"Well, we'll see what happens at the meeting tomorrow, and go on from there," he said.
He settled back against his saddle, and held out a hand to her. "Scoot over here, and sit by me, and we'll wait for the stars to
come out."
Lancer