big job at times. The missus has been feelin’ poorly, so she isn’t able to help much these days.”
Edythe fingered the envelope, eager to look at the contents. “I’m sorry your wife isn’t well. Nothing serious, I hope?”
“She’s in a family way,” the man whispered. “Baby’s due end of the year. So she’s takin’ it easy.”
“Congratulations.” Edythe inched toward the door, her envelope in one hand and Mrs. Kinsley’s items in the other. “Have a pleasant day, Mr. Scheebeck.”
“Bye, now.”
Edythe stepped out onto the street and turned toward Mrs. Kinsley’s house. Tucking the cone of sugar and Mrs. Kinsley’s mail in the crook of her arm, she opened her envelope and lifted out a single sheet of paper. As she read, her feet slowed until she came to a stop in the middle of the walkway next to a picket fence. She sagged against the fence, crushing the letter to her aching chest. She might as well ask Mr. Scheebeck to discard the letter she’d sent to Missy. She was too late.
Chapter
SIX
Joel bowed his head and closed his eyes as the minister said the final prayer. Robert fidgeted on the pew beside him, and he nudged the boy with his elbow. The restless movement stopped. At Reverend Coker’s “Amen,” Robert bounced to his feet with a frantic look. “I need the outhouse.”
“Then go.”
The boy raced out, weaving his way around other parishioners who loitered in the wide aisle that separated the rows of wooden benches. Joel shook his head. He supposed he shouldn’t scold, given the circumstances, but he’d need to remind Robert to say excuse me when he pushed between folks.
He shifted his attention to Johnny, who waited for permission to run out to the yard with the other kids. Before he could grant it, however, Hank Libolt sidled up beside Joel. “Hey.”
“Morning, Hank.” Joel gave a nod toward the doors, and Johnny grinned and headed outside. Joel turned to his neighbor. “Nice day for the end of September, isn’t it? I keep thinkin’ this warm weather’s going to come to an end and bring the snows, but so far it’s held.”
“Yup.” Hank frowned toward the cluster of women at the back of the church. “I see all the ladies are welcomin’ our new schoolmarm.”
A rush of heat attacked Joel’s neck at the mention of Edythe Amsel. After their brief encounter yesterday, he’d been unable to put the woman out of his mind. Her kind attention to his boys made him envision her being more than their teacher. The idea was silly considering she was clearly a big-city gal, but he couldn’t seem to set the thought aside. He needed to do a heap of praying to find out whether this interest was God’s idea or his own.
“I’m not too sure what to think of her,” Hank continued, his voice low. “She appears well-mannered and proper. But I’ve heard tell of some strange goings-on in that schoolhouse.”
“What do you mean?” Neither Johnny nor Robert had mentioned anything odd, and the boys usually told him everything about their day.
“For instance, Wolcott drove by the school one afternoon, an’ the kids were all outside peckin’ around in the dirt like a flock of chickens. He thought maybe one of ’em had lost something important, but no – when I asked my Henry, he said they was all huntin’ bugs.” Hank’s eyes nearly bugged from his head. “Then they pinned the bugs to a piece of wood an’ spent time countin’ their legs, comparin’ their colors, an’ just studyin’ ’em. Bugs! Who heard tell of using schooltime for something like that?”
Johnny and Robert had come home excited about knowing which bugs were harmful to crops and which they needed to leave alone so they could eat the harmful bugs. Joel started to tell Hank his boys’ feelings on the activity, but Hank went on.
“An’ that’s just starters. She also had ’em all out of a mornin’, stepping through a spider web made out of ropes on the play yard. Still haven’t figured out
Edythe fingered the envelope, eager to look at the contents. “I’m sorry your wife isn’t well. Nothing serious, I hope?”
“She’s in a family way,” the man whispered. “Baby’s due end of the year. So she’s takin’ it easy.”
“Congratulations.” Edythe inched toward the door, her envelope in one hand and Mrs. Kinsley’s items in the other. “Have a pleasant day, Mr. Scheebeck.”
“Bye, now.”
Edythe stepped out onto the street and turned toward Mrs. Kinsley’s house. Tucking the cone of sugar and Mrs. Kinsley’s mail in the crook of her arm, she opened her envelope and lifted out a single sheet of paper. As she read, her feet slowed until she came to a stop in the middle of the walkway next to a picket fence. She sagged against the fence, crushing the letter to her aching chest. She might as well ask Mr. Scheebeck to discard the letter she’d sent to Missy. She was too late.
Chapter
SIX
Joel bowed his head and closed his eyes as the minister said the final prayer. Robert fidgeted on the pew beside him, and he nudged the boy with his elbow. The restless movement stopped. At Reverend Coker’s “Amen,” Robert bounced to his feet with a frantic look. “I need the outhouse.”
“Then go.”
The boy raced out, weaving his way around other parishioners who loitered in the wide aisle that separated the rows of wooden benches. Joel shook his head. He supposed he shouldn’t scold, given the circumstances, but he’d need to remind Robert to say excuse me when he pushed between folks.
He shifted his attention to Johnny, who waited for permission to run out to the yard with the other kids. Before he could grant it, however, Hank Libolt sidled up beside Joel. “Hey.”
“Morning, Hank.” Joel gave a nod toward the doors, and Johnny grinned and headed outside. Joel turned to his neighbor. “Nice day for the end of September, isn’t it? I keep thinkin’ this warm weather’s going to come to an end and bring the snows, but so far it’s held.”
“Yup.” Hank frowned toward the cluster of women at the back of the church. “I see all the ladies are welcomin’ our new schoolmarm.”
A rush of heat attacked Joel’s neck at the mention of Edythe Amsel. After their brief encounter yesterday, he’d been unable to put the woman out of his mind. Her kind attention to his boys made him envision her being more than their teacher. The idea was silly considering she was clearly a big-city gal, but he couldn’t seem to set the thought aside. He needed to do a heap of praying to find out whether this interest was God’s idea or his own.
“I’m not too sure what to think of her,” Hank continued, his voice low. “She appears well-mannered and proper. But I’ve heard tell of some strange goings-on in that schoolhouse.”
“What do you mean?” Neither Johnny nor Robert had mentioned anything odd, and the boys usually told him everything about their day.
“For instance, Wolcott drove by the school one afternoon, an’ the kids were all outside peckin’ around in the dirt like a flock of chickens. He thought maybe one of ’em had lost something important, but no – when I asked my Henry, he said they was all huntin’ bugs.” Hank’s eyes nearly bugged from his head. “Then they pinned the bugs to a piece of wood an’ spent time countin’ their legs, comparin’ their colors, an’ just studyin’ ’em. Bugs! Who heard tell of using schooltime for something like that?”
Johnny and Robert had come home excited about knowing which bugs were harmful to crops and which they needed to leave alone so they could eat the harmful bugs. Joel started to tell Hank his boys’ feelings on the activity, but Hank went on.
“An’ that’s just starters. She also had ’em all out of a mornin’, stepping through a spider web made out of ropes on the play yard. Still haven’t figured out
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