Chapter Thirty-Two
"Hope is the word which God has written
on the brow of every man."
~Victor Hugo
Inside the saloon, the children were working on their history projects. Elizabeth was standing at the table near James and Caleb. "I like that," she told James. Then she turned to Caleb and encouraged him, "It's looking very good."
"Your voice is sounding better, Miss Thatcher," Cassandra observed from the next table.
"I hope so," Elizabeth replied, smiling at Cassandra. She looked up and noticed that Ann was standing near the table where the young girls were seated. Anna was showing her the project that she'd been creating. Elizabeth felt a pang of jealousy, again. She just didn't like sharing her class with Ann.
As she tried to force the resentment from her mind, the saloon door flew open and Allen ran in. He rushed through the saloon, heading for the bar. He had the full attention of Elizabeth, Ann, and all of the students, but he did not seem to be aware of them.
He flew to the cash register at the bar, punched a button, and the drawer opened. Elizabeth was horrified when she saw him pull a gun from the cash register drawer. Her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a cry that threatened to escape her throat. She watched as he appeared to search the drawer for something else but, not finding it, he slammed the drawer shut. His head dropped and he let out a low groan of frustration as he banged his fist against the bar.
Elizabeth glanced around at her students and was dismayed to see that they were quickly becoming aware of the dangerous situation unfolding in their classroom. The childrn began to react with screams and gasps. Her eyes flew between her students and Allen. Allen looked up and suddenly realized the saloon was full of people. His eyes widened with surprise and he tightened his grasp on the gun. Elizabeth clearly read his expression, seeing fear, anger, and, desperation. Her breathing quickened as she realized just how threatening this man was to her and her students. She began taking slow, deliberate steps to place herself between him and the students.
As Allen looked wildly around the saloon, the saloon door flew open and Jack charged inside. He immediately spotted Allen and lifted his gun, aiming it at Allen.
Allen responded quickly by pointing his gun at Jack and yelling, "Put your gun down! Get out of here, Mountie! Get out of here, now!"
Jack stopped several feet inside the door. His gun was raised but he didn't have a chance to get a good aim at Allen. "Stand down! You have enough charges against you. Don't add any more!" he cautioned. He quickly scanned the room, noting his mother standing near Elizabeth's desk, the children at their tables, and, then, Elizabeth. He frowned when he realized how close she was to Allen.
Allen breathed hard and his head swiveled as he desperately searched for a way out of the saloon. His eyes fell on Elizabeth, who was now standing right in front of him. He looked at Jack and then back at Elizabeth. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he realized he just might have a chance.
Jack understood Allen's intentions, as did Elizabeth. Her eyes widened as he swiftly moved around the bar and grabbed her arm. She yelled, "No!" and she fought to escape his hold. He tightened his grip on her arm and turned back to Jack, who was now within ten feet and rushing for Allen. When Allen pointed the gun at Elizabeth, Jack stopped abruptly. "No, no! You don't wanna do that, Mountie! Not while I have your pretty school teacher here," he warned Jack.
Ann was standing at the desk, dumbstruck by the events, her mouth gaping and eyes filled with horror. Several of the children were screaming. Some were crying. A few were cowering under the tables. Ann moved toward the table where the youngest children were seated and tried to quiet those that were screaming.
Jack's breathing quickened and his eyes widened as he stared at Allen and tried not to look at Elizabeth. He needed to stay focused on Allen and not be distracted by Elizabeth's fear and pain. He asked Allen, "So, what is it you want?"
"I want you to get outta here," he yelled back.
Jack shook his head. "Just tell me what you want and then no one will get hurt here."
"Get outta here or someone is gonna get hurt!" Allen screamed at Jack. When Jack didn't immediately move, Allen pointed the gun at a bottle of whiskey behind the bar and fired. The whiskey bottle shattered and liquor spilled all over the bar and floor. The sound of the gun going off reverberated through the saloon and prompted numerous screams and shrieks from the children.
"Alright, alright," Jack told Allen as stepped backwards, his gun now lowered.
Elizabeth watched in horror as Jack backed through the door. Her heart sank when she could no longer see him and she quickly became aware of the students crying, screaming, and wailing. Allen noticed, too, it seemed because he turned around and saw Ann at one of the tables, leaning over two students. "What are you doing here? Ain't you Mountie Jack's Ma?" he yelled at her.
"She's helping me," Elizabeth quickly told him, her voice surprisingly stronger than it had been all day.
Allen seemed flustered. "Well, make those kids shut up!" he ordered Ann.
Ann glared at him and retorted, "They're screaming because you are scaring them. Put that gun away and they'll calm down!"
Allen scowled at her. "You shut up! And make them shut up!" he bellowed.
"I'm their teacher," Elizabeth told him. "Let me try to calm them."
Allen glanced toward the saloon door and then turned back to Elizabeth. "Okay, do it!" he directed as he released her. He moved to the doors and searched for a way to lock them. Finding no lock, he moved to the window.
Elizabeth turned to the students and told them, "Children, I want you all to put your heads down." She walked toward Ann, getting her attention. "Come on, all of your heads should be down."
Ann nodded and repeated Elizabeth's instructions, "Scholars, put your heads down on your tables, now!"
Elizabeth was walking around the room, motioning for students to lower their heads to the table, placing a comforting hand on their shoulders. The students were following directions and putting their heads on their arms. She looked over at Allen and saw that he was standing to the side of a window cautiously looking outside. Suddenly, he leaned toward the window. "Get off the porch!" he yelled through the closed window. "Get off the porch, now!"