The Widow's Mail Order Husband (Mail Order Brides) (8 page)

Mary met with the teacher responsible for the Grapevine Masonic elementary school.  They discussed the books, the lesson plans, and the students level of interest in school. Mary was not surprised to find the level of interest to be low, but she was surprised to find the books to be essentially the same as those she had used in Hagerstown.  They also talked about what would be expected of the students when they moved on to the next level.  She was shocked by the number of students who didn’t make it through the entire elementary level and how few of those went on to high school.

She had picked up the books from the repository and taken them to the Lazy H where they would be taken to the church building on the first day of school.

Later, she told Tom what she had found.  “Once they’re past the point of learning to read and write, they are ready to drop out,” she said.  “I wonder how much of that is influenced by the parents, and what we can do about it.”

“Probably, but not a lot you can do about it.  When they are old enough or big enough to work on the ranch or farm, the parents are ready for the help.  James and I were lucky that Maw made us go to school.  I’m sure I would have dropped it if I had been allowed.”

“You were fortunate,” Mary said.  “There is so much more to life than roping cattle.  I hope to expose you and Emily to that,”

The Lonesome Dove Baptist Church had agreed to let the church building be used for school.  They only asked in return, that it always be left in condition for the Sunday services.  She and Tom made things ready for the children.

On the first day, the children were in the yard early and when Mary rang the hand bell they had purchased, they moved inside the building.  Mary separated them by age and set about trying to determine where they were in the learning process.  She found some of the younger children were further along than the older ones.

“I don’t want you to feel badly if some of your friends seem to know more than you do.  They have simply had more opportunity to learn.  You will catch up, if you do the assigned work and pay attention in class.  She went to each group to determine who could read and write, who knew the alphabet and about their math skills.

It was worse than she expected.  She was appalled at what she found.  She decided to start with the most basic, by teaching them the alphabet and the sounds each letter carried with it.  She told them, “Some of this you are going to find easy, and you will know more than you realize.”   Not surprising, Emily, who had just turned six was one of the more advanced in reading.

She couldn’t have put the name to it, but Mary was using phonetics in reading.  Sounding a letter, putting another letter with it and continuing until they created words.  By the end of the third week, all twelve of the children knew the alphabet.  The younger ones were like sponges, some of the older ones didn’t want to be there and let it be known by ignoring home assignments and not participating in class. 

In class one day, one of the older boys challenged her about the need for school.  “I'm going to be a cowboy and work on Paw’s ranch.  What good will these letters do me?  Will it make me a  better roper?” he asked.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Mary seized the chance.  “Do you think it will be your ranch to run some day?” she asked.

“Well, yeah,” he said.

“Yes,” she corrected.

“What?” he said.

“It’s not good manners to say yeah,” she said.  “Yes is the correct way to answer to a question.”

“Now, let me give you something to think about.  Let’s suppose you want to buy a bull, and you agree to pay $100 for it.  The person you are buying it from makes out a bill of sale, and asks you to make your mark.  I’m assuming you won’t know how to write, since you can’t read, it isn’t likely you can write.  Now, he takes your money, puts it in his pocket, and hands you a rope, the other end of which is tied to an old, broken down bull, no good to anyone.

“You protest.  “That's not the bull I bought,” you say.  The slicker smiles and says “Yes it is.  See right here on the bill of sale it says “I am buying the old broken down red bull”, and he points to your mark.”  

Now what are you going to do?  You go to the sheriff and complain.  The sheriff can read, he’s got all of those wanted posters in his office, remember?  He looks at the bill and reads aloud, “I am buying the old broken down red bull.”  He sees your mark, and you say “Yes, it is my mark.” He tells you, “Son, I’m afraid you’re the proud owner of an old broken down red bull.” 

Sure, you were cheated, but after all, you did agree to the purchase.  Now, let’s take this same thing and apply it to numbers instead of words.  You go to the store, and buy twenty-two different things.  The storekeeper lists each item, then adds up the total and tells you it comes to twenty-five dollars.  You can’t count, so you hold your money out to him and say “Okay”.  He took five dollars too much, but you don’t know it because you can’t count.  Now when you get home, you hand the bill and the change to your Paw.  He can count, and he asks for the rest of the money, which of course, you don’t have.  Then he looks at the list and checks it and says, “This is added wrong.  That’s not the right price.”  You were cheated two times on the same transaction.”

She finished by asking the class if they understood the lesson behind the story.  One boy raised his hand and said, “Yeah… Yes, I do, if you don’t want to own an old broken down red bull and pay too much for it, you better learn how to read and add.”

The class as a whole understood the parable and laughed.  Mary smiled, and said, “I hope you all get the message.  An education is important in life.  It’s more than just homework, it’s protection against those that would take advantage of you.”

By the end of the first six weeks, they were sounding the letters and learning to put them together to make words. At the end of the school year, all of them had the basic reading and writing skills. Mary could now begin the preparation for the real curriculum.

In addition to great strides in the classroom, Mary was seeing changes at home.  Tom had learned to have fun.  He and Emily could talk together; he showed interest in her activities
and she basked in all of the attention she was getting from her Papa.  One afternoon was indelibly etched into Mary’s memory.  Tom was sitting in his chair with Emily on his lap, reading from one of her McGuffey readers.  When she finished, Tom hugged her and said, “Well done, Emily.”  He squeezed her, and said, “I love you, Emily Hartness.”

