by Irene Brand
When the crowd was gone, Marie sat at one of the desks and breathed deeply. “Well, I lived through my first hurdle as a teacher,” she said. Looking at Lena, she said, “Did I make too many mistakes?”
Lena patted her on the shoulder. “No mistakes at all. I’m sure everyone had a good time, and several told me they were happy you were going to be the teacher.”
“Then I’ll pray they still feel that way at the end of the school year.”
Daniel blew out the lamps and locked the door before he brought Lena’s buggy to the door and helped both the women into the vehicle.
“I’ll get my horse and ride along with you,” he said. “I’ll rest better if I know you’re home in bed asleep.”
Marie said, “I’m not sure I’ll be sleeping. I’m too tense to sleep, but I’m sure looking forward to relaxing on the feather mattress. I keep thinking of the people and all of the things they told me. This was a part of teaching I didn’t know about.”
“Well, you can rest assured that your first social activity with the students and their parents was successful,” Daniel said. When they got to Lena’s house, he told his grandmother, “You ladies go on inside. I’ll put the buggy and horse in the barn and give the horse some hay. I hope you two will rest tonight.”
He leaned over, kissed Lena on the cheek and squeezed Marie’s hand as he helped them from the buggy.
Marie, too, had wished for a peaceful night’s sleep, but her mind wouldn’t rest. She kept thinking about the children and parents who’d attended, doubting that she was capable of ministering to these families. Their backgrounds were so different from the environment she’d always known. Feeling very childish, she started crying, wishing she was back home in Canaan in her own bed, knowing that her parents were nearby if she needed them.
* * *
To Marie, it seemed as if the weeks zipped by. When she returned to Canaan for Thanksgiving, she wasn’t surprised to find that her mother had already been busy preparing candy and nut treats, as well as buying gifts to put under the Christmas tree. When Marie expressed her thanks, Evelyn said, “Lena told me it’s customary for the teacher to buy gifts for all of the children, and then have sacks of candy, apples and oranges for everyone who attends the program. I know you could have managed without my help, but I wanted to do this.”
“Now, Mother,” Marie said, “I don’t expect you and Dad to pay for that candy. The trustees are providing money for the treats.”
“I know, but many people attend these programs, and I don’t want you to be fretting that you won’t have enough. Aunt Fannie and I will bake cookies and make fudge, so you’ll have them in Canaan before you need them.”
“No wonder people call me ‘that spoiled Bolden brat.’”
Grinning, Evelyn said, “No one had better say that to Aunt Fannie, or they’ll have a fight on their hands.”
Laughing lightly, Marie said, “After the restrictions you and Aunt Fannie put on Earl and me when we were kids, I doubt that we’ll stray too far from your teachings.”
“I do worry about you, though, and want to see you safely married.”
“I pray that I will get married and have a family someday, but you’ve done a good job of teaching that I should never be ‘yoked together with an unbeliever.’ Regardless of the way I feel, I absolutely have no intention of marrying anyone who doesn’t share my faith. You have nothing to worry about.”
“To the contrary,” Evelyn said, “there’s plenty to worry about. When I consider the love between Vance and me, I want very much for you to enjoy a similar relationship. Keep praying. God still answers prayers!”
* * *
Marie returned to Cades Cove refreshed from her visit home. She had no sooner removed the Thanksgiving decorations from the schoolroom until it was time to prepare a Christmas program. She learned from Lena that it was customary to have the program on the last day before the Christmas break.
Wanting to glean from her experience, she asked Lena’s advice. “You need to involve all of the children,” she said, “and speaking from experience, make it as simple as possible. After you’ve taught as many years as I have, you’ll know that all parents want to see their children involved in some way.”
“Mama gave me a program book she ordered from Raleigh. The scene takes place in Heaven the day before Jesus was born. All the participants are angels.”
“That sounds as if it’s the perfect drama for you. Everyone can be involved.”
First, though, Marie had been warned by both her mother and Lena that there was usually a slump in children’s attention prior to the Christmas break, and she tried to think of something interesting to be a teaching tool, and to occupy the minds of the children. She’d collected several books on the history of Cades Cove, and when she taught a few lessons on this history to the older students, she was amazed to find out how little many of them knew about the surrounding area. She decided that during the time between Thanksgiving and the Christmas break each student would be required to choose a hands-on project about the area to supplement the textbook lessons.
“The purpose of this assignment,” she explained, “is to learn what it was like to live in this area fifty years ago. They lived closer to the land than we do now. Many of us who live in North Carolina today have made friends with the Native Americans, so I hope several of you will focus on the interaction of the natives and the early settlers. As you know, my brother, Earl, will be marrying a Cherokee. Our generation owes a big debt to these earlier settlers.
“The first Cades Cove pioneers, John and Lucretia Oliver, made a hundred-mile journey when they moved to this wilderness area in 1818. They could have run into a lot of danger, but the Cherokee were kind to them and shared their food with the Olivers during their first winter.”
