Chapter 9

Back at the mission, in her room, Christy gathered a newspaper and the poem book she had purchased in El Pano and headed to the schoolhouse to relieve Keri of her duties.

"Oh, Christy, I'm so glad you are here," Keri said, coming out of the schoolhouse.

"Why Keri, is everything all right?" Christy asked worriedly.

"Yes, but they are just so hyper! It's a good thing David teaches part of the day, or else I don't think I could do it," she said with an exasperated look on her face.

"Has Creed Allen been pestering you?" Christy asked, barely able to contain her amusement.

"Why, yes, but how did you know?" Keri said with surprise.

"I remember my first week or so of teaching here, they were terrors," Christy smiled.

With a more serious look on her face, Keri asked, "Christy, I want to say again that I am terribly sorry for what I did. I still feel awful."

"Keri, I forgive you. As someone once told me, 'If you flog yourself over it, you're no good to anyone.' "

"Thank you Christy. Is there anything that I can do for you?" Keri asked.

"Just teaching the children helps me so much. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I enjoy doing it."

"Miss Christy? Are you goin' to teach us?" yelled Little Burl from the schoolhouse steps.

"I'm coming!" Christy shouted back. "Well, Keri, I guess I'll be going."

"All right. I'll see you later!" Keri threw over her shoulder .

"Thank you!" Christy shouted. She walked up the steps of the schoolhouse and went to her desk.

"Hello, children. It's so good to be back. But before I show you your surprise," she winked at them, "and we continue with our les­sons, I want each of you to start thinking of something that you could make for Miss Loving, to show your appreciation of her teaching you while I was gone."

A buzz went through the room. Apparently, the children were excited by this new project. "Can it be anythang?" Creed Allen piped up.

"Yes. . . ." Christy stopped and thought for a moment. This was Creed she was talking to. "But it has to be something that you made, like a picture, book, or poem. I'm afraid she wouldn't like any animals."

Creed's face fell, for he had wanted to give her a baby rabbit, but then he lit up with another idea, and started to write it down. Christy smiled.

"If you finish your work early today, I want you to work on this. I also want you to take it home. Now, for your surprise." She pulled the book from her desk and presented it to the class. "This is a poem book that I purchased for our school. There are some wonderful poems that I think you will all enjoy. Would you like me to read you some?"

"Oh, yes'm!" Rob said with excitement, just like Christy had thought he would. The other students who weren't as interested in lit­erature were not as excited, but a brand new book was intriguing to them, too.

"All right. Let me see…" Christy picked a spot about three-fourths of the way through the book and opened it. She started to read as she walked about the classroom:

" 'Alada Baskin

I am the dolphin

of the dunes,

the dhow of sunshine

steed of fire.

At once the courser

and the shallop,

the charger

who on each surge

of wind

will gallop.

With proudly arched

and copper neck

and dark

and fiery eye,

I long to roam

the desert now,

with all

my winged speed,

borne

with the swiftness

of Nasim,

for I'm

of

the Bedu breed.

I soar,

I am a hawk.

I trot the air.

The earth sings when I touch it.

The basest horn

of my hoof

is more musical

than the dulcimer

of Abora.

The falcon circles high,

a shadow in my desert eye.

What Meccan vision

halts my gliding dance

to catch me in

this Bedu trance?

Alada Baskin's Song'." Christy finished, entranced by the

words she had just read.

"Wow, Miss Christy. Them are some might fancified words," Zady said.

"Can anyone tell me what they think this poem is about?" Christy inquired of her students. Rob Allen's hand was the first in the air. "Yes, Rob?"

"Waal, I think the poet was a talkin' about a horse. A horse from a far-off place. From the desert."

"I think you're right Rob. Now, can someone tell me what this phrase means: 'The basest horn of my hoof is more musical than the dulcimer of Abora.' " Zady raised her hand this time,

"I think, Teacher, that it means that the lowest-soundin' horn, or mebbe sound of 'is, hoof is more sing-songy than the Abora dulci­mer. You know, the dulcimer jest like the one we read in 'Kubla Khan'." Ah, yes, Kubla Khan, one of the students' most revered poems.

Christy was astounded every day by her students' bright minds, but Zady's understanding of this was by far the most impressive.

