The figure moved closer and closer.
Christy backed against the pine. Her heart hammered in her chest. Her fists were clenched.
“Miz Christy, don’t be scared. It’s me.”
Christy blinked. She didn’t recognize the boy’s voice. But she did recognize the red cap.
“Zach Holt?” she said in a trembling voice. “Is that you, Zach?”
The little boy came close and extended his hand. Even in near-darkness, she could see that his forehead was beaded with sweat. Pine needles stuck to his ragged, patched coat. A small stick was caught on his cap.
“Zach, what are you doing here? You weren’t . . . following me, were you?”
“Me?” Zach cried. “No’m. Not me. I was just— ” he hesitated, “I was just out huntin’ possum.”
“With your bare hands?”
Zach swallowed. “It’s a special trick my pa taught me,” he said quickly. “You corner ’em, and then when they play possum—you know, all curled up like they’s dead, you whomp ’em on the head with a stick.”
“I see.” Christy crossed her arms over her chest. Now that her fear was fading, she was left with far too many questions. “I heard noises before,” she said. “Branches cracking, that sort of thing. It sounded like somebody was following me.”
With great care, Zach examined some pine needles on his coat.
“And I heard a wolf. At least, I thought it was a wolf.”
“Could’a been.” Zach nodded. “There’s lots of wolves around these here parts. They get real mean this time of year. Hungry, too.”
Christy nudged the dead rat on the ground with her toe. “Are there lots of tree rats in the area, too?”
Zach gulped. “Tree rats? Ain’t never heard of no tree rats, Ma’am.”
“I haven’t, either. So how do you explain this one? It fell out of this pine tree. And nearly scared me to death, I might add.”
Zach glanced up quickly at the upper branches of the tree, then met Christy’s eyes. “Just can’t mortally explain it, Miz Christy.”
Christy stared up at the tree. She saw nothing but a blur of dark branches.
“Could be that’s not a ground rat, factually speaking,” Zach suggested. “Could be one of them there flyin’ rats.”
“Ah. Those must be very rare. I’ve never heard of them.”
“Well, you’re from the city. Ain’t no flyin’ rats in the city. They hate cars and such.”
“I see.”
“You heard of flyin’ squirrels?”
“Yes. Now that you mention it, I believe I have.” Christy tried not to smile. She was torn between her anger at having been scared, and her amusement at Zach’s desperate attempt to explain the rat.
“Flyin’ rats is the same thing. Only instead of big fuzzy tails, they got scrawny ones.”
“Well, then. Thank you for clearing that up, Zach.”
He pointed to the top of the ridge. “If’n you like, I could walk you the rest of the way home.”
“Actually, I’m more worried about you getting home, safe and sound.”
“Oh, don’t fret about me none. I got company—” Zach swallowed hard. “What I mean to say is, I got me the stars and the trees for company. I know these woods like the back of my own hand, anyways.”
“I’d be pleased to have you as an escort, then, Zach,” Christy said.
They climbed in silence. At last they reached the top of the ridge. Below them, the mission house was a welcome sight. Yellow light glowed in the windows, and Christy could just make out the figure of Miss Ida inside, bustling to and fro.
Christy brushed the snow off a fallen log and sat down. She motioned for Zach to join her there. “I’d like to rest up, Zach, before I go the rest of the way. Maybe you could keep me company for a moment.”
“Well . . .” Zach sat down, looking very uncomfortable. “My pa gets ornery if’n I’m out too long. I oughta be gettin’ on. That is, if’n you don’t need me to es-squirt you the rest of the way.”
“Escort.” Christy smiled. “Are you close to your pa, Zach?”
“Close?”
“You know. Do you two like to talk? Go hunting and fishing together, that sort of thing?”
“Not a whole heap. He talks some, I s’pose.” Zach kicked at a stone. “Pa’s got kind of a mean streak in him, when he gets to drinkin’ moonshine.”
Christy nodded. Miss Alice had told her that illegal liquor was a big problem here in the mountains.
“That must be hard for you, when he gets like that,” she said gently.
“Ain’t so hard. I’m used to it. Wraight, he—” Zach stopped himself.
“What, Zach?”
