Eleanor

by Rachel Wesson

  “Well, no matter who the alternative is, he has to be better than Staunton. He should marry Ma Kelley,” Wilma replied.

  “Murph was interested, for a while.”

  “Oh, the poor girl, is she still here? She is goin’ to think this town is full of horrible men.”

  “Murph is all right once he keeps his political views under his hat. I think he has competition anyway. Gary Barrett seems to have taken a real interest in Miss Templeton.”

  “He is a nice man. Does she like him?”

  ‘Hard to know what she thinks of anyone to be honest. She is so British.”

  “Father Molloy,” Wilma and Mrs. Grey chorused.

  “I don’t mean it in a bad way, but she has been brought up to conceal her feelings. Honestly, I think if someone insulted her, she would thank them politely.”

  “How is she getting on with the children?”

  “She has put Master Shaw in his place a couple of times, but I sense she needs to be a little braver. Again she is too…”

  “Polite,” the ladies said this time, laughing at the expression on the priest's face.

  “I feel bad for her actually. With you and Doc Erin away, Emer Shipley was busy with the clinic, Katie with the store, and Laura and Ellen are both still recovering. There was nobody for her to talk to.”

  “You could have taken her out to see Mary.”

  “Mary Ryan Sullivan is the kindest soul that ever walked the earth but she’d question a tree till it answered her. The last thing Miss Templeton needs now is an inquisition.”

  Wilma exchanged a look with Mrs. Grey. Just what did the priest know about the new teacher that he was afraid would be shared with the rest of the community?

  “Ladies, I am so glad to have you both back safe and sound. I must be getting back to work. I haven’t got the sermon written for Sunday. I thought it was Reverend Timmons’ turn but he insists it is mine.”

  Wilma grinned. Reverend Timmons knew the people preferred to listen to Father Molloy so he often asked him to speak instead.

  Later that night, when she was almost asleep Wilma heard Jane sobbing. She’d thought the girl was fast asleep when she came into the room. She moved quickly to her side.

  “Come on, let it all out, Jane sweetie. You will feel better.”

  “I miss my aunt and my sister and most of all Reverend Douglass. Will he forget me now I have moved away?”

  “That’s one thing that definitely won’t happen. He loves you just as much as he ever did, perhaps even more. Don’t forget it was his idea for you to come and stay with us. Someday soon, when you is feelin’ better, you must invite him to come and see what Clover Springs is like. You’ll see, Jane, this place has the power to change lives. I know you don’t think you will ever feel the same again, and you are probably right. But you will have the strength to put your ordeal behind you and make a good life for yourself, and for Reverend Douglass if that is your desire.”

  Wilma cuddled Jane until she fell asleep and only then did she climb into her own bed. It was lovely to be home, but exhausted as she was, she couldn’t sleep. Somewhere out there her daughter could still be alive. Would she ever see her again?

  Chapter 29

  The next morning, Wilma got up early despite being tired. She wanted to see the children off to school, especially Rosa.

  “Mornin’, Wilma, I is so glad you is home.”

  “Me too, darlin’. So how are you gettin’ on at school? Do you like your new teacher? Is she nice?”

  “She is but she says she is really worried about my…what did she call it? Grammar? She says I need to speak proper but I do. Don’t I? You understand me. She won’t answer me if I ask her a question and use ain’t.”

  Wilma looked away so the child wouldn’t see she was amused. She didn’t want Rosa thinking she was laughing at her.

  “I think Miss Templeton is only trying to make you speak like a lady.”

  “But you use ain’t and ole and stuff like that all the time. And you is a lady.”

  “You are a lady,” Wilma corrected softly. “I am not like your Miss Templeton. I ain’t never, I mean I never went to school.”

  “Was your mama really nice? She must be to let you off from school”

  Wilma loved Rosa’s innocence but the child needed to know where her ancestors came from.

  “No, sweetie, it wasn’t my mama’s wish for me not to go to school. I had to go to work like all the other children where I lived.”

