CHAPTER SEVEN, Part Two

"Miss Christy, could I say something please?" I asked during class the next day.

"Go ahead, Crystal."

I stood up and looked at my classmates. "I know you're probably already starting to not listen, since I'm going to talk. But please listen. I am not an Okie." I paused to let the words sink in, and heard Creed Allen whisper "liar!" "I don't know where this idea came from, but please disregard it. I was born in Pennsylvania, near where Miss Alice was. And I don't think any of you would call her an Okie." As I sat back down, I saw Miss Alice standing in the doorway with a hint of a smile on her face.

During recess I found Miss Alice outside grooming Goldie, her mare. "I hope you don't mind that I used you as an example today." I said, half-apologetically.

"Not at all. Is anyone talking to you yet?" Miss Alice turned to face me.

"I don't know, yet. I haven't given them the chance."

Miss Alice ran her hand down Goldie's leg, and Goldie responded by lifting her hoof. I heard a quick snap, and a sharp stone hit me on the back of my neck. "Ow!" I shouted.

Miss Alice was instantly standing. "Creed Josiah Allen, you come back here."

I looked behind me, but saw nothing.

"Did Creed slingshot you?"

I pressed my neck with my hand, trying not to let the tears come out. "Yes, he did. I don't know what we're going to do with that boy."

"Can I talk to you?" Zady spoke from beside me. I followed her over to the side of the school. Perhaps I was going to get my friend back!

"Crystal, why didn't ya tell me ya weren't no Okie?" Zady pouted, then continued. "I want to apologize, anyway."

"I forgive you." I hugged Zady, and beamed triumphantly at Miss Alice.

During school I felt another stone strike my cheek. I said nothing, only glared at Creed. I saw him put another stone into the slingshot, and ducked just in time. The stone sailed past me and hit the window beside me. It was hard not to hear the tinkling of glass. Creed quickly hid the slingshot, and sat there looking innocent.

"Who did that?" Miss Christy asked.

Ruby Mae could keep it in no longer. "It was Creed Allen, Miz Christy! He's got a slingshot!"

Miss Christy turned to look at Creed. "Give me that slingshot." He did so reluctantly. "Creed Allen, directly after school you will wait for me on the front porch of the mission." He hung his head and pouted, blond hair hanging in his eyes.

After talking to Zady for a while, I headed toward the mission. As I came through the kitchen, Miss Alice motioned me to come. "Creed's parents are here, we're going to have a meeting. I believe you should join us too."

We were the last to enter the sitting room. Beside Mr. and Mrs. Allen, there was also Miss Christy, Reverend Grantland, Mountie O'Teale and Ruby Mae. The room had a court-like solemnity about it.

David began. "Mr. and Mrs. Allen, we have called you to discuss the behavior of your son, Creed Allen. Today in school Creed broke a window with his slingshot."

"Boy, I'll tan you good." Mr. Allen muttered under his breath. "This is a gonna cost us a heap of money."

"My proposal is that Creed help out here at the mission to help pay for the cost of the window. Also, Creed has been shooting rocks at children in school."

I studied Creed. He sat quietly, looking out the window as though this conversation was not about him. I knew David was talking about me. "It was an accident, about the window." I spoke up, not sure yet who to side with. I could feel Miss Alice's eyes on me.

"But Creed was aiming at Crystal, and he shot rocks at Mountie durin' recess a heap too." Ruby Mae, unable to be silent long, jumped in. "Be quiet, Ruby Mae." I thought. "You're only going to get Creed into more trouble."

"Is that true, Crystal and Mountie?" David asked.

"Yes sir." we said simultaneously. I wondered why Miss Alice wan't saying anything. She knew about all of this. I woke up from my daydreaming, noticing the adults had finished their quiet discussion.

David turned to Creed. "Creed, for the next eight days of school you will stay for one hour after school to help out. Report to me immediately after school is over."

