Teaching Patience (Homespun) by Katie Crabapple

him?
    Millie’s face was troubled.  “I see.  Does Charlie’s mother not want him?”   She’d heard about a couple of divorces over the years, but she’d never heard of one where the father kept the child.  They always went to live with their mother.
    Patience shook her head.  “She doesn’t.  She left him with Hugh and moved away.  Will Papa still let me go to the social with them?”  She held her breath.  She had to be honest with her parents about Hugh’s background, but she was afraid her papa would stop the courtship before it even started.  She knew, though, it would be better to end it now than to allow more feelings to develop.
    “Of course he will!  It’s not Mr. Walker’s fault she left him.  I’m glad you told me about it.  I’ll talk to your papa.  It’ll be fine.” 
    Patience sighed with relief.  “I called off school for the rest of the week.  I thought we had enough school after forty-eight hours in that schoolhouse.”  She also knew that after a big storm like that, when the families were separated, most liked to stay as close together as possible for a few days.
    Millie laughed.  “I think you made the best decision.  We should be able to have that dress finished by Saturday night with no problem.”

Chapter Six
     
    By Friday morning, the snow had melted completely.  Patience was always amazed when a storm like that would ravage the entire area, and then all traces of it be gone within a few days.  She spent her time off sewing her dress and working with her mama to get ready for spring planting. 
    Their neighbors, Bess and John as well as Charlotte and James came over with their children on Friday evening.  Between the two families there were seven children, all of whom Patience taught.  Bess and John had two boys and two girls, Amos, Jane, William and Susan.  Charlotte and James and three children Margaret, Helen and Ida.  Bess and John had been their closest neighbors since before Patience could remember.
    Millie and Patience made a huge pot of chicken and dumplings for the meal.  The children spread blankets on the floor and had a picnic, because there simply wasn’t room for all of them at the table.  Patience sat at the table with the adults, but all of her younger siblings were relegated to the floor.   Michael and Jacob didn’t think they should have to sit on the floor, since they were old enough to do men’s work, but they weren’t given a choice.
    “So how’d it happen that Hugh W alker ended up at the schoolhouse during the blizzard?” Charlotte asked Patience.  Charlotte had grown up in an orphanage in Boston with Millie and the two had remained friends.  Charlotte had gone to Minnesota to help Millie while she was pregnant with the twins, Daniel and Faith, and had stayed and married James.  Patience felt like she was an aunt or even an older sibling.
    “He was out hunting when the storm hit and immediately headed toward the school, because it was closer than his place at that point.  He ran into the rope I’d strung up between the outhouse and the school.  He said he’d have completely missed the school without it.”
    Charlotte grinned.  “That’s too bad.  I was hoping he’d gone there to court you.” 
    Patience blushed.  “Well, he is going to take me to the church social tomorrow night.”   She looked down at her plate, a little embarrassed to admit she was going to the social with a man in front of a table full of people.
    “That’s wonderful!  He seems like a good man.  It can’t be easy for him taking care of Charlie now that his wife’s gone.”  
    “Charlie’s a good kid.  Just a little more rambunctious than I’d like during school.”   Patience knew the little boy had a reputation for getting into mischief and hoped a few kind words from her could nip that in the bud.
    “I’ve seen him running around before and after church.  Rambunctious is a good word for him.”   Charlotte took a bite of