“Nothin’. It’s just . . . now and again, he gets riled up somethin’ fierce about Pa. Wraight’s got a temper, see, and so does Pa.” He gave a little shrug. “Course it’s not real feudin’, mind you. Not like the Taylors and the Allens or nothin’.”
“I’ve heard that the Taylor and Allen families have been fighting each other for a long, long time,” Christy said. “Why are they still fighting, do you think?”
Zach looked at her in confusion, as if he couldn’t understand why she’d even bother asking. “Way back when, the Taylors and Allens got to shootin’ each other, and they ain’t never stopped. Could be over moon-shinin’.” He shrugged. “Could be over nothin’.”
Once again, Christy felt a deep sadness for mountain children like Zach. They were so used to hate and fighting and killing. It wasn’t fair. They grew up far too fast.
“Zach,” she asked casually, “do you like Lundy?”
“He’s all right enough, I s’pose.”
“But you’re friends with him, aren’t you?”
“I’m too little. Wraight’s his friend, more’n I am.”
Christy stared up at the starry sky. “I guess Lundy can be kind of a bully, can’t he?”
Zach answered with a small nod.
“I can see how it might be hard for someone —especially someone smaller—to say no to Lundy.”
“Right hard,” Zach agreed.
Christy sighed. This was tougher than she’d thought it would be. She was almost certain that Lundy was putting Zach up to these pranks. But could she ever get the little boy to admit it, as long as he was so afraid of Lundy?
She decided to try the direct approach. “Zach, did Lundy make you follow me this evening, to try to scare me?”
“No’m,” Zach said, leaping off the log. “Don’t be gettin’ Lundy all mixed up in this. It’ll just make things worse!”
“Zach, what are you talking about?”
“I got to go, Miz Christy. My pa and all. Will you be all right the rest of the way over to the mission?”
“Of course I will. And thank you, Zach, for taking me this far.”
With an awkward tip of his little red cap, Zach slipped into the trees and vanished.
The next day at school, Christy didn’t say anything to Zach about the incident in the woods. She noticed that he seemed even quieter than usual. Wraight and Lundy, on the other hand, were especially bad-tempered and rude. Twice she’d had to scold them during reading lessons.
It had been a frustrating day, even with the help of her new Junior Teachers. When Lizette had tried to help Wraight with his spelling, he’d snapped at her so gruffly that she’d practically cried.
Christy was glad when the school day finally ended. As she stood in the doorway, saying goodbye to the children, she was surprised to see Mr. Pentland appear at the top of the ridge.
“Back so soon?” Christy called.
“Not just me,” Mr. Pentland yelled back. He jerked his thumb back toward the woods. “Got some delivery folks a-comin’, too. Mighty big load.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Christy exclaimed. “Donations for the mission?”
“Yep. All of it’s for the mission, near as I can tell. Been piling up at the train station for a while now.”
Soon a big wagon, pulled by two pairs of strong oxen, lumbered into the schoolyard. It was piled high with crates and boxes. Some were covered with a large tarp.
Christy ran to greet the wagon. So her letter-writing campaign had worked, after all! What would David and Miss Alice say when they saw how well her plan had worked?
Most of the children, who’d been about to head home, stayed to watch as the two delivery men began unloading large boxes.
Only Zach, Lundy, Wraight, and Smith hung back on the porch, as sullen and watchful as ever.
“My, it’s Christmas in March!” David exclaimed, rushing over to help the delivery men. “Are you sure they’re in the right place, Mr. Pentland?”
“Yep. Took two days to get here over those rutted roads. But they figured better now than when the spring thaw comes and the mud with it. It’s all for the mission. Oh— ’ceptin’ this package for you, Miz Christy.” Mr. Pentland reached into his bag and handed her a small package. It was wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string. “Mighty big week for deliveries.”
The careful handwriting on the package told Christy it was from her mother.
“Ain’t you goin’ to open it, Teacher?” Ruby Mae asked.
“I’ll save it for later,” Christy said. “We’ve got enough to open, don’t you think?”
David borrowed a hammer from one of the delivery men and began to open a large wooden crate. “This says to Miss Christy Rudd Huddleston,” David said. “From the Martin Textile Company in Charlotte, North Carolina.” He grinned at her. “You have connections in Charlotte?”