  “Work? Not just chores?”

  “No, darling, it was real work not chores. Have you learned about the slaves yet?”

  “No, but that dumb old Bertram Shaw keeps saying I is one. Is it a bad name?”

  “It is but it wasn’t our fault. See, at one time in some places in America, most black people were slaves. People like me had to work on big plantations from a very young age. Our masters weren’t interested in no book learning. They says we never need it. But they was wrong. Book learning is very important, Rosa. Only with education can you truly be free.”

  “Was I an ex-slave?”

  “No, Abraham Lincoln, may God bless his soul, abolished slavery a long time ago. You were born free just as free as Bertram Shaw.”

  “I is going to ask Miss Templeton to tell us about slavery. We should all know about it. Thank you, Wilma.” Rosa kissed Wilma on the cheek before finishing off her breakfast and running to find her friends.

  Wilma sat there rubbing her cheek wishing, as she so often did, Rosa was her real grandchild.

  Chapter 30

  “Miss Eleanor, what do you know about being a slave?”

  Rosa stood up, her big brown eyes sparkling with innocence. She couldn’t possibly mean anything by her question, could she? But why ask her? Why not Ellen or Laura?

  “Not a lot, Rosa. Just what I read in the papers. It’s abolished now, though, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

  “Yeah, Miss Wilma tole me it’s gone but why was it allowed? You don’t think it’s right for people to own other people, do you?”

  “No, Rosa, I don’t think it’s right at all. I don’t know why it first started. I have some theories but you are too young to understand them.”

  “Do you have slaves in England?”

  “No, Bertram, we don’t.” Eleanor tried to keep her tone civil but it was very difficult with Bertram. She usually could find redeeming qualities in most people but with this child, she was struggling.

  “If I asked someone Irish would they agree with you?”

  She clenched her fists, her nails digging into the palms of her hands.

  “Yes, of course, they would. There is, and never was, slavery in Ireland. I believe the Irish have been treated badly on countless occasions but this is not a subject on our curriculum.”

  “Why? Because you feel bad for being mean to Irish people?”

  “That’s enough, Bertram,” she said firmly. She wasn’t in the mood for his bad behavior. Rosa’s question had shaken her more than she liked. What had life been like for her mother, grandparents, and extended family. She knew it hadn’t been pleasant.

  “I was just saying…”

  “I said enough. Go stand in the corner. Now.”

  Bertram got up grumbling but he went to stand in the corner. The other students peered at their slates or books, anywhere but at her face.

  Rosa put her hand up again.

  “Yes, Rosa.”

  “Miss Eleanor, will it happen again? Will people put me back in slavery?”

  The terrified look on the child’s face made Eleanor feel ill.

  “No, Rosa, nobody will let that happen to you. Now why don’t you show the class how well you can read?”

  “I only started reading, Miss Eleanor.”

  “I know but Miss Laura said you have been working very hard.”

  Rosa’s smile lit up the whole room. “I has been. I promise.”

  Although tempted to correct her grammar, Eleanor didn’t. This sweet ch
ild needed encouragement to reach her potential. Eleanor resolved to ask Rosa’s friend Wilma to teach her more about slavery. She knew very little. It wasn’t a subject much discussed back in Britain.

  The children came back in from recess but a quick count showed Rosa was missing.

  “Laura, Rosa didn’t come back in. Has she gone home?”

  “No, the children aren’t allowed go home unless they get permission from one of us. Is she in the outhouse?”

  “No, miss, ’cause I was just there.”

  “Thanks, Billy,” Laura answered before asking Eleanor to go outside and check.

  Eleanor went outside, the outhouse was empty, and there was no sign of the little girl. She stood looking for a few seconds. Gary Barrett came over to her.

  “Something wrong?”

  “One of the children didn’t come back after recess.”

  “Who?”

  “Rosa.”

  “I’ll help you look. She may have gone over to those trees. Kids are always climbing them.”