When two of her students, sisters Annabelle and Norma Sandusky, asked her if they could prepare a paper on the life of Cherokee women, Marie was pleased with their choice. She monitored their work as they progressed and learned many interesting facts about the life of those early women. She was particularly interested in one description of that period of history, and Marie remembered that Lena had told her, “You’ll learn a lot. The teachers always learn more than the students they teach.”
As she helped the children research, Marie came across a statement that she wanted to remember, and she copied it in one of her teaching books. “Many Cherokee women adhered to the traditional belief that linked the spiritual and physical worlds into a balanced whole, emphasizing the importance of community and harmony. Those native women certainly had more prestige and power than other Colonial women in the area.”
Although Marie thought that she might be expecting too much from her students, at the end of two weeks, she was pleasantly surprised at the projects they’d done. No doubt some of the parents had helped the students make toys handcrafted out of wood. One child brought a jar of molasses he’d helped his grandmother make. Jars of jelly were put on display. One of the older students made a replica of the John Oliver cabin, which had been built in 1822.
As she assessed the progress of the students during the few months she’d been with them, Marie knew she’d made many mistakes, but when she considered all that they had done, she knew she had proven to herself that she could teach.
* * *
Lena had warned her that the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas were the second most difficult time to be a teacher. “I suppose you can guess which time is the most difficult,” Lena had said.
“Christmas, of course!” Marie said and her face spread into a wide smile. “Remember it hasn’t been very long since I’ve been a ‘pupil,’ and I well recall that I could hardly stand the waiting time, at least the week before Christmas. Do you have any suggestions? I’ve participated in a lot of programs in my short life, but I’ve never planned one. I’m not too satisfied with
my work so far.”
As usual, Lena encouraged her. Placing her arms around Marie, she said, “You’re one of the best teachers we’ve ever had in Cades Cove, so don’t ever apologize for your work.”
Fortified by Lena’s praise, Marie took a deep breath. “With that kind of praise, I’d better not disappoint you. My mother gave me a program book. We’ll start practicing on the program the first of the week. I’ll have the students study in the morning and then work on the program in the afternoon.” After a few weeks of rehearsals Marie was satisfied with the children’s progress.
* * *
Lena had told her that it was customary to trim a tree and that the teacher gave sacks of candy, as well as an apple or orange to everyone, not just the students. As usual, she relied on Lena for advice about what the students and parents would expect for the holidays.
“I figure if you dig deep enough, you’ll find that there’s a box of Christmas ornaments to decorate a tree.”
“Oh, my,” Marie wailed. “Why didn’t they mention all of these things in teachers college?”
Laughing, Lena said, “Probably because they figured if prospective teachers had any idea of the hard work it takes to be a teacher, they wouldn’t have many graduates.”
“There isn’t any problem about having the treats. I brought the candy and fruit back with me after Thanksgiving vacation. It’s been in my bedroom, so that will be ready.”
Lena told Marie, “Perhaps you don’t realize it, but the Christmas program is the highlight of the year for most of the children, and certainly for the parents, who seldom have an opportunity to leave the Cove.”
When the day of the Christmas program finally arrived, Marie felt that it was going to be a success. Although the rehearsal sessions had sometimes turned into disasters, with students forgetting their speeches and some bursting into tears because they’d made a mistake, Marie was more than pleased with the program.
Every participant was an angel, and several women had worked after school hours for a few days making garments for them to wear. Everyone was wrapped in a white sheet, and each child wore a halo made by tying the ends from pine branches around their foreheads. Although during rehearsal, the children had complained about the pine needles scratching their heads, their behavior was very angel-like on the night of the program.
Marie had high hopes for the success of the program. The evening started with the audience singing Christmas carols with the children. Obviously, the children enjoyed all of the Christmas carols, but they seemed to prefer Martin Luther’s Cradle Hymn, as did the audience, who sang joyfully, “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed...”
The program progressed without too many mistakes and no real disasters, and parents and children alike enjoyed the festive celebration of the Christmas season.
With the help of Lena and Lizzie, Marie had filled brown bags with candy and nuts. Adults, as well as the children, received a gift from under the tall cedar that stood in one corner of the room.
When it was over, Marie was satisfied that though it hadn’t been a perfect school year so far, she’d done the best that she could.
After the audience left, Daniel stayed behind to help straighten the room, so that it would be ready for classes after the Christmas break.
When he’d helped his grandmother into the buggy, he went back to lock the schoolhouse door.
As Marie stepped outside, he said, “Have you made arrangements to return to Canaan? If not, I’ll be glad to take you.”
“Thank you,” Marie said, not knowing whether she was pleased that Daniel had asked, or sorry that she couldn’t accept his offer. “I appreciate that, but Dad sent word that he would be here early tomorrow morning to take me home.”