Creed nodded and stuck out his bottom lip.

"Starting tomorrow."

"Here's your slingshot." Miss Christy held it out, but Mr. Allen whisked it away before Creed had even reached for it.

"I'll keep this for a while."

"Creed Allen!" Miss Christy called. I peeked into her room and saw Scalawag, Creed's pet raccoon, climbing all over Miss Christy's desk. "Where is that boy?" she asked as she gingerly lifted the coon off and set him on the floor.

"Here, let me have Scalawag. I'll return him to his owner." I offered, then commented "Creed doesn't seem to be much of a help. He's more trouble than anything."

"It's the principle of the thing." Miss Christy waved me off. The what?

I had always admired Creed's coon. A coon would make a great pet, except this one looked slightly grungy. Any pet would be welcome-- a horse, dog, cat, or coon. I helped care for the horses at the mission occasionally: Goldie, Miss Alice's horse, Prince, David's horse, and Theo, the old mule.

Miss Alice, where are you going?" I asked as I saw her leading Goldie around the corner.

"Big Lick." I'll only be gone for a day."

"Have a safe trip, Miss Alice."

"Thank you, Crystal. And tell Creed Allen to behave." She added with a twinkle in her eye. I rolled my eyes and laughed—as if that would ever happen.

Miss Alice mounted Goldie and I walked down the road with her. "Miss Alice, why didn't you say anything yesterday when they were..." I paused, searching for the right word.

"Questioning Creed? David has asked me to be there, but other than that, I saw no reason to speak,. Also, I had not witnessed any of the scenes."

"Oh." I hadn't expected such a detailed answer.

"Good-bye Crystal, God keep thee!" Miss Alice let Goldie have more rein, and the horse responded by quickening his pace, trotting away from the mission.

I felt the usual lump in my throat and swallowed quickly. I looked down at Scalawag, who was still nestled in my arms. "Back to your owner, you Scalawag!"

"Creed, could I keep Scalawag for a day?" I pleaded several days later.

"Whal, I reckon you'd keep him okay. All right, 'til tomorrew, then. But make sure ya give him somthin' to eat, and some water to wash it in. All coons do that. And they get mean when they're hongry, so feed him quick."

"I will." I promised.

"Crystal, time to eat." Miss Ida called. I tied Scalawag to the porch railing and stepped inside.

"We're having raccoon tonight." David said as we were sitting down to the table. "Ruby Mae, did you kill that raccoon I found tied to the porch?"

Ruby Mae gasped, but I grinned, sensing he was teasing.

"Preacher, we ain't havin' coon tonight, it's squirrel. 'Sides, that's Creed's coon tied up out thar."

David asked the blessing, and we started to eat.

"Ain't Miz Alice a-comin' back today?" Ruby Mae queried.

"Yes, she said she would be arriving after supper." David replied.

CRASH! We were startled by a loud noise outside. Ruby Mae leapt out of her chair with a yelp, and I hurried outside. Scalawag was nowhere to be seen, and he had knocked over a chair that sat on the porch and a stand of Miss Ida's seedlings.

"Looking for Scalawag?" Miss Alice rounded the corner, holding Scalawag in her arms and leading Goldie.

"Thanks." I retied Scalawag and proceed to clean up Miss Ida's seedlings, with her glaring over my shoulder making sure I did it properly.

"We weren't expecting you so soon." Miss Christy commented to Miss Alice.

"I was able to leave early." Miss Alice responded.

"Can I go on a trip with you sometime?" I pleaded.

Miss Alice laid a gloved hand on my shoulder. "Perhaps sometime."

We quickly finished supper, then started to clear the table. "Here, shake this out." Ruby Mae handed me the tablecloth.

I walked onto the porch and saw a horse and rider trot past. "Creed Allen!" I cried. "What are you doing, riding Prince? Did you ask Reverend Grantland if you could?"

