Sumner glanced at his pocket watch as he trotted through Angel Veil on business. It was the town where everything happened which was why he could not understand why his uncle was interested in anything in Brickyard. Brickyard and its neighbor Custardville which straddled two counties depended on Angel Veil. Old Town was more independent but no train stopped there.

Wiping his spectacles he looked at the time then put his watch away and removed his glasses. He still had a little more time before he wanted to be at the school in Custardville to watch that colored schoolmarm's afternoon lessons. He thought to stop to eat and had turned his horse when a lone figure on the dirt road to Brickyard caught his attention.

The old colored man was hunched over and one of his eyes was glazed with a cloud. He lacked hair as well as teeth but Sumner knew one thing and that was that this feeble creature got around. He reminded him of the haunts in the old negro tales, the ones who could fly, that his nanny used to tell him when he wouldn't sleep. This man had to fly, for with his hunched back and withered limbs there was no way he could walk so far and not fall down forever. He had seen him all around town at many different hours. He was as a shadow, or a crow on a bread trail. Sumner spitefully turned his animal leaving the man in the dust.

/

He reached the schoolhouse on schedule and invited himself inside. Miriam and the student acknowledged him with a glance then went back to their lesson. He turned to take a seat when something hit him from behind sending him to his hands and knees. The students laughed as he turned to his four legged, tail wagging attacker.

"Class," Miriam said getting them quiet. She quickly went to the back of the classroom and grabbed Sacha by his collar. "I apologize, Mr. Woodrow, Sacha was only saying hello."

Sumner got up and dusted his sleeves. "Well he should have said it to my face," he said picking up his glasses and notebook.

Miriam took Sacha to the front of the classroom and got on with the lesson as Sumner found himself a seat.

/

After school he watched Miriam at the front of the classroom reminding two siblings to turn in a late assignment at a convenient time as their mother was ill and they had no one else but themselves to take care of her. As the children left Sumner went up to the front of the classroom.

"I apologize again for Sacha," Miriam said. "My Papa says it's good to have a male protector even if he does have four legs."

Sumner looked down at the wolf panting behind the desk. "A wolf in the classroom is hardly acceptable." 

Miriam looked down. She realized no matter what she did she could never do right. "Well—" she stopped herself from apologizing again.

"My hand is being pushed, Miss. Fairchild," Sumner said. "I understand there is a Miss. Martin in Old Town who is a colored teacher. It looks to me like you'll have to consider moving your students there."

"Consider?" Miriam said. "That means there is still a chance."

Sumner raised his brow, making his gray eyes very intimidating. "I think the two of you should consider finding the hours to share the building. Or, I hear Old Town has a nice library; you could go there. Consider your options before you have no place to go at all."

Miriam put her hands to her head, "No," she said. 

Sumner looked at her incredulously. 

She stared at him shocked at her own words. She looked around the classroom but Ottaline and Providence had gone out into the schoolyard with the other children. "I can't do it. You'll have to drive us out. This school is something I can't give up. She turned quasi from him and supported herself on her desk. "If you make me, I'll take you to court, I swear it! You'll have to put fire under us."

"Now hold on just a minute!" Sumner said grabbing her arm.

Miriam whirled around with her free hand and struck him in the face with her palm.

Her slap stung but Sumner didn't stumble. He gently raised his hand to his face and touched his smarted flesh.

Miriam trembled and looked down at her hands. When did they posses such violence? She backed away from him against her chalkboard, smearing the lesson. Mr. Woodrow was tall but of average build. Nonetheless she thought he could probably strangle her with one hand.

Sumner backed away slowly then he turned and left the schoolhouse.

Miriam closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the board. She had done it now.

/

Mr. Fairchild and Beatrice worked on converting part of the shed into a barn to house Missy the draft. They built a small paddock for her that her stall opened straight into. As they hammered away Ottaline and Alifair herded the family pets through the yard under the Saturday morning sky and Providence hurried to catch up with them with a stray chicken.

Hannah came into the barn and went over to the wall of tools, holding a finger to her lips for Missy to be quite. With the new layout of the barn, the rabbits and chickens could fit their pens inside and they wouldn't have to worry about them in high storms. But right now Hannah didn't care for rabbits. She took the hand trowel down from the wall and smiled.