“I hope you have a good visit at home.” He reached into his pocket and removed a small box. “Merry Christmas,” he said.
“Oh,” Marie said, “you shouldn’t have given me a gift.”
“Why not?” he said and she sensed that he was displeased. “I didn’t make the money bootlegging.”
“I didn’t even think of such a thing.”
“Then will you take the gift?”
She took the box, then stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Wondering why on earth she’d done such a thing, she was rather amused when she realized that Daniel was as startled as she was. “Merry Christmas,” she said, and ran down the steps and got into Lena’s buggy. If Lena had noticed the kiss, she didn’t mention it.
At times, Marie had thought that Daniel didn’t even like her, and she was taken completely by surprise when he’d handed her the gift. Although she was curious about the present, she didn’t open it until Christmas morning. She’d not mentioned the gift to her parents.
Although she didn’t know anything about pearls, she was sure that the black Tahitian pearls were expensive, which wasn’t surprising. For some reason, Marie started crying, and she didn’t know why—no doubt because her future with Daniel seemed to be as dark as the beautiful pearls she clasped around her neck.
Chapter 6
Although Marie thoroughly enjoyed the days at home with her family during Christmas break, her mind didn’t stray far from Cades Cove and the friends she’d made there. Aunt Fannie prepared all of Marie’s favorite dishes and coddled her as if she was a child again. She visited her friends in town, and spent one afternoon in the little church where the Canaanites worshipped. Attending services in this building was one of her earliest memories.
The wooden pulpit still stood on the platform in the front of the building. Two rows of six benches faced the front. An organ was placed to the left of the pulpit, and two armchairs were on the right. There was still a faint odor of the cedar logs used to erect the building. She remembered vividly the morning she’d gone forward when the pastor gave the invitation to those who wanted to be saved and follow the Lord in baptism. She shivered when she also recalled how cold the water was when she was baptized.
A Bible lay face open on the podium, and curious, she looked to see what portion of the Scripture had been used the previous Sunday. She remembered that one of their pastors had involved the children in the worship service by asking them to memorize certain Scripture verses. One Sunday, he’d said, “When you have Bible verses stored in your mind and heart, they can never be taken away from you.” To encourage them to read and memorize, one summer he’d asked the children under the age of twelve to repeat any Bible verse they had learned during that particular week.
Marie laughed when she remembered how many children had quoted, “Jesus wept.”
However, their pastor never took lightly the effort any child made.
Reverently, Marie turned the pages of the book, asking God to direct her to a portion of Scripture that would give her some insight on how to deal with her relationship with Daniel. Weeks ago she had memorized a passage from Paul’s second message to the Corinthians—a message that seemed seared in her memory.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers—for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness.”
Kneeling beside the pulpit, Marie prayed, “God, our Father, what am I to do? I love Daniel, and I have a feeling that he’s under conviction and knows he needs to follow You. I don’t know how to pray, except to depend on You to make him see the error of his ways. He knows what he should do, but he’s proud and believes that he doesn’t need anyone. Will You pierce his hardened heart and direct his thoughts toward You?”
Marie stood, gave another fond look around the room where she’d accepted God as the supreme leader in her life. She felt comforted and assured that somehow, some way, Daniel would be convinced of his need to change his ways.
* * *
As she walked back to Sunrise Manor, she realized that Canaan hadn’t changed much. She also admitted that
it was no longer the most important place in her life, but rather a pleasant memory of the past. She’d cast her lot temporarily with Cades Cove, but she wondered how long she would live there. It seemed almost like home to her. She’d enjoyed visiting with her family, but she looked forward to returning to her teaching job, even though she had several problems to deal with when she returned.
How was she ever going to teach Guy Alexander to read? Would Janie Moss always have the sniffles? How should she deal with the advances of Bill Frazier who, at least once a week, stopped by the schoolhouse to discuss how his daughter Olive was progressing in school? So far, he hadn’t given her any cause to believe that he hadn’t made these visits solely in the interest of his daughter. Still, she was uneasy in his presence, and one of the reasons she didn’t trust him was the sly expression on his face when she looked his way unexpectedly. She considered talking to Daniel about her reservations, but if he should say anything to Frazier, it might disrupt her teaching. She was very fond of Olive, and feared if she mentioned the situation to anyone it might cause the student some trouble, so she suffered in silence.
Also, she hadn’t yet found the time to walk up the mountain to where Smith Spencer lived, and she wanted to do that as soon as possible.
* * *
Vance was prepared to take Marie back to Cades Cove when her Christmas vacation was over. On the day before her return, a knock sounded on the door. Marie and her mother were in the living room, so Aunt Fannie padded down the hallway to greet the visitor.
They heard the door open, and suddenly Aunt Fannie shouted, “Well, the Lawd be praised! Glory! Glory! You rascal, come in here and let me give you a hug.”
Marie and Evelyn looked at one another, stood up quickly and headed toward the door.