“I love you too,” Papa, said Emily.

Tears welled in Mary’s eyes.  It was the first time she had heard Tom express a feeling of love for his daughter.  It was genuine.  About this, there was no question.  She had known he loved her, but she had never heard him tell her so. 

As far as the two of them, they had progressed quite a distance themselves.  Tom openly displayed his affection for her.  Mary had come from a touching family and she had missed it in her years of living alone.  Tom would touch her hair as he passed her chair.  When she came home from school, tired from a day of standing, he would massage her shoulders as she sat in the kitchen.  Rosa beamed when this happened.  Her bambino, Tomas was happy again.  All was well in the Hartness family.

At breakfast one morning…

Tom came in for his breakfast.  Mary was sitting at the table, while Rosa prepared breakfast.  Tom thought Mary looked a bit off her feed, but said nothing.  Rosa sat a plate of huevos rancheros in front of him.  Mary looked at the plate and turned a little green.  “Whoops!” she said, jumped up and ran for the back door, barely making it before she spewed the coffee she had been sipping over the edge of the porch.  She was still retching when Tom came out.

“Are you all right,” he asked.  “You don’t look so good.”

There was nothing more to come out, but the retching continued.  Finally, she said, “I don’t know what came over me.  Just all of a sudden, I had this uncontrollable urge.  Almost didn’t make it either.”

The same thing happened three mornings running.  “Senora Mary,” Rosa said with a smile on her face, “I think you are with child.”

“I couldn’t be,” Mary said.  “Well, I guess I could be, but I don’t think so.” 

Rosa smiled knowingly. “You are with child, Senora.”

Mary told Tom what Rosa had said.  “How could that be?” he asked.  Then, “Oh, I understand, how it could be.  We haven’t been careful lately have we?”

Mary shook her head.  “How would you feel if I am?” she asked.

“Feel?  I would be delighted.  It will be nice to have another little one around here,” he said.

“I’m really glad.,” she said. “You know, I feel as if Emily is my own little girl, but I would like to give birth,” she said.

“We’ll have to get you checked out by the doctor,” he said.

“I’m fine,” Mary insisted.  “It’s not as if this were the first baby ever born.”

“It is for you.  You may think I’m being controlling, but I want you to be checked out by the doctor.”

“Yes, darling,” she said, patting his cheek.  “I wonder how Emily will react?”

“Are you kidding?”  She’ll love having a little brother to boss around,” she said.

“So it’s going to be a little boy is it?”

“Fifty fifty chance, ” she said.  “I guess we’ll know when he’s born won’t we?

Dr. Jonah Williams office in Grapevine…

Dr. Jonah Williams graduated from Tulane Medical School in New Orlean in 1870.  After his internship, the son of a prominent rancher  returned to his hometown of Grapevine.  Tom Hartness knew him from their days together in the Grapevine school.

After introducing him to Mary, Tom waited outside while Dr. Williams examined Mary.  He called Tom back into the examining room.  “Well, Tom,  as I already told Mary, it looks to me as if you are going to be a Papa again.  Mary looks to be in perfect health.  For the time being, I would like to check her every six weeks.”  He extended his hand and congratulated Tom.

“Jonah, when the time comes, will you deliver our baby?” Tom asked.

“Yes, of course.  When she goes into labor, send for me and I’ll be right there.  Rosa is still with you isn’t she?” Doctor Williams replied.

“Oh yes, Rosa is part of our family,” Tom replied.

“Good, she can help take care of Mary.  Good to see you again, and Mary, nice to have met you.  You have a good man here.  We’ve known each other since we were teenagers.”

“Thank you, Doctor.  I appreciate your care, and yes, I agree, I married a good man,” Mary said.

On the way home…

“Now that we know for sure, you’re going to have to take care of yourself and our new baby,” Tom said.

“I would like for us to tell Emily right away,” Mary said.

“We can do that,” Tom said.  “I think she will be excited about it.”

“I hope so.  I want to make her a part of it from the beginning, so she feels she is still important  to us.

Tom patted her arm.  “Emily is lucky to have such a caring mother.  Every day you make me glad we found each other.”

“I’m glad too.  You’ve made me happy and given me a real purpose in life and now, you’re making me a mother.  Dr. Williams was absolutely correct, you are a fine man and I’m a lucky woman.  Would you mind stopping for a minute?” she asked.

Tom grinned, knowing what was behind the request.  He stopped, and took her in his arms and they shared a long kiss with the feeling of a growing love shared.

Entering the house, Tom called out, “Emily, can you come in here?  We have something to tell you.”

When she came into the room, Tom took her on his lap, and said, “You tell her, Mary.”

Mary’s smile expressed her thanks.  “Emily, we have some really good news.  You are going to be a big sister.  We just found out that we are going to have a baby!”

“When?” the little girl asked.

“It will be in a few months,” Mary told her.

“Will it be a boy or girl?” Emily asked.

“We won’t know until it gets here,” Mary said.

“How will it get here?”

Mary said, “Well, it will grow in my belly, and the doctor will take it out.”

Emily laughed, as if knowing her Mama was being silly.  “Can I go play now?” she asked.

“Yes, you may, after you give me a hug and a kiss,” Mary said.

Emily hugged Mary and kissed her on the cheek, then went skipping out of the room.
 

“Isn’t she a breath of fresh air?”  Mary said. “Such an innocence and honesty.”