"Why, Zady. That was absolutely perfect. Good job. All right, who would like to find a poem and read it to the class?" Nor­mally, no one would have raised their hand, but the poem book had cre­ated quite a stir.

Amidst all her students, Christy's eyes fell on Mountie. Tim­idly, she had raised her hand and her blue eyes were looking steadily at their Teacher. "Mountie, would you like to find a poem?" Christy softly asked. Quietly, Mountie nodded, stood up, and carefully took the book from Christy. For a minute, Mountie just ran her hands over the soft pages. Then she began vigilantly turning the pages until she found a poem. Christy stepped to her desk and Mountie began to read:

" 'Mustangs

Running with the wind,

Flying through the rain with grace,

The streams watch in awe,

The mountains observe the chase.

Mustangs' spirits' flow today.' "

Before Christy could comment, Mountie spoke to the class,

"I chose this poem 'cause that's a how I feel in the spring-time." Then Mountie handed the book to Christy and took her seat once more.

"That was beautiful, Mountie." Though Christy knew she, as well as her students, could spend the whole day reading poems, there were other things she wanted to do.

"Ok, class," she said as she sat the book on her desk, "what we're going to do next is I'm going to read a newspaper article to you and then I want each of you to write something about how it makes you feel or what you would do if you were that person. So, take out your chalkboards and I'll read the article to you."

Christy retrieved the paper from her chair and read the headline of the article she had marked:

Lady Workers killed in Triangle Fire Two Years Ago Finally Honored with Memorial at Elmwood Park in Chicago

When Christy finished, she let the children work on their sto­ries and Keri's gifts until it was time to dismiss them. Most of them had finished when she said, "All right, you're dismissed! Have a good weekend! If you can, get your presents ready to give to Miss Loving on Sunday!"

Everyone charged out the doors and Christy was just about to head to the mission, to gather some food to take to the Allen's like she had promised Creed, when the sound of pounding hooves met her ears. She walked down the steps and into the schoolyard to find Dr. MacNeill galloping Charlie all out to the mission. He slid to a stop beside her and jumped off of his horse.

"Christy! You'll never guess what just happened," he said, trying to catch his breath.

"Neil, is everything all right?" she asked with concern.

"Oh, Christy, you wouldn't believe. . . ." he trailed off, enjoying keeping her on edge.

"What is it?" she asked again.

"Well. . . ."

"Neil MacNeill, will you just tell me?" she raised her voice, now on the verge of getting angry. Neil laughed. He leaned in and spoke to her softly, as if not wanting anyone, even the birds, to hear.

"After our walk, Ben Pentland dropped by with a letter, from Scotland. Well, when I was in school there, I invested a small bit of money in their Stock Market. It seems that the exchange has shut down, and investors are now getting the money that their stocks were worth." Neil waited for her response.

"Did you receive any money?" Christy asked apprehensively.

"The letter said that I would receive my money as soon as I sent a reply."

"Did you send a reply?"

"No, I'm not quite sure what to put in it," Neil said, walking back to Charlie's saddlebags to retrieve the letter.

Christy was still not satisfied with the news. How much had he gotten? He wouldn't tell her. "Do you enjoy torturing me?" she asked. Neil looked up.

"What do you mean?" he said with a crafty smile.

"Well . . . how much did the letter say you would be receiving?"

"Oh, just about, let's see if I can remember. . . ." he said, staring off into space. Christy sighed. She was getting nowhere. So, since Neil wasn't looking, she reached out and took the letter from him.

Neil's head snapped down to see Christy holding the letter with a victorious smile on her face.

"Since you can't seem to remember how much, then I shall just have to find out for myself." Christy trotted up the schoolhouse steps and stopped to lean against the door. She pulled out the letter and read what was inside.

Neil followed her up the steps and waited until she was fin­ished reading. When she was, she looked up at him with large eyes. "$7,000! Neil! That is so wonderful! What are you going to do with it? You could start up a clinic or you could purchase more supplies or you could. . . ." she ranted on. Neil just stood there, letting her talk nine­teen to the dozen. Finally, when she was out of breath, he said,

"Don't wear yourself out, Miss Huddleston. I don't know what I'm going to do with it. Of course, I'm going to buy more supplies and more trachoma research material, but what about the rest of it?"