He grinned lopsidedly. "I'm just a-excercisin' him. Figgered he could use some ridin'."

"Creed Allen, get off . Now"

A new voice spoke up. "Aw leave 'im alone."

"Festus, he..."

He added in a whisper, "Okie."

I could feel my temper rising, and fought to keep my voice under control. "Festus, I already told you I'm not an Okie. And Creed..." I grabbed for Prince's reins, but Creed quickly sidestepped the horse and started up the path. I began to follow, but Festus grabbed me.

"I said, leave 'im alone, okie!"

That did it. Now I didn't care whether or not I kept my temper, I just wanted Festus to be quiet. "Well, you're father is a no-good moonshiner!" I shouted, even though I knew it wasn't true. He narrowed his eyes and lunged, knocking me to the ground. We were soon kicking, hitting, biting and hurling insults. I was strong, but Festus was still stronger.

"Stop this at once!" I felt myself being pulled off the ground, and at first I fought. Then a hand was laid on my shoulder, and I knew who it was. "Miss Alice..." I began, but she cut me off with a quick "hush. Come inside." She had a hand on each of our shoulders.

"Creed took Prince without asking." I blurted out quickly before Miss Alice had a chance to stop me.

"I'll tell David to fetch him." she said calmly.

Inside, Miss Alice sat down at her little desk in the living room and wrote something on a piece of paper. "David," she said as she entered the kitchen "could you please take Festus and Creed home and deliver this note to Mr. Allen? I have something here I need to take care of."

Miss Alice handed the paper to David, and waited until the men had left the kitchen. Then she turned to me and motioned for me to follow her. We went upstairs to her room.

I had only been in Miss Alice's room a few times, when we had cleaned house. The room contained a bed, dresser, small table and two chairs. She sat down in one chair and held the other out. I placed it almost across from her and sat down, feeling nervous. Miss Alice sat for a long time, saying nothing, just looking at me. I tried to look into her eyes, but I hastily dropped them into my lap when I saw the look of disappointment they held.

I broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Miss Alice. I try, but I'm never able to keep my temper, and then I always end up saying or doing things I wish I hadn't."

"Miss Huddleston said thee and Festus were fighting another time as well."

I affirmed that with a nod.

"Maybe the reason thee cannot keep thy temper is because... Well, let me put it this way. Has thee asked God to help thee?"

"No, I never thought of that, I suppose."

"Try it."

"Now? But I've never prayed out loud, in front of someone else."

"Pretend I'm not here. Talk to thy Heavenly Father, not me."

So I offered up a prayer for help, and asked the Lord to forgive me. I felt peaceful when I had finished.

"I used to have problems keeping my temper when I was younger," Miss Alice surprised me by saying when I was done.

"You?"

"Yes, I was quite an impulsive young girl."

"But..." I began, amazed, but Miss Alice cut me off.

"No one is perfect, remember that."

"How were you cured?" I asked a bit cautiously, for the subject of punishment had not come up.

"Mother and Father were always kind and helpful, but what made the deepest impression on me was the losses of my closest friend as a result of my quick and sharp tongue."

"How?"

"When I was fourteen or fifteen, Evelyn Mariner and I were good friends. We had been since we were ten years old. We had an argument and from then on refused to talk to each other. She moved out West about a month afterward, and we never saw each other again. I saw a photograph of her, thirty years later, happily married with her two sons." Miss Alice paused and swallowed, continuing to look evenly into my eyes.

We sat quietly for a few more minutes, them Miss Alice rose and started packing her saddlebags. "I have to visit Granny Teague, I'll be back before dark." She smiled lovingly, and remarked "remember what we talked about."

I nodded, smiled back, and opened the door to leave. Ruby Mae jumped up from a sitting position directly in front of the door. "Ruby Mae..." I started to shout, but quickly drew in a deep breath and pressed my lips together.

"If I could have an opportunity with thee, Ruby Mae?" Miss Alice said.