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and I thought they were tho pretty, that I wanted to take thum to Mith Thimmonth.  I picked a whole bouquet.  When I got back to the thchool, I thaw Mith Thimmonth kithing a man I'd never theen before, right there in the clathroom."  She was crying loudly by the end of her little speech.  "I'm thorry, Mith Thimmonth!"
    Anna smiled kindly at the little girl.  "You have nothing to be sorry for, Susie."  And she didn't.  Anna was the one who'd made a mistake, not the sweet little girl with the blond pigtails standing in front of her. 
    "What do you have to say for yourself, Miss Simmons?"  Mr. Hanson's voice was as mean as she'd ever heard it once it was directed on her.
    Anna straightened her back.  "I don't know what I can say.  A man grabbed me and kissed me, and Susie happened along just then."  She didn't add that she'd enjoyed the kiss, but she didn't think that Mr. Hanson really cared what had happened anyway.  He wanted to punish her, and he would.
    Mr. Hanson took a deep breath.  "So you're trying to tell me a man you'd never met walked into the schoolhouse and grabbed you and kissed you without you inviting him to?"
    Anna thought carefully about his words, not wanting to lie.  "Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you."  
    Mr. Hanson glared at her.  "You are dismissed from your position, Miss Simmons.  You have until the sundown tonight to retrieve your belongings from my home and to get anything you may have left at the schoolhouse.  Good day."  He turned and left the room then, obviously not caring that he left a little girl and her father as well as Anna in the room.
    Susie was sobbing by that point, seemingly over guilt at having told what she'd seen.  Anna knew her first priority needed to be to the child.  She dropped to one knee and opened her arms, and Susie flew into them.  "I'm tho thorry, Mith Thimmonth!"
    "I know, Susie.  I know.  No one is angry with you."  Anna realized as soon as the words were out of her mouth that they were true.  She wasn't angry with Susie.  She was angry with Mr. Hoover for kissing her in the first place, because she hadn't asked to be kissed, but she wasn't mad at Susie.
    When Susie had quieted, Anna stood up.  She looked at Susie's father, who had been quiet through everything that happened.  "I'm terribly sorry this happened, Mr. Johnston."
    Mr. Johnston shook his head sadly.  "All I really wanted was for him to tell you it was inappropriate for you to be kissing in the schoolroom where any of the children could walk in on you.  I had no idea he'd fire you."
    Anna smiled ruefully.  "I knew as soon as I realized someone had seen me that this would be the result if it came to Mr. Hanson's attention."  She shrugged.  "I guess I need to figure out what to do next."  She had some money saved, but not nearly enough.  "Is there a boarding house in town by any chance?"
    "No, ma'am.  Wiggieville doesn't have anything as fancy as that."
    "I was afraid you'd say that."  She rubbed the back of her neck.  "I think I'll walk over to the mercantile and see if there are any job postings there."  They followed her to the door. "I look forward to seeing you at church tomorrow," she told Susie.
    Susie smiled at her, putting her hand in hers.  "I'm glad you're not mad at me."
    "Why would I be angry with you?  You did nothing wrong," Anna said.
    Anna watched the two walk off down the street toward the farm Anna knew they had just outside of town.  She walked the other way down the street toward the mercantile.  Surely there was some type of bulletin board there like there was back in Beckham. 
    She entered the store and waved to the owner of the mercantile, Mr. Stemmons.  She'd seen him at church several times, so she felt as if she knew him.  She walked to the back of the store where he was working.  "Do you have a 'help wanted' bulletin board here?"  Her voice was soft, as it always was when talking to someone she didn't know well, but she was proud