A School Field Trip

Nathan left the school to see Minnie and Joseph and tell them about Spurlock's visit and the favor he asked of Cooper.

"Nathan, you don't think Spurlock would come back to the school, do you?" asked Minnie.

"No, I doubt it. He just wanted to make sure that Angela and Allie knew not to go back to the cabin. If you hear the school bell ringing when it shouldn't be, that will be Cooper alerting us. I really don't think we have to worry about Spurlock returning to the school, but at least we're prepared. Bill and I will deal with his threats later. Right now, we need to keep an eye on both of them so we'll know when their business partner comes to town. I don't want you to worry."

"Thank you, Nathan. If I can do anything to help, you know you can count on me," said Joseph.

"I know that, and I appreciate it. If we need anything else, we'll be sure to let you know. Have a good afternoon, and thank you for your help."

Nathan headed back to Bill's office to do more research.

"Class, I have a special surprise for you. Tomorrow, we're going to visit Mr. Coulter's lumber camp, and he is going to tell us about some of the trees, plants and animals that are in the forests around Hope Valley. Mrs. Coulter is coming along as well. She's going to write an article on our trip for the Valley Voice. Isn't that exciting!" The children were all happy to hear about their field trip. "You'll need to have a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian to go on the trip. Mrs. Sullivan will stay at the school if anyone isn't able to join us, but I hope you all will be able to come. I think it will help with your projects. You may all go outside and have your lunch."

Nathan got back to Bill's office, and they continued their research. "Do we still need to talk to Bouchard?" asked Nathan.

"That depends."

"On what, Bill?"

"On you finding something in these books that we can use to keep a petroleum refinery from being built in Hope Valley."

"Very funny, Bill. I'm looking. I haven't found anything, but I'm, hey, Bill. What does this look like to you?"

"Did you find something?"

"I sure hope so. Take a look at this."

Bill grabbed the book of local ordinances that Nathan was reviewing. He read the passage Nathan pointed out and smiled.

"I think you found it, Nathan. This is an ordinance that was voted on during Silas Ramsay's time as Mayor. You can tell this has Henry's fingerprints all over it, but this is going to save Hope Valley. It says here that no business in town can be larger than the coal mining operation."

"I know I read that, but it seems like it would be counter-productive for the economy of Hope Valley," added Nathan.

"Yes, it would be. The thing about this is that Henry must have gotten this passed to protect the Pacific Northwest Mining Company. Little did he know then that it would save Hope Valley in the future. Silas Ramsay may have been doing Henry's bidding, but little did he know he did us a favor."

"Does this mean what I think it means?" asked Nathan.

"Yes, it does. It means that a refinery, or any other business, cannot be larger than the mine was. Is the ordinance unethical? Probably, but it's legally on the books, and we're going to use it. OK, Nathan, now we have a plan. I don't think anyone in town will object to this ordinance either."

"Does this impact Gowen Petroleum at all? What's about Lee's lumber operation?"

"No, Gowen Petroleum is not even close to the size of the mine. Lee doesn't have a mill. He just has offices in town and wherever he is cutting. This is the answer to our prayers, Nathan. Now we just have to wait."

The sun came up on another beautiful fall day in Hope Valley. The children were all dressed warmly, and everyone came to school with signed permission slips. Ned Yost let the school borrow his delivery wagon, and the children piled in. They were so happy to get out and enjoy the day away from school. Elizabeth sat up front, and Rosemary took the reins. The horses walked on at a comfortable pace. The children were singing "Wait for the Wagon" as they began their trip. Lee and his team were working less than a mile from the school, so it wasn't long before they left Hope Valley behind them and had nothing but a beautiful expanse of forest in front of them.

"Here you are, and right on time," said Lee. "Welcome to Coulter Enterprises' field office. I'm so glad you could visit today. Everyone go into the shed, and you can leave your lunch pails, and we'll meet back here." Lee helped Rosemary and Elizabeth out of the wagon.

"Lee, this is so kind of you to offer to help the children," said Elizabeth.

"My Lee is the kindest, sweetest man, aren't you dear?" added Rosemary.

"I'm glad to help. How was your ride here?" asked Lee.