"Hannah?" Beatrice was suddenly behind her. "What are you doing in the barn I thought you took your dolls for a stroll?"

"They are napping in the sun," Hannah said.

"Why do you have Wysteria's trowel?"

"I'm making mud pies," Hannah said quickly. "Wysteria won't mind as long as I return it."

Beatrice frowned then shrugged. Retrieving a bucket of nails from the wall she left the barn.

Hannah let out her breath once Beatrice was gone then tucking the shovel inside her garters she wobbled back to the house. In the kitchen Astrid was helping her mother prepare lunch for the household while Miriam sat at the table counting coins into her purse. Quietly Hannah slipped pass them all upstairs and into the bedroom.

There he was. White bearded and gray eyed with big white teeth grinning. She took the nutcracker from Astrid's bed. "Ha, you're in my power," she said. "You'll never scare me again." She took the bottom of her dress in her hand and dropped the nutcracker into it adding the shovel there as well. Then she slipped back downstairs and outside then snuck around the barn. Making sure Alifair and Ottaline and Providence weren't looking she stepped into the edge of the woods and sat down.

"Look at your face," she said as she stuck the blade of the shovel into the ground. "Smiling and all, ha." She flipped the dirt aside and dug deeper. "I'll just bury you here until Astrid forgets all about you. Stop looking at me like that!" She snatched the doll up and looked him in the face. "What, is something funny?" She smacked him with her palm. "Well I bet you won't be grinning with this here rock in your mouth." She jammed the pebbled between the nutcracker's jaws. "Chew this!" she pulled the lever down hard and a crack escaped the doll's mouth. When she released the lever it dropped to the ground at her feet. There was no going back now. Throwing down the doll next to his jaw she hastily dug into the earth. When the hole was big enough she tossed him inside. "Good riddance!" she said with nod. Noticing his jaw she snatched it up. "And take this with you!" She threw it into the hole and then buried her crime.

/

Astrid sat in her father's chair absently playing with one of her rag dolls, stroking the yarn hair that had been styled into a loose braid.

"Mama, I'm going out!" Taitiann said as she came downstairs. She placed a kiss on Astrid's forehead then went into the kitchen with her mother. "I'm going to see if I can find work at the Sweetlands'. I hear they are looking for someone to finish a horse for them."

"You be careful out there," Mrs. Fairchild said as she dried a dish. "It's meaning to rain. Take Birdy with you. Have you seen Astrid's nutcracker doll, by the way? It was on her bed this morning."

"Yes, Mama," Taitiann said "But I haven't seen the doll." She hurried out the door.

Mrs. Fairchild went to the back of the house and outside where she sat under a shade tree to finish with the peas. They had plenty and she was meaning to share some with their neighbors. She looked up from her task when she saw Selene coming her way looking downcast.

"Bad news in town?" she asked as he daughter took a seat on a stump. "Or is it just a little rain cloud all your own following you about?"

"Mama, I've been thinking..." Selene began. She hung her head and rung her hands. "Mama..."

"If you want me to talk to your father about your taking up with that man I won't go against him, child," Mrs. Fairchild said. "We've got to live under the same roof and I want us to live in peace." She turned back to the peas. "Lord knows there's enough chaos in the world."

Selene took a deep breath. "I just was hoping you could make him understand," she said. "It isn't wrong to love Jethro is it?"

"No, darling it ain't wrong," Grace said. "And I know that young man cares about you." She huffed. "I've seen it all too much when they didn't. Jethro St. Cloud is a good man. I've always thought him a bright boy. It's not every day true love happens, Selene. I don't think he'll give up on you."

Selene smiled. "Oh, Mama you make me feel so hopeful," she said with a blush.

"That's my job," Mrs. Fairchild said. "We only caution you, Selene because we love you. I've seen too many horror stories where love went wrong being both the couple was the same color or different."

"I understand, Mama. I'm not going to give up either. I can wait forever if I must. I'll have you and Papa and my sisters." She looked across the yard. She thought of Jethro and their last moments together. She didn't think they would make each other wait that long.