That day, while working alongside of his brother, or one of the ranch hands, Scott's thoughts kept returning to Charlie, and wondering
how she was faring on her first day of school.
At one point, he was surprised to hear Johnny say, "She'll be fine."
Scott turned a questioning look in Johnny's direction. "What?"
Johnny grinned. "The kid. She'll be fine. Stop worryin' so much."
"Who said I was worrying?" Scott returned, picking up another sack of grain from the wagon they were unloading, and
putting it on his shoulder.
In answer, Johnny just shook his head knowingly, and lifted the next sack of grain.
If Scott were to have admitted it, he was a bit worried. Concerned. The first day was such an important thing. It could
swing Charlie's attitude about school to either loving it or feeling as though it was something unpleasant to be gotten thru. And, since
he wished for her to love school, and learning, as much as he himself had, he was hoping it was the former.
He found the same two fathers waiting at the school when he arrived. Conversing with them made the last few minutes before
school dismissed pass quicker.
When Charlie came out, she was walking beside Lucy and another little girl. She looked around, as if to see where he was at, and then,
spotting him, waiting beside the buggy with Thor hitched to it, she ran towards him.
"Hello, Scott!" she greeted him, and he was glad to see the smile on her face.
"Hello," he answered, and ran his hand over the top of her hair. "How was your day?"
Charlie began chattering then, and kept it up nearly the entire distance back to the ranch. She talked about the teacher, and the other
students, and how she'd been included at the lunch break with a number of the other girls.
"And some of them wanted to know what I had in my lunch," she reported. "So I told them that Maria made them, and they're called
churros, and they wanted to try it, so I shared the last one."
"That was nice," Scott commented, as she talked on.
"Mostly all the girls are nice. There's only two that aren't very."
"What about the lessons?" he broke in to ask. "Does it seem as though you're on track, or do you have some catching up to do?"
"Maybe a bit of catching up," Charlie said. "In arithmetic. And Miss Susan says my handwriting needs some practice."
"Well, I guess we'll have to work on that then," Scott said.
"Yes. How are things at home?" Charlie asked. "How are the kittens? Did Jelly tend to them?"
"I believe he did."
"That's good," Charlie said, and seemed to take a breath. "Will you help me with the sums she assigned to us?"
"I'll help you."
"Can I go for a ride on Gurth before supper?" Charlie asked.
"It's 'may I'," Scott corrected. "And let's wait on that. After you change your clothes, you need to do your chores. After supper, it's time
for schoolwork. Then reading, and bed."
Charlie looked crestfallen. "Is that how it will be now, every day? No time for anything else, because of school?"
"I don't think it will be that horrible," Scott said, smiling at her. "Let's get settled into a routine first, and then we'll see about
horseback riding. Alright?"
"I guess so," Charlie said, not sounding pleased.
Scott knew he should demand a less lackluster answer from her, but let it pass.
L
Driving up, Charlie was nearly out of the buggy before it was stopped. She ran to greet Jelly, asking questions about the
new litter of kittens, who'd been left motherless.
"They're all underfoot," Jelly grumbled.
"But you tended to them?" Charlie persisted. "And they all ate alright?"
"I tended to them best as I was able to," Jelly said. "A body only has so much time in a day. Now you're home, you can take over."
Scott, intent on unhitching the buggy, reminded Charlie to take her books and lunch pail from the buggy seat.
Charlie went to grab her things, and then ran towards the house. After telling Maria about how the other children had enjoyed the churros, she took
the piece of bread and jam that Maria offered, and went to change to her overalls. Leaving her dress and petticoats on the floor in a heap, Charlie ran back outside. She did her required chores, and then went to snuggle the kittens.
It seemed to her hardly any time at all, and she was being summoned inside to wash for supper.
After supper, while the rest of the family sat, talking in the library, Charlie worked on her schoolwork. She sat at Murdoch's large desk, and Scott pulled
a chair up beside her, talking her thru the sums.
Thankfully they were finished without too much difficulty, and Charlie began to practice her spelling words.
Scott gave her back a pat, and went to sit beside Teresa on the sofa, telling Charlie to say when she was ready to be quizzed over
the words.
It took Charlie but a short few minutes and she was standing, bringing the sheet of prepared words, to hand off to Murdoch.
"Will you ask me the words?"
"Ready, then?" Murdoch asked her, and Charlie nodded.
And, surely enough, she was. Charlie spelled each word given, not making one error.
"Excellent, darling," Murdoch praised her. Charlie's face was lit with pride, as she took in Scott's approving smile, and
Johnny's easy grin.
"Finished with all your work?" Scott asked her.
"All except the reading. We're supposed to read at least five pages in the book." Charlie held up the brown volume.
"What is it?" Teresa asked, leaning forward.
"Hans Brinker. We all have to share the books. It's my night to borrow this one and read five pages. Then tomorrow someone else
gets to take it home and read five pages. At the end of the week, we all talk about what happened."