"I don't know. But this is too good to be true! Think of all the good we—you can do for the Cove," Christy said, trying to recover from her slip. Just what had it meant?

"We, Christy?" he asked taking a step closer to her. Locking her gaze on him, she said softly,

"Well, I was just thinking, since we both want so much to help the people here, I thought we could work together."

"I like that idea very much," he said, smiling. Christy so wanted to tell him how she felt, and almost had in the cave. The words were in her mouth when Neil said, "Christy, I can't tell you how much our walk and our talk meant to me yesterday. You helped me see the light, and I decided it was time for me to open my mother's bible once more. Thank you."

Christy eyes were misted over, and she clasped his hand. "Neil, I am so happy that you are on your way to finding God."

"Aye, lass, so am I." Christy smiled. Did Neil know what he did to her when he called her 'lass'? Breaking away from his gaze, she looked to the mission.

"I must be getting back to the mission. Will I see you in church on Sunday?"

"You can count on it."

As Christy walked back from the Allen's bathed in the glow of the setting sun, she felt as if she were on top of the world. Seeing Mary Allen's happy face as she set out the sugar, preserves, and precious candy made Christy feel as if she could accomplish anything.

That night, Christy relived the whole wonderful day; her talks with Keri, her walk with Neil, his news of the money he had inhibited, her first day back at school. What a day it had been!

That Sunday, Christy wondered if Neil would really keep his word about coming to church. She waited on the steps until David came to her side.

"Christy, is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just waiting for someone."

"Who?"

"Dr. MacNeill." David's eyes almost popped out of his head at the mention of the Doctor's name. He said no more, just nodded and headed back inside. Christy smiled. She hoped Neil would turn to David for guidance in his new faith. Then she saw him. He was bring­ing Charlie up the rise and waved to her. Neil tethered Charlie to the hitching post and headed up the steps.

"Good morning, Miss Huddleston. And how are you on this fine day?" he asked happily.

Christy was intrigued by his good spirits. "I'm good. What has made you so happy?"

"I'm just so glad to be here." He paused. "Would you care to go for a walk after the service?" Christy was taken aback, but gladly accepted. As they entered the church, all eyes were on Dr. MacNeill. Everyone was whispering, and Christy nodded to Neil, who said,

"Well, everyone, guess you never thought you'd see this ol' Doc in church, but here I am, and I have Miss Christy Huddleston partly to thank for that." He beckoned to Christy, who smiled. Everyone clapped softly, and then conversation started up again. As Christy sat down, she heard snatches like,

"Ya think Doc MacNeill got religion just ta please Miss Christy? Ya know they be sweet on each other."

"Sounds like Doc and Teacher a been courtin', the way he be a praisin' her." It were those words that made Christy blush as she sat down next to Keri. Keri smiled and said to her,

"I have wonderful news, Christy. Charlie is healed, and I will be going to El Pano to board the train to Asheville today."

"Keri, that's wonderful! How long will you be gone?"

"Oh, about a week. I really hope I can get the land," she said with a doubtful expression.

"I'm sure you will. I wish you luck." Then David started his sermon by saying,

"Good morning, everyone. Let us sing." After singing all of the highlander's favorite "religious-way songs," David started his sermon by saying, "Today I'm going to talk to you about sin. But first, let me ask you something: Would you want to sail in a boat with a large hole in the bottom?" Everyone shook their heads. "What about a boat with a smaller hole, but one that still let water in?" Again, everyone shook their heads, but this time, Creed Allen spoke.

"Why, no way, Preacher. A hole's a hole, and I ain't gonna sail in no boat with a hole, no matter how big it is. I'll still be a sinkin' to the bottom of the lake iffin I sail in a boat with a hole!" Everyone chuckled, and David said,

"That's right, Creed. A hole's a hole, and a sin's a sin. It doesn't matter how large or small it is, it's still a sin. And just like a hole can make your boat sink, a sin can make your soul sink. A smaller hole is easier to fix than a larger hole, as well as a smaller sin is easier to fix than a large one. But to fix the hole, you have to sew it up or plug it, no matter how large or small it is. And no matter how large or small a sin is, you have to confess it to God. In His eyes, all sins are the same, so no sin is ever too large for Him. Now, let me read to you from The Book of James, Chapter 2, verses 10 and 11:

'For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not murder.' Now if you do not com­mit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgres­sor of the law.' "

As David explained the finer points of the scripture, Christy looked towards Neil, who was sitting next to Kyle Coburn. She caught his eye and smiled.

