Excerpt
They eyed her curiously, some shyly, some brazenly, but few of
them responded to her welcoming smile. Most of the boys, she realized,
were gathered in their cloak room, reluctant to come out
until the last minute. At nine o’clock she rang the brass bell sharply,
and watched as five of them sauntered out with a great show of
nonchalance. One little black-haired boy was already at his desk.
Consulting the register, she decided that this must be Tommy Tippitt,
the lone student in the second grade.
Two other children named Tippitt responded to the roll call, one
a girl in grade four, the other a boy in grade five. The girl, Annabelle,
had the black hair and dark eyes of her younger brother, but
the older boy’s complexion was lighter, his hair medium brown.
Whenever Sarah looked at him, she found him staring at her with
an insolent smirk.
None of the children, except Joel Johnson whom she knew to be
Arnold’s youngest child, were dressed well. But the Tippitt children
were the most ragged of the lot. The dress code for the school appeared
to be patched overalls for the boys and threadbare skirts with
blouses or sweaters for the girls, but the Tippitt children’s clothes
were not patched and, Sarah suspected, seldom washed.
At noon, when all the students sat at their desks to eat their
packed lunches, she couldn’t help but notice that the only item the
Tippitt children pulled from their lard pails, which served as lunch
boxes, was a single jam sandwich. Guiltily, she ate her own sandwiches
and cookies. But she could not bring herself to eat, in front
of them, one of the apples she had purchased the previous week
from Mr. Stratton’s store.
To Sarah’s surprise the day passed quickly. No sooner had she resumed
afternoon lessons than the time came to dismiss. The older
students slammed their books into their desk drawers in a disorderly
mess then raced for the cloak rooms and the outside door.
Tomorrow, Sarah told herself, she would give a few instructions on
decorum.
She had just finished helping the last grade one girl – little Alice
Schroader – with her boots and mittens, when the door opened and
Arnold Johnson walked in. He waited until Sarah had seen Alice
and her two friends safely outside to where an older brother waited
with a horse and cutter.