"I've read that one," Teresa said. "Remember, Murdoch, when I brought it home?"
"I remember," Murdoch said, smiling at Teresa.
"Is it good?" Charlie asked her.
"You read it, and you decide what you think," Teresa told her.
"Good answer," Scott said.
"Would you like to read aloud to all of us?" Murdoch asked Charlie. Charlie nodded. Knowing she was a competent reader, she found she
liked the idea of having the full attention of the entire family. Even if, for only the time it took her to read the required five pages.
As she read, the clock was striking eight o'clock. When she'd finished the fifth page, Charlie closed the book.
"I don't think I'm going to like it much," Charlie said.
"Give it a further chance before you decide that," Murdoch advised.
"Make certain you put that where you'll remember to take it with you in the morning," Scott told Charlie. "And then go up and get
ready for bed."
Charlie sighed. It seemed to her that she'd had hardly any time at all for the outdoor things at the ranch that she loved to do.
"Can I get a glass of milk?" she asked.
At Scott's look, she paused, and amended her request to, "May I get a glass of milk?"
"You can," Scott told her. "But make it quick."
Charlie went to get her glass of cold milk, and then trailed her way back to the library, telling Murdoch and Johnny goodnight.
Upstairs, in her bedroom, she washed her face and hands, and got into her nightgown. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, drinking
her milk, when Scott came in, carrying the book they'd been reading together. Black Beauty.
He opened the book, and read only a few pages before closing it again.
"That's all?" Charlie asked.
"For tonight, that's all."
"Aw," Charlie said, in protest.
"Time for bed," Scott said, and gave her leg a pat. "Under the quilt."
Charlie scrambled obediently under the quilt, and reached for his hand. "I saw two kids today from church. Those two boys with
red hair. And that boy that I gave the keys to that day-" Charlie let her voice trail off, her face getting warm in embarrassment, as she
remembered that day at Val's jail.
Scott let the moment pass. "So, more familiar faces than just Lucy, hmm?" he asked.
Grateful for him not remarking any further about the day that he'd given her that horrible spanking, Charlie nodded.
"Uh huh. None of the other kids are really my friend yet, or anything, though."
"Well, sometimes good friendships take awhile to grow," Scott told her.
"I'm really sleepy, all of a sudden," Charlie admitted.
Scott leaned down and kissed the center of her forehead.
7
Three more days of school passed by, before Saturday loomed happily on Charlie's horizon.
On Friday afternoon, Charlie could hardly contain her excitement. She and several of the other girls were talking about what
they'd planned for Saturday.
Excited also, because this was the first day that she'd been allowed to ride Gurth to school, unaccompanied by any of the adults
from Lancer. Gurth was spending his day safely at the stable on the edge of town, and Charlie was to walk there after school, collect him,
and head home.
She was doing that very thing, when she heard some hollering and jeering coming from the side of the café, near the alley.
She peeked in on her way past, and saw the two red headed boys from church tossing rocks with furious glee at the other end of the alley.
"What are you doing?" she asked them.
Both boys turned quickly, and the older one, Monte, spoke first.
"What's it to you?" he asked rudely.
Before Charlie could snap back at the boy, the other boy said, "There he is!" and tore off running down the alley.
The one that had spoken to Charlie stuck out his tongue at her and took after his brother.
Charlie went on then. going to the stable to fetch her horse, and saddle him. She was thanking the stable hand and leading Gurth
out of the stable when she saw the mysterious, shabby looking man walk past, heading swiftly out of town.
Charlie watched him go, curious. She mounted her horse, and was adjusting her feet in the stirrups when the two redheads
came speeding past on the run, and as Charlie watched, horrified, they each tossed several rocks in the man's direction. It was hard to
tell, but she didn't think any of the rocks hit the man, but they were close for certain.
Charlie urged Gurth forward, until the horse was right up upon the both boys.
"Stop that!" she said, in her most fierce voice.
The oldest boy, the one named Monte, gave a shove at Gurth.
"Mind your own business," he said.
"Why are you doing that to him?" Charlie demanded.
The younger brother took off his hat, and began to swat at Gurth with it, causing the horse to react in anxiety, stepping back and tossing his head.
"Here now!" came a yell, and the boys took off on a run as the stable hand came forward.
The man reached up and took Gurth's reins in hand. "Are you alright, miss?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"You did a fine job controlling your horse just now."
"Gurth's a good horse," Charlie acknowledged. Then, "Why are they treating that man so mean?"
"Aw, they like to be up to mischief," the man said, with a dismissing hand wave.
Charlie thanked him, and said goodbye, riding on. She could see the man, fairly far in the distance now, heading towards the tar
paper shack. She wished she could follow and learn more, but since the ranch was in the opposite direction, she knew she'd best not.
They'd be watching for her at home, knowing just how long it would take her to ride home. If she was too long past that time,
they'd be worried. And, they might not let her ride alone come next week.
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