"Hey kid, I put my hand up and Bowen said 'no' - but the joke's on the teacher, cause I didn't wanna go!" Josh had yet to learn never to believe anything told to you in the school yard that rhymed.
"She said 'no' 'cause you didn't need to go!" Weedy countered, glaring at Gilles, the lesser of the P-F's.
"Hey, Sis! You're boyfriend's here!"
"Am no..." Well, Weedy's protest didn't matter, because a flurry of blonde pigtails quickly intervened!
"YEOOW!!" he bellowed. Josh was already seeing the more violent side of school life.
"He's not my boyfriend, he's just my friend, you little runt!" she snarled and pushed him away roughly.
"I'm telling Mom on you!"
"Go ahead!" Weedy challenged, pretty sure that there was no real threat there. Fortunately, the kid saw the wisdom in moving on, not that Weedy blamed him. He'd do the same if confronted by Jane!
"Hello Porter! Who's this lil feller?" she asked, smiling down benignly on Josh.
"This is my cousin, Josh," Weedy explained, putting his hand on his cousin's shoulder. "He came here all the way from Tennessee with his pa, in a real covered wagon! He and his pa are living with me and Ma for now."
It didn't dawn on him to introduce Jane to Josh!
"Thank you, kindly, Miss. Bowen. Just let me know what information ya need." He said with a small smile and then nodded as she commented that even adults could learn. Before he could respond Addy was mentioning about classes and teaching the folks in Kalispell that couldn't how to read and write. He had always wanted to know and had managed to learn a few things from his wife before she passed away, but not enough to get him very far. "Yes, ma'm, I bet you'd get a good turnout for that." He agreed.
"Well...it's certainly worth looking into," Kate replied, "and perhaps we can have classes over the summer during the evening. I will discuss this with the school board but I don't think they will have any problems with someone teaching folks to read."
She smiled, "We're having a fundraising charity performance at the White Rose early next month and I'm sure we can use some of the funds to get some extra readers. However, for now, I think we should start filling out your son's enrolment card."
After asking for the relevant information and adding to the card, Kate put down the pen. "Now, that that's taken care of, is there anything in particular you would like to know about the school and what I teach here?"
@ [MD]
@ [Bongo
Isaiah smiled when Mrs. Bowen seemed open to offering the classes. There certainly was a need for it, knowing he and Addy couldn't be the only two to get informal educations; just enough to get by with.
"That's really kind of you, Miss. Bowen." He smiled politely at the woman and then answered all of her questions. Isaiah still had a lot to learn about the town. He had no idea what the White Rose was. The town sounded supportive of the school, though, and trying to grow the city, if they were dedicating a fundraiser entirely for the small school.
As for the what to ask Isaiah hardly even knew what to say. "No ma'm, not really. I'm suppos'n you will teach him the basics, readin', writin', maybe some history?" He asked with a raised brow. Honestly to him the reading and writing were the most important, anything else was just a cherry on top.
+++++++++++
Then it was like a hurricane had hit Josh and the school yard. There was someone yellin' in his ear something that didn't make any sense, then the same kid was yellin' across the school yard, then bellowing because this girl had snatched him up by his ear. Boy, he knew that hurt, his Ma had grabbed him up a few times like that when he'd talked back to her. It had taught him real quick to mind his manners. When the boy ran off perhaps the eye of the storm had arrived, the calm before the storm hit again when the girl asked about him.
Thankfully Weedy introduced him. He held up a hand and shyly waved at the girl. So far he was the smallest kid in the schoolyard. He glanced around lookin' someone his age but nothing.
Weedy made him feel real good when he talked about his exciting trip from Tennessee and their covered wagon and all. He was still sad about his Ma dying and that he had to leave all his family and friends back home, but the trip across the country had been exciting. All this new stuff though had him in a ball of nerves.
"What's yer name?" Josh dared to ask the girl, hoping she didn't bite his head off the way she did that other boy!
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
"This is my cousin, Josh," Weedy explained, putting his hand on his cousin's shoulder. "He came here all the way from Tennessee with his pa, in a real covered wagon! He and his pa are living with me and Ma for now."
"From Tennessee?! Golly, that's quite a space! Well, pleased to meet you, Josh. I assume that's short for Joshua, like in the bible? Hmmm, Joshua Chappel, has quite the ring to it doesn't it?" Jane nodded. Josh was lucky, as Weedy's cousin, he was looked upon favourably by the lovelorn girl.
"What's yer name?" Josh dared to ask the girl, hoping she didn't bite his head off the way she did that other boy!
"I'm Jane Patterson Forde." She put her hand out next to her where it was just empty space "And this is my sister Clemmy. You can't see her because she's a ghost, or all in my head, one or the other. My Pa wants me to see a head doctor about her, but my Mommy says it's a waste of money and there's just country quacks around here anyway. But I tell you this Josh, because sometimes I might say 'Oh, Clemmy doesn't like that' or 'Clemmy thinks that's silly' and otherwise you'd wonder what I was jawin' about" she looked to her side and went quiet for second, then turned back to the little lad "Clemmy says she likes you! There, you've made two friends already on your first day!" she beamed.
