“Hello,” Elizabeth greeted from the open doorway leading into the dining room.
Royce’s cup clattered against his sauce as he hastily stood. “Elizabeth isn’t it,” he asked and wondered if he was being too informal. Yet, Elizabeth was one of his students. He could hardly be expected to call her Miss Gaines.
“Yes,” Elizabeth said as she came into the room. She had not expected to find Mr. Hargadon in the Gaines’ kitchen. Certainly not sitting across the table from her sister Faith and gave Faith a questioning look.
“I found Mr. Hargadon looking over our cemetery,” Faith explained.
“I was taking a walk and Miss Gaines was nice enough to invite me in to warm up,” Royce said. After all it was a plausible explanation. The school was on the other end of town and the weather was chilly.
Elizabeth said no more on the matter. “How do you find Junction City,” she asked coming to the table and pulling out a chair. “It must be lonely not knowing anyone.”
“A person gets use to moving around,” Royce replied. Hoping his answer did not raise suspicion. Just how often did teachers change positions? “I am often assigned difficult schools,” he elaborated. “When problems are resolved I move on to another school. Not that trouble is expected in Junction City. I was between assignments and Mr. Hervey asked me to come here.” In a way Royce was not lying. As Territorial Marshal he was called on to resolve difficult situations. Mr. Hervey the District School Superintendent had agreed to his being sent to Junction City. Royce had never had difficulty lying before. Now he found each untruth tasted bitter in his mouth. Satan is the father of all lies he recalled hearing and shifted uncomfortably on his chair. Royce drained his cup and stood. He would wait until another time to question Miss Faith Gaines. He was being entangled in too many deceptions. Anyone of which might prove fatal in the future.
“Thank you,” he told Mrs. Gaines.
“Do come again,” Mrs. Gaines replied surprised by her words. She seldom encouraged male visitors. The backdoor closed and Royce walked across the yard heading towards the cemetery. A cool breeze tugged on yellowing tree leaves sending them scurrying across the ground. Turning from the door Mary Gaines saw Faith watching Mr. Hargadon out the back window.
“Don’t you thank he seems lonely,” Faith said justifying her interest.
“Yes,” Mrs. Gaines said thoughtfully.
Elizabeth gathered up the dishes off the table. “He seems nice,” she said. “Maybe this school year will be different.”
“Different,” Mary Gaines asked. Elizabeth so seldom complained her mother was surprised.
“Miss Ferguson is mean,” Elizabeth stated as color darkened her cheeks. “Her treatment of poor Lydia was deplorable. A teacher should have a kind heart.”
Chapter Three
Monday was an overcast dreary looking day. Royce’s classroom was blissfully silent when he descended the stairs and opened the door at eight thirty. Half an hour before classes began. Looking at the rows of neat desks butterflies started fluttering inside his stomach. He would rather face down a dozen desperadoes than the twelve students soon to arrive.
“Chicken,” he growled softly knowing he was saying the truth. His palms were sweaty and his heart was beginning to race out of control. He was afraid of twelve young people and sought to bolster his falling esteem. “Just think of them as twelve future desperadoes,” he whispered. A grin splitting his face.
Royce walked to the back of the classroom, pulled back the bolt and opened the front door. Outside a breeze was blowing leaves across the schoolyard. In front of the elementary school swings suspended from a wooden frame were moving back and forth blown by the wind. The door to the students’ outhouse was open and banging against the side of the building. The dark sky overhead looked as if it might rain at any moment.
Propping the door open Royce returned to his desk. Sinking onto the chair he groaned out loud. He must have rocks in his head to think he could carry off this stunt. He could not distinguish between the Battle at Concord and the Battle at Bull Run. His English was atrocious and when he wanted to count pass ten he had to remove his boots. What made him think he would last one day teaching school!
Sounds on the front stoop caused Royce to glance up. Three students came into the classroom. The oldest was a tall boy with straw colored hair. He looked over the room as if he was uncertain what to do next. Then he selected a back desk. His companions were two young ladies. The youngest hurried to the front row and took the last desk on the right. Royce assumed the other young woman was her sister. They looked similar. She chose a desk in the third row. Brother and sisters, Royce decided and read down his list of names. Johnny Meyers and his two sisters Ruth and Deborah were listed.
The next to arrive were two young girls. One stopped in back of the classroom and hung up her coat. Then she hurried after the other girl. They selected desks in the second row as if they knew which desks belonged to them. One had black hair and the other was a blond. Royce assumed they were not sisters, just friends. So he was not able to assign names.
He knew Elizabeth Gaines. She arrived with a timid young woman. With her head bowed and clutching books to her breast the youngest Gaines sister slowly walked to the front of the room and sat down next to the Meyers girl. Lydia would not look up and Royce wondered if the girl was silently crying. Her shoulders rose and fell as
