Read Gingham Mountain for Free Online

“I don’t intend to wale on any child, for heaven’s sake. I’d never strike a child.”
    “Now don’t go making promises you can’t keep. The Brewsters’ve moved on, but their like’ve come through town before ’n more’n likely’ll come again. Need a good thrashin’ real regular, those young’uns did.”
    “No youngster needs a thrashing . Children need love and understanding. Now really, I must ask you to leave. I’ve got things to do.”
    Harold must have been long on mouth and short on ears because he apparently didn’t hear her and kept talking. “No figurin’ people near as I kin figure. But the likes of the Brewsters’ll be back. Two boys and agirl. The lot of them Brewsters could stand a good thrashin’ to my way of thinkin’.”
    Hannah bristled up until she could have shot porcupine quills at Harold. Thrash a child indeed . Why, she’d be no better than Parrish.
    She had to get Harold out of here so she could go save Libby.
    Swamped with stubbornness she didn’t know she was capable of, Hannah decided then and there she’d neither thrash a child, nor steal a horse, nor let herself be kidnapped, nor marry any man. She’d had her fill of men, first Parrish and now that awful child-stealing Mr. . .  Grant. She planned to have no man in her life ever. In fact, squaring her shoulders, she vowed right then and there she’d start a new tradition and stay at the school forever—unless she had to steal Libby away from her new father and save the other children out there and run. She tried to imagine twenty-five children stowed away on a train. Or was it six or four? She’d heard several numbers. Hannah got a headache just thinking of all she had to do.
    As Harold finally ran out of chatter and turned to leave, Hannah, now sworn to her job for the rest of her life, asked, “Who do I talk to about the school? I want to know all of my pupils’ names, and I hope to visit them in their homes before the start of the winter school term.” Grace had written that a teacher must visit, and Grace was the best teacher Hannah had ever known. Although, honesty forced Hannah to admit that Grace was the only teacher Hannah had ever known.
    “No time for that. School starts Monday.”
    Already she was failing. “Well then, I’ll visit after school starts.”
    “Try asking Louellen downstairs. Running the diner the way she does, I reckon she knows about everything that goes on around here. I know there are a dozen children in town and maybe that many again in the surrounding ranches. Oh, and Grant’s young’uns? That’s another dozen.” Harold broke down and laughed until he had to wipe his eyes.
    Hannah’s jaw clenched as she waited the man out.
    Tucking his handkerchief back in his pocket, Harold shook hishead. “He doesn’t usually send ’em in ’cuz he hasn’t liked the teachers we have. So don’t count them. They’ll be here for a few days most likely, and then he’ll just take ’em home and school ’em hisself like always. Were I you I wouldn’t even let ’em sit at a desk. They’ll be gone afore you need to bother.”
    “He don’t. . . ” Hannah stumbled then corrected her grammar. Honestly, she’d only been here an hour and she already sounded like Harold. “He doesn’t send his children to school? Well, we’ll see about that. Could you direct me to his ranch?”
    That question seemed to amuse Harold because he began chuckling and shaking his head. Of course Hannah was beginning to believe that a rabid wolf would amuse Harold so she didn’t put much stock in what struck him as funny.
    “Gonna get after Grant, miss?”
    Hannah crossed her arms while she waited for directions.
    “That I’d like to see.”
    “Directions?” Hannah tapped her toe.
    “You can hire a horse at the livery stable or the blacksmith shop. But Ian O’Reilly is the blacksmith, and I think he’s gone for the day, so don’t waste your time goin’ there. He wouldn’t like you scolding