Gilles looked at his sister askance. As far as he was concerned, Jane just did all that Clemmy stuff for attention, but he wasn't about to risk his ear again by saying so out loud.
@[Bongo]
Clemmy? What was Jane going on about? Frowning, Weedy leaned to whisper in Josh's ear, "That's her dead sister, she thinks she talks to her." Well, Weedy did have to admit that sometimes he 'talked' to his Ma, although he was (pretty) sure it was just him making things up. But then, Miss Jemima had said it was real. Too bad that F. Falmer Browne wasn't around any more so Weedy could ask him...or could he?
"That's Giles, Jane's little brother," he pointed out, hoping Josh would just figure that was the second friend, since he wasn't sure about the whole Clemmy thing, and he didn't want to try to explain to Josh.
"Miss Jemima said I could talk to my ma," he whispered, "but I never got a chance to try, since she'd buried in Whitefish." Maybe that was something he should try some day...
"From Tennessee?! Golly, that's quite a space! Well, pleased to meet you, Josh. I assume that's short for Joshua, like in the bible? Hmmm, Joshua Chappel, has quite the ring to it doesn't it?" Jane nodded
Josh puffed up real proud when Jane went on about him being from Tennessee and his name sounding nice! He smiled wide at the mention of it and just shrugged his shoulders not really sure what to say. "yea, that's right....right outta the Bible and I was named after my Uncle too 'cause he died in the war."
Then Jane went on to start talking about a ghost named Clemmy. He was so confused. His brow furrowed and he tilted his head like a little puppy. He was getting ready to ask Jane if she could really see the ghost there when she got quiet, looking to her side like something was really there! Josh's eyes got wider by the second. Then Jane told her that Clemmy liked him and at that point his mouth dropped open. He was younger than all of 'em there, so he really thought it to be true!
Weedy took a second to explain to him who Clemmy was - her sister that had died - then Weedy said that Mrs. Jemima told him that he could talk to his Ma since Weedy's Ma had died too. He thought he had met Mrs. Jemima one time before but that was way back when they first came to town. He was going to have to find Mrs. Jemima and ask her if he could talk to his Ma too! His heart was beating really fast - he was so excited. "Can we go talk to Mrs. Jemima after school?" He asked his cousin ready to go and find her now if he could, but he didn't want to get in trouble for skipping school on his first day.
He looked at Jane. "She's really there? She really answered you?" He had never even considered that there were ghost around and that he could talk to them!
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
"Miss Jemima said I could talk to my ma," he whispered, "but I never got a chance to try, since she'd buried in Whitefish." Maybe that was something he should try some day...
"Can we go talk to Mrs. Jemima after school?" He asked his cousin ready to go and find her now if he could, but he didn't want to get in trouble for skipping school on his first day. He looked at Jane. "She's really there? She really answered you?" He had never even considered that there were ghost around and that he could talk to them!
Jane gave a knowing nod of affirmation.
"I've spoken to Miss Wigfall about it, and she said that I am probably a natural spirit medium and she wants me to meet Mrs Dorothea Orr, and she's the most important Spiritualist person in the whole of Kalispell" she said importantly. And then the icing on the cake "We could all go to see her!"
Miss Bowen was ringing the bell.
"We'd better go in" said Jane "But we could call on Mrs Orr after school!" she suggested.
This was actually a terrible idea - although a little slow, Jemima Wigfall had the common sense to nix the idea of a kid as young as Josh from attending a spooky séance; Dolly Orr, on the other hand, a rather addled woman of 'a certain age', had the spirit-rapping mania, and was mad enough to welcome anyone to a table-turning session at any time of the day: morning, noon or night!
The kids started filing into the little school room. Jane sat at the front, a very unpopular place to be, as you were right in Miss Bowen's line of fire when she started asking awkward questions about who won the Battle of Bunker Hill or what the square root of 9 was... however, that also meant that there was usually an empty seat next to her for Clemmy to sit in.
@[JulieS]
Weedy agreed that it would be good to visit Mrs. Orr sometime after school, but allowed as how that had to be adjusted depending on homework, chores, whether or not Addy and Isiah felt the need to escort the boys home after school...They'd have to talk it over at lunch.
The bell rang, followed by a flurry of kids, scrambling to get into the building at one time. Weedy grabbed Josh's wrist so they didn't get separated, and tugging him along to his desk, scooting over in the seat to make room for his cousin. The class was divided by grades, so he wasn't sure if Miss Bowen would split them up, but he hoped that, at least for this first day, she'd let Josh stay by him.
As for the what to ask Isaiah hardly even knew what to say. "No ma'm, not really. I'm suppos'n you will teach him the basics, readin', writin', maybe some history?" He asked with a raised brow. Honestly to him the reading and writing were the most important, anything else was just a cherry on top.
Kate smiled, "Yes the basics are important things to learn. Perhaps after Josh has settled in, we can find out what else he likes."
She looked at the clock on the wall, and stood up, "If you are inclined to, we can discuss this matter at another time but for now, it's time for school start." Picking up the school bell, she continued, "It's been nice to meet you Mister Chappel and you are more than welcome to stay for a little while to make sure Josh is alright."
@ [MD]
@ [Javia