  Eleanor picked up her skirt and followed Gary, gingerly walking through the higher grass. Didn’t snakes hide in grass? But they went into hibernation, didn’t they? She racked her brain trying to remember. She could deal with anything, but snakes of any shape, size, poisonous or not, scared her to pieces.

  “Isn’t that Rosa up above?” Gary pointed to a little girl sitting on the branch of a tree. “Shall I bring her over to you? I don’t fancy your chances of getting over those branches in that skirt.”

  “Yes, please. Thank you.”

  Eleanor watched as Gary went over to Rosa. He bent down and spoke to her. She looked back in Eleanor’s direction. The poor child had been crying. Who had upset her?

  “Rosa is a bit upset. I said you would be able to help her.”

  “Of course I can, darling. You tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Someone is going to come and take me and make me a slave again.”

  “Nobody will do that, Rosa. Slavery ended years ago.”

  “Well, Bertram said I don’t have a real ma and pa. I never will because I ain’t black or white so nobody wants me. So they get people like me to do the work slaves used to do. Because nobody cares about us.” The child’s sobs made Eleanor want to cry. After she boxed Bertram’s ears. Before she could say anything, Gary bent down to Rosa’s level.

  “Listen to me, little one. Any person who got to adopt a sweet, kind, wonderful girl like you would be very lucky. You can’t just have anyone as a parent. You have to wait for someone really special to come along.”

  “That’s what Miss Wilma says, but I thought she was trying to make me feel better.”

  “Miss Wilma knows it is always best to tell the truth, doesn’t she?” Gary asked.

  Rosa nodded, her thumb in her mouth but her gaze fixed on Gary’s face.

  “I know you want to be part of a family but for now, you got a lot to be happy about. You got Miss Wilma and Miss Ellen and Mr. Samuel and all the other children in the orphanage. You got friends in Clover Springs and most of all you have your big brother, who always looks out for you. That’s more than a lot of girls have.”

  “All girls have a big brother, don’t they Miss Eleanor?”

  “No, Rosa, they don’t. Some people don’t have any siblings, I mean brothers or sisters. Like me.”

  “And me,” Gary added.

  “Oh. I is lucky,” Rosa said before sticking her thumb back into her mouth.

  “You are very lucky. Now will you come back to school with me?”

  “Yes, Miss Eleanor. Am I in trouble?”

  “A little bit because we were worried about you and if Mr. Barrett hadn’t come along, I think I would have spent a long time looking for you,” Eleanor said using her teacher’s voice. At the look on the child’s face, she mellowed. “But I think you have been punished enough so let’s forget about it.” She smiled at the child to show her she wasn’t angry.

  “One thing though, Rosa, next time Bertram Shaw says anything to upset you, you tell him to come see me. I got plenty to say to him,” Gary said.

  “Thank you, Mr. Barrett, but I shall deal with Master Shaw,” Eleanor corrected him firmly.

  His ears pinked but he didn’t disagree with her.

  “Come along, Rosa, let’s get back inside,” Eleanor said softly taking the little girl’s hand

  “Thank you, Mr. Barrett, for coming to save me. I hope the pa who adopts me will be just like you.”

  Rosa let Eleanor’s hand go and ran back to the school house leaving Eleanor alone with a stunned looking Gary.

  “She’s such a sweet little thing, isn’t she?” Eleanor stated the obvious more to break the silence than anything else.

  “She sure is. A pa would be lucky to have her as his daughter.”

  The look of longing in his eyes almost took her breath away. Then it was gone. She wished she could take his hand or something but she was outside the school. Goodness knows who was watching.

  “Thank you for your help, Mr. Barrett.” Her voice caught on his surname but she couldn’t call him Gary.

  “No need for thanks. I would do almost anything for that little girl. She is such a beauty.”

  She stood staring at him as he walked away. Was he being honest? Could he see past Rosa’s color to the child inside? If he could, then maybe he could accept her. Should she share her secret? What if she was wrong?