“Well, not exactly,” Christy said. “It’s a long story.”
The top of the crate popped off. “Blankets!” Ruby Mae cried. She and Bessie began pulling out the fresh wool blankets, one by one. David opened another crate from the same company, this one filled with pillows.
One by one, David revealed the contents of the other crates. Each time, the children gathered around, gasping in surprise at the bounty inside. Christy beamed as she watched the donations pile up. All of it was so desperately needed—sheets, towels, rugs, cleaning supplies, medicine. And all of it was the result of Christy’s letter-writing campaign, with the exception of two barrels of secondhand clothing, sent by her mother’s church. The Bell Company had even come through with a large donation of telephone wire and a telephone.
David stared at the wire, frowning in disbelief. “And how exactly am I going to hook up telephone lines?” he asked.
“Well, you built an entire schoolhouse, didn’t you?” Christy said with a wink. “How hard will it be to install one little telephone?”
“It has to be connected up, you know. Two ends, something to carry the voice.”
“A telephone!” Ruby Mae exclaimed. “Wouldn’t that just be the most all-fired amazin’ thing Cutter Gap ever seen? How long will it take you to hook it up, Preacher?”
David rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t hold your breath, Ruby Mae. It may be a very long wait. In spite of your teacher’s confidence in me.”
“But David—” Christy began, stinging a little from the sarcasm in his voice. After all, she’d gone to a lot of trouble to get the telephone equipment. Couldn’t he at least show a little gratitude?
“Well, well. This is quite a sight,” Miss Alice called from her cabin porch. But the look on her face was not exactly what Christy had hoped to see. She’d expected Miss Alice to be as thrilled as she was about the donations. Instead, she almost looked annoyed.
“Looky here, Miss Alice,” Little Burl said, running to grab her hand as she approached. “There’s pillows in that there crate, soft as can be!”
“So I see.”
Miss Alice met Christy’s eyes. Now Christy was certain of it. Her heart sank a little. Miss Alice was not pleased.
David held up the wire. “Christy apparently thinks that with my magical skills, I’ll be able to string up a telephone wire. She seems to have forgotten that the wire has to go over two mountains, not to mention a river.”
Just then, John cried out. “Ooo-wee! Will you look at this!” He and Creed had managed to open a large cardboard box.
Christy recognized the printing on the top of the box. It was from a textbook supplier she’d written. Could it be?
John held up a brand-new history textbook. “Real, live books!” he cried. “Have you ever seen somethin’ so all-fired pretty?”
Christy joined the boys. The other children crowded close. It was more than she’d ever dreamed possible—maps, books, even a globe and an American flag!
“Oh, Miss Alice!” Christy cried. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“I’m glad, for the sake of the children,” Miss Alice said quietly, “but I do think we need to have a talk, Christy.”
Before Christy could respond, Little Burl grabbed her arm. “Teacher,” he said urgently, “what’s under the big blanket over yonder on the wagon? Those are the biggest boxes I ever did see!”
Christy was almost afraid to ask. Judging from Miss Alice’s stern look, she had made some kind of terrible mistake. Still, she had no choice but to ask.
“Mr. Pentland,” she said, “what’s under the tarp? More boxes? Or maybe mattresses?”
“No’m. I reckon you remember how I told you somethin’ was a-comin’ that could make noise?” He signaled to the two delivery men, who yanked the tarp free.
Everyone gasped, but no one was more stunned than Christy.
A beautiful, brand-new, gleaming, grand piano sat on its side in the wagon.
“Oh, my!” Christy said, her hand to her mouth.
“Oh, my, indeed,” said Miss Alice.
“Mercy, Teacher!” whispered Creed. “What is it?”
“It’s a piano, Creed. A concert grand piano. It makes beautiful music.”
Even Lundy and his friends ran over, staring at the piano in awe. Wraight reached out and touched the shiny black piano bench, his jaw slightly ajar.
“Ain’t it just purty?” Ruby Mae said to Wraight.
He gave a small nod, his fingers lingering on the smooth wood.
Christy turned to Miss Alice and David. “Well,” she said a little sheepishly, “surprise!”
David slowly shook his head. He could not seem to find the right words.
“Christy,” he said at last, “that may be the understatement of the year.”