Read Courting Miss Amsel for Free Online

learning. Therefore we must determine a means of building a cooperative spirit in your son.”
    Mrs. Sholes ran a weary hand over her disheveled hair. “I don’t rightly know what you expect me to do.”
    Edythe drew in a breath, battling for patience. “I hoped we could work together to bring an end to William’s inappropriate behavior. For instance, the notes he neglected to bring home, even though he was directed to do so. How do you intend to address those with William?”
    The woman laughed weakly. “Oh, you know young’uns – their minds’re on play. They’re always forgettin’ somethin’.”
    “Tucking a note beneath an assignment on the wall seems more deliberate than forgetful to me, Mrs. Sholes.” Sarcasm colored Edythe’s comment, but Mrs. Sholes didn’t appear to notice.
    “Maybe he was just embarrassed ’cause he forgot to bring us the first one, an’ that was his way of pretendin’ he never got it.”
    Although Edythe didn’t agree, she chose to move to another issue. “Then let’s discuss the bullying. William dunked Sophie Jeffers’s pigtail in the inkwell, and I witnessed him taking cheese from Henry Libolt’s hand. Additionally – ”
    “No reason for William to take somethin’ from Henry. The boys’re friends. Have been for a long time.” Mrs. Sholes toyed with a loose strand of hair. “You sure Henry didn’t give it to William?”
    “I’m very sure Henry did not offer it. William took it.”
    “That just don’t make much sense to me. William’s got plenty of food in his lunch bucket – I pack it myself with enough to keep his belly satisfied. Can’t see any reason why he’d need to be botherin’ somebody else’s lunch.”
    Frustration filled Edythe’s chest. “That’s just the point, Mrs. Sholes. There is no reason for William to bother any of the other children. He simply chooses to do so.”
    A weak laugh left Mrs. Sholes’s throat. “Young’uns . . . always playin’ pranks on each other. It’s harmless, don’t you think?”
    William’s belligerent glares and sneaky behavior was not harmless to Edythe’s way of thinking, but it was obvious she would get nowhere with Mrs. Sholes. The woman’s eyes were blinded toward her son’s misbehavior. “Might I speak with your husband?”
    “He’s out workin’ in the barn.”
    “Yes, you indicated that when I arrived.” Edythe used her best teacher voice. “But I believe it’s necessary for me to speak with him.”
    Mrs. Sholes sighed. “He won’t be happy about bein’ disturbed. Gettin’ those sickle blades sharpened is mighty important so he can be cuttin’ millet next week.”
    “I trust his son’s success in school is equally important to him.” When Mrs. Sholes didn’t move, Edythe rose. “Would it be better if I went to the barn rather than ask him to leave his work?” If she had to, she’d follow the man into the millet field.
    William’s mother jerked to her feet. “I-I’ll take you, Miss Amsel.”
    Edythe followed Mrs. Sholes out the front door and across the dirt yard toward the barn. A shadow at the corner of the house slinked away, and Edythe suspected William had been standing beneath the window, listening to every word she’d said. If he’d heard his mother’s excuses, he no doubt saw himself as the victor in this particular battle. How she hoped William’s father would take his son’s misconduct seriously.
    They entered the large log barn, and the stench of moldy hay and old manure combined with an acrid, metallic odor assaulted Edythe’s nose. Swallowing, she trailed Mrs. Sholes to a small room at the rear of the barn, where the metallic scent overrode the other odors. Mr. Sholes bent forward, running a large file over a long, curved blade. With each swipe of the file, small sparks flew through the air like tiny shooting stars.
    “Lloyd?” Mrs. Sholes squawked her husband’s name.
    The man jerked, clanking the file against the blade. He hissed through his teeth.