  Chapter 31

  “Children, I have asked Miss Wilma to come and talk to you about slavery. I know some of you have become very curious about this sorrowful period in our past. I don’t think there is anyone better to educate us than someone who lived through it,” Ellen said addressing the class.

  Eleanor wanted to run and hide somewhere. Ellen had obviously talked to Wilma because she hadn’t had a chance. She would have preferred to speak to Wilma in private. She wasn’t ready emotionally to hear Wilma describe what it might have been like for her mother and other relations. But she couldn’t move. To do so would be disrespectful and may also cause suspicion. She had no choice but to listen.

  “Please don’t anyone interrupt. If you have a question, write it down on your slate and you can ask at the end,” Ellen added.

  “I can’t write too well, Miss Ellen,” one of the younger children protested.

  “That’s okay, you can whisper it to me and I will remember for you.”

  The child beamed at Ellen who took a seat beside her.

  Eleanor watched Wilma walk up to the front of the class. She had a real sense of dignity about her person but in a gentle rather than aggressive way. She started by smiling at the children.

  “Most of you know I don’t speak proper. I ain’t ever had the chance to learn like you have. Yesterday, my little petal, Rosa, asked me was that because my ma loved me enough to keep me home all day.”

  The children giggled.

  “But the truth is my ma didn’t have a choice. I had to go and work. Just like she did. Just like everyone in the slave quarters did.”

  “But you were just a child like us,” John said.

  “Children, what did I say? Please listen quietly,” Ellen reminded the class.

  “Yes, I was just a child but children can be good cotton pickers. Anyways, we didn’t have a choice. We did whatever the master tole us to do.” Wilma looked around the room. “The master was in charge of everything. What we wore, what we ate, how we spent our days, whether we could have a preacher, get married, stay together. The only thing that was free were our thoughts. Most slaves thought about freedom but few were brave enough to run away.”

  “Why? I’d run away rather than let anyone keep me prisoner. But then nobody would ’cause I am white.”

  “Bertram, show some respect to your elders. The people couldn’t run away as the master would punish not only them but their family members who stayed behind. If your ma was going to be hurt because you ran away, would you go?” Ellen asked.

  “Yup.”

  S
ome of the children laughed but most gave Bertram a dirty look. When he realized his antics were not appreciated, it only made him worse.

  “School is for learning about math and English. We don’t need to listen to no sob stories. They aren’t true anyway. They is only made up. My ma says that you got nothing more than you deserved and if she had her way, you wouldn’t be allowed to live among decent people.”

  “Of all the horrible things I have ever heard, your outburst ranks high on that list. Your mother should be made to come here and listen to what this good lady is saying. The truth will always come out and nobody can hide it. You are a despicable young man but it sounds like your ma is even worse. How dare you disrespect someone who has lived with the horror of being enslaved.”

  Silence greeted her outburst. She bit her lip in horror at what she had said. She meant every word but it was pointless aiming her anger at a young boy.

  “Thank you for your kindness, Miss Eleanor, but perhaps you should take the rest of the day off. I can see this is quite distressing for you,” Ellen said kindly but her eyes held a warning telling Eleanor to leave.

  Eleanor understood why. She had lashed out at a child. That was never acceptable behavior.

  “Why do you care? You is white. It’s never going to happen to you.” Bertram looked around the class. “Nobody is going to put white people into slavery. We are the masters. If you don’t like that…”

  “Bertram Shaw, go home now. I will call later to see your mother. Get out of this classroom immediately.” Ellen’s tone showed how annoyed she was.

  “Make me.”

  “Are you always this disrespectful young man?” Father Molloy’s voice boomed over the classroom. “I do not know what has been going on here, but judging by the number of upset faces, I can only imagine you are up to your old tricks. Get out of this classroom now, and I will take you to see your mother.”

  “That ain’t fair. You wasn’t here to hear her lies.”

  “The only person not telling the truth is you, Master Shaw. Wilma has been a dear friend of mine for many years. I will not stand by and see you or anyone else treat her so badly. Now get out.”