When the service was over, Christy saw David and Neil talking outside. Leaning against the doorway, she watched as the two former rivals talked, smiled, and shook hands. Neil walked up to her and asked,

"Ready to take that walk?"

"Certainly, Doctor. Could you wait a bit though? I have to give something to Keri."

"Of course."

Christy gathered all of the children that were at the service around her, pleased to find that they had completed Keri's gifts. Christy sent little Clara Spencer to retrieve Keri.

"Miss Loving, on behalf of your teaching the children these past few days, they have something they want to give you," Christy smiled.

As each child stepped up and gave Keri their gift, she became closer to tears. There were drawings, carvings, homemade jewelry, and other things. "Thank you, everyone. No one has ever done anything this nice for me. I will certainly enjoy these things as I leave for my trip.

Everyone had gathered around the children and Keri. Proud parents looked on as their children presented gifts that they had taught them to make.

"That was a nice thing you did, Christy," Neil said as he came up behind her.

Christy smiled. "I was just showing my appreciation for her teaching. Now, about that walk; just where are we going today?"

"I'm taking you to another place out of your dreams," he said teasingly.

"Not even funny." Soon they were near the pond, and Christy decided to ask a favor of Neil. "Neil?"

"Yes?" he replied, stopping to look at her.

"I know you're busy, but I was wondering, do you think you could find the time to teach the children a lesson or two? Like you did before?"

"And just what kind of lessons are you referring to?" he asked with a smile. Christy blushed, remembering when she had asked him to help her with hygiene classes.

"A science class, Neil. Like the one you did with the volcano."

"What over?" he asked, interested.

"Well, anything. Perhaps anatomy. You could use a frog as a model and compare it to a human," she suggested.

"That is a very clever idea, Miss Huddleston. I am quite busy, but will sometime in the next week be all right?"

"Of course, whenever you can make it will be fine." They con­tinued walking until they were at the gazebo.

"Care to sit?" Neil asked.

"Thank you," Christy said as she sat down. "Neil?" she asked.

"What is on your mind now?"

Christy had wanted to ask him about Margaret, but she decided that if he wanted her to know, he would tell her. "Ah, never mind."

"What is it?" Seeing that she would have to come up with some sort of answer, rather question, Christy asked,

"Well, is there any particular reason for this walk today?"

"No, I just enjoy your company," he said, looking a bit nerv­ous. Christy was amused, but said nothing more. They sat looking out over the pond when Neil broke the silence by saying, "Christy, I want to thank you for what you did for Margaret."

"What do you mean?"

"In the letter she left me, she told me that she was going to fix her life because of you. She also said that she would send me annul­ment papers. She did, and I signed them. Amazingly, Ben got them on their way to Asheville in a very short amount of time," Neil said, look­ing intently at Christy.

"I know," she said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, before I left to come back here, I kind of checked to find out if it went through," Christy said, breaking away from his gaze.

"Why would you do that?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"I honestly don't know."

Neil was completely flummoxed by Christy's actions. Why had she looked into it? Neil's mind started to spin a hundred miles an hour, and he started to feel dizzy. Pull yourself together man, he said to himself. As Neil came back to reality, he uttered what he thought was under his breath, "Is this what love does to one?"

Christy heard bits and pieces of this, and suddenly sat up very straight. "What did you say?" Did he just say what she thought he might have said?

"We'd best head back," Neil said as he stood up. Christy was befuddled. Twice he had left her with strange comments that he always covered up. First, 'I'm going to Low Gap for a few days. Will you miss me?' and now this. She smiled at herself for remembering his exact words.

"This was nice, thank you," Christy said when they were back at the mission.

"You're welcome. I guess I will see you sometime next week then."

As Neil started to ride away, Christy gathered up her courage and said after him, "Yes, Neil, that is what it does to one." Then she turned away, half-hoping he hadn't heard, and jogged towards the mis­sion. Christy glanced back and saw that as he looked at her a brief look of understanding crossed his face, followed by an expression that Christy did not understand. It was not the look of love she thought he gave her sometimes. No, this one was . . . deeper, more unfathomable than the other. Then Neil merely waved and was off.