"It was so nice. The children sang all the way," said Elizabeth. "I didn't realize your field office was right on a main road."

"Yes, that's why I thought this week would be good for a visit. We'll be moving further into the woods next week," said Lee.

"The children are all darlings, aren't they, Elizabeth?" Rosemary didn't give Elizabeth time to answer. "Lee, where are we going and what are we doing? Did you make a plan? I'd like to see our itinerary. Where is it?"

"Well, dear, I didn't make an itinerary. I just thought we could walk up the hill there. From the top, there's a beautiful view of Hope Valley. I thought the children would like to see that. Then we're going to look at the area around there that hasn't been cut. I thought I could talk about how we choose the trees we cut and why we leave some standing. There's usually deer on the other side of the hill when it's not too noisy, and there are many different kinds of plants in among the trees. How does that sound, Elizabeth?"

Rosemary spoke up. "Well, I think that will do nicely for the children. What do you think, Elizabeth? Rosemary didn't wait for Elizabeth to answer. "Lee, where will we eat our lunch? Surely the children can't sit on the dirt."

"No, I have a table set up behind the shed. We can have lunch there," responded Lee.

"That's perfect. You are an amazing man, Lee Coulter. Let's go. Come on, children, hurry, hurry. We have a lot to see this morning," said Rosemary.

Elizabeth and Lee just looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. They both knew no one could stop Rosemary when she had an idea in her head. The group spent the morning just as Lee had planned. The children enjoyed the view of Hope Valley from the top of the hill, and they saw deer, just as Lee had said. They looked for tiny insects under the leaves, and Lee pointed out and identified the various species of trees and plants. It was an enjoyable morning for all.

"Is anyone hungry for lunch?" asked Elizabeth, although she already knew what the answer would be. They hiked back to Lee's field office, grabbed their lunches and sat down behind the shed. Rosemary was writing some notes for her story between bites of her apple. Elizabeth realized she left her lunch in the wagon and went back to collect it.

"Good morning, ma'am. I wonder if you might be able to help me."

Elizabeth looked up and saw a man in a beautiful new car. "I'd be glad to help you. What can I do for you?" asked Elizabeth.

"Well, I'm going to Hope Valley. I think I'm on the right road, but I haven't seen a sign in quite some time."

"Yes, certainly. This is the road to Hope Valley. It's just down the hill less than a mile from here."

"Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate your help. Good day."

"Good day," replied Elizabeth. Elizabeth returned to the table and sat down to eat her lunch.

"Were you speaking to someone, Elizabeth?" asked Rosemary.

"Yes. It was a man asking if he was on the right road to Hope Valley."

"Well, who was it?"

"I don't know. I've never seen him before," answered Elizabeth.

"Didn't you ask him his name?"

"No, it all happened so quickly. What difference does it make, Rosemary?"

"As a newspaper owner, it makes all the difference in the world to me. I'll find out who he is. If he's going to Hope Valley, he'll probably be staying in the rooms above the saloon. I'll ask Lucas."

"Rosemary, I'm not sure Lucas could tell you who he is. I imagine he wouldn't make a practice of divulging information about his guests to anyone."

"Elizabeth, I'm not just anyone. I'm the owner and publisher of the Valley Voice, and my readers expect me to know what's going on in town. I'll find out who he is. You can count on that. What did he look like? What kind of car was he driving? Well, Elizabeth, I need to know these things. Details, please."

Elizabeth sighed. She knew Rosemary would not stop until she told her what she knew. "He was driving a new touring car. He appeared to be in his 40s, tall, dark hair and a dark moustache. He obviously was wealthy. He was well dressed. There was someone else in the car with him, I couldn't tell you anything about the other person."

"That gives me something to go on. When we get back to town, I'm going to look him up. You know, I'll give him a friendly Hope Valley welcome."

"You do that, Rosemary. Hopefully you won't scare him away," said Elizabeth.

"You know me better than that. Come on, boys and girls, finish up your lunch so we can head back into town. Let's go now. Elizabeth, can you help me out here. We need to get back to town."

"I thought you were going to write a story about our adventure," said Elizabeth.

"I will. I mean, I am. First I need to find out who our wealthy visitor is. Let's go."