live!”
She handed me her lamp. “Take this and find Jimmy—he’ll accompany you into town and point you in the direction of Mrs. Gott’s house. He’ll have to go to the other side of town to fetch the doctor. Sending the both of you will save time.”
I slunk away to find Jimmy in his tiny room near the kitchen. I expected him to be asleep, but instead, he sat up on the bed, his ebony face shining with perspiration in the light of my lamp. The poor fellow slept in his work clothes, and I wondered if this was his choice or if Miss Crenshaw demanded it for the sake of propriety.
“Jimmy?”
He blinked at the sound of my voice. “Trouble, miss?”
“There’s been an accident. We must fetch Nurse Gott and the doctor.”
He quickly laced his boots and, after lighting his own lantern, beckoned me to follow him through the dining hall to the side door. Fortunately, the rain had calmed to a light mist, but I still slipped and lurched on the wet grass as I scrambled to keep up with Jimmy. He stopped short as we neared the boardwalk.
“Do you feel that?” he whispered.
I looked around. “What?”
“Somethin’ strange out here.”
We were standing under my window. My scalp prickled. “What do you mean?”
“Can’t say exactly, but I’ve felt it before and I don’t like it.” He shook his head. “I can almost smell it.”
I sniffed the air, smelling only the rain-soaked grass and earth. “What does it smell like?”
He closed his eyes. “Death.”
“Let’s keep moving,” I hissed.
Jimmy held his tongue as we walked down the hill toward the main street. I knew he was a superstitious fool, but I couldn’t help looking back every few steps. Was that a footfall behind me? A shadow to my left? Finally, I fixed my eyes upon Jimmy’s feet as we walked, and that seemed to help.
By the time we reached Downing Street, my flesh had ceased its crawling and I felt like an idiot for allowing Jimmy to spook me. He paused to point me toward a row of small houses several yards off the main street.
“One with the red door is the Gott house. After you fetch her, go on up to the school. Tell Miss Crenshaw I’m on my way with the doc.”
I had to pound on the door before someone finally opened it. A sturdy, dark-skinned Cherokee woman in her nightgown and shawl raised her eyebrow but said nothing. I’d only seen Mrs. Gott a few times and wasn’t sure she recognized me.
“I’ve come from the seminary, Mrs. Gott. A student is hurt, and Miss Crenshaw needs you tonight.”
She stared at me for a moment, her face stern. “Wait here and let me put on some proper clothes.” She shut the door then, leaving me standing alone on her front step.
“Frightful woman,” I murmured, but only a few minutes passed before the door opened again and she emerged, fully dressed and carrying a small bag.
“Doctor coming too?” she asked.
I nodded and we were on our way. Like Lucy Sharp, the woman was blunt in her manner and not given to polite conversation. But her steadiness braced me as we walked back to the seminary.
We found Fannie still lying on the staircase landing, moaning now rather than weeping. Miss Crenshaw sat near her, stroking her temple. Mrs. Gott helped the principal to her feet and knelt by the girl. She put her hands on Fannie’s face, shoulders, and arms, not flinching a whit as the girl cried in pain.
“She’s dislocated her shoulder,” Mrs. Gott pronounced.
“Can we move her?” Miss Crenshaw lifted the lamp to shine it in Fannie’s face. The girl winced.
The Cherokee woman shook her head. “We should wait for the doctor to set it first.”
Jimmy arrived with Dr. Stewart moments later. The doctor was tall, fair-haired, and much younger than I would have expected. He paled visibly upon first seeing Fannie’s crumpled form. Miss Crenshaw smiled with relief to see him, and Fannie stared as though he were an angel even as he applied his hands to the painful dislocation.
“I need to put
She handed me her lamp. “Take this and find Jimmy—he’ll accompany you into town and point you in the direction of Mrs. Gott’s house. He’ll have to go to the other side of town to fetch the doctor. Sending the both of you will save time.”
I slunk away to find Jimmy in his tiny room near the kitchen. I expected him to be asleep, but instead, he sat up on the bed, his ebony face shining with perspiration in the light of my lamp. The poor fellow slept in his work clothes, and I wondered if this was his choice or if Miss Crenshaw demanded it for the sake of propriety.
“Jimmy?”
He blinked at the sound of my voice. “Trouble, miss?”
“There’s been an accident. We must fetch Nurse Gott and the doctor.”
He quickly laced his boots and, after lighting his own lantern, beckoned me to follow him through the dining hall to the side door. Fortunately, the rain had calmed to a light mist, but I still slipped and lurched on the wet grass as I scrambled to keep up with Jimmy. He stopped short as we neared the boardwalk.
“Do you feel that?” he whispered.
I looked around. “What?”
“Somethin’ strange out here.”
We were standing under my window. My scalp prickled. “What do you mean?”
“Can’t say exactly, but I’ve felt it before and I don’t like it.” He shook his head. “I can almost smell it.”
I sniffed the air, smelling only the rain-soaked grass and earth. “What does it smell like?”
He closed his eyes. “Death.”
“Let’s keep moving,” I hissed.
Jimmy held his tongue as we walked down the hill toward the main street. I knew he was a superstitious fool, but I couldn’t help looking back every few steps. Was that a footfall behind me? A shadow to my left? Finally, I fixed my eyes upon Jimmy’s feet as we walked, and that seemed to help.
By the time we reached Downing Street, my flesh had ceased its crawling and I felt like an idiot for allowing Jimmy to spook me. He paused to point me toward a row of small houses several yards off the main street.
“One with the red door is the Gott house. After you fetch her, go on up to the school. Tell Miss Crenshaw I’m on my way with the doc.”
I had to pound on the door before someone finally opened it. A sturdy, dark-skinned Cherokee woman in her nightgown and shawl raised her eyebrow but said nothing. I’d only seen Mrs. Gott a few times and wasn’t sure she recognized me.
“I’ve come from the seminary, Mrs. Gott. A student is hurt, and Miss Crenshaw needs you tonight.”
She stared at me for a moment, her face stern. “Wait here and let me put on some proper clothes.” She shut the door then, leaving me standing alone on her front step.
“Frightful woman,” I murmured, but only a few minutes passed before the door opened again and she emerged, fully dressed and carrying a small bag.
“Doctor coming too?” she asked.
I nodded and we were on our way. Like Lucy Sharp, the woman was blunt in her manner and not given to polite conversation. But her steadiness braced me as we walked back to the seminary.
We found Fannie still lying on the staircase landing, moaning now rather than weeping. Miss Crenshaw sat near her, stroking her temple. Mrs. Gott helped the principal to her feet and knelt by the girl. She put her hands on Fannie’s face, shoulders, and arms, not flinching a whit as the girl cried in pain.
“She’s dislocated her shoulder,” Mrs. Gott pronounced.
“Can we move her?” Miss Crenshaw lifted the lamp to shine it in Fannie’s face. The girl winced.
The Cherokee woman shook her head. “We should wait for the doctor to set it first.”
Jimmy arrived with Dr. Stewart moments later. The doctor was tall, fair-haired, and much younger than I would have expected. He paled visibly upon first seeing Fannie’s crumpled form. Miss Crenshaw smiled with relief to see him, and Fannie stared as though he were an angel even as he applied his hands to the painful dislocation.
“I need to put
Similar Books
