Hannah slipped into the desk. Della May sneaked a peek at her. Hannah had the same pretty brown skin as her ma. Her hair was caught up in two pigtails, tied with red ribbons. It was sparkly and dark and springy. Magical hair.
“Want to see my pet mouse?” Hannah asked in a soft whisper-voice.
Della May shook her head no. She could feel the eyes of the other students on her.
“Maybe later,” Hannah said.
Della May ignored her. Behind her, she heard the sound of desks and benches scraping.
Della May looked at Creed. He shrugged. There was nowhere for him to shove his desk.
He opened the lid a crack. Scalawag’s wet black nose poked out. Quickly Creed closed the desk, but not before Hannah noticed Scalawag.
“You got somethin’ in there?” she asked Creed. “Can I see?”
Creed shook his head no.
Christy went to the blackboard. “We’re going to start the day with a discussion of your arithmetic papers.” A few students groaned.
“Which, I am sorry to say, were not very impressive. Let’s start with a review of addition.”
She picked up a piece of chalk. It squeaked as she wrote numbers in a long column on the board.
“Creed Allen?” Christy called. “Why don’t you come up here and help me with this problem?”
“I don’t rightly like sums, factually speakin’,” Creed said.
“That’s exactly why I asked you,” Christy said with a grin.
Creed looked over at Della May, worry in his bright blue eyes. He pointed to his desk. Della May nodded.
“The rest of you,” Christy said, “work the problem at your desks.”
Creed went to the board. He scratched his head, then took the chalk and went to work. Christy watched, her back to the class.
Della May reached for her little, cracked blackboard. The class fell quiet as the students worked, heads bowed, on the problem.
Suddenly, Della May felt a hand touch her shoulder. She jumped when she realized it was Hannah. How dare that girl touch her! She started to protest, but Hannah pointed her finger at Creed’s desk.
The lid was opening! Scalawag poked out his head and blinked.
Della May tried to push him back, but he was in no mood to take orders. In a flash, he slipped out of the desk and leapt straight into her lap. Frantically, she held the struggling raccoon in her arms.
She had to get rid of him, and fast! But where was she going to put him? The lid on her own desk was broken.
She glanced around the room. Everyone was working. Miz Christy’s back was still to the class.
“You’re on the right track, Creed,” Christy said. “Keep at it.”
With one arm clutching Scalawag, Della May reached over to open the lid on Creed’s desk. Scalawag squirmed out of her arms, straight into Hannah’s lap.
Della May gasped. Now Miz Christy was sure to find out!
“Almost, Creed,” Miz Christy was saying. “Can anyone tell me where he made his mistake?”
Scalawag was sitting quietly in Hannah’s arms. She stroked him behind the ears, whispering something. Then she slipped him into her desk, easy as pie, just as Miz Christy turned around.
Hannah grinned at Della May, a big, I’ve-got-a-secret grin. She raised her hand.
She’s going to tell, Della May thought, her heart galloping inside her like a frightened colt.
“I think Creed forgot to carry the one,” Hannah said, calm and cool as could be. “So the seven should be an eight.”
“Very good, Hannah,” Christy said.
Della May stared at Hannah, her jaw dropped in disbelief. Hannah gave her a little wink.
“You can sneak him back later,” Hannah whispered.
Della May didn’t answer. For the life of her, she didn’t know what to say.
When it came time for the noon dinner spell, Creed and Della May and Hannah waited until everyone else had left the schoolroom.
As soon as it was safe, Hannah opened her desk and lifted Scalawag into her arms. “He’s a fine pet,” she said, stroking the raccoon’s head. Scalawag made a soft purring noise.
“Give him,” Creed snapped. “He ain’t yours.”
“Creed,” Della May said, “like I told you, she hid him for me. Miz Christy woulda seen him for sure if’n Hannah hadn’t . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“Here you go,” Hannah said, carefully placing Scalawag into Creed’s arms. “Does it have a name?”
Creed shrugged. “Scalawag’s his name. But don’t you be tellin’ anyone ’bout him, hear?”
“He’s awful quiet,” Hannah said.
“He’s been feelin’ poorly,” Della May said, scratching the raccoon’s ears. She realized with a start that she was talking to Hannah, just like she was a regular person.
Suddenly Scalawag struggled out of Creed’s grasp. The little raccoon scampered over the desktops. He stopped by an open window, sniffed the air, then bounded outside.
“Scalawag!” Creed cried. “Come back!”
The three children dashed down the front steps of the school to the side yard. Scalawag was nowhere to be seen.
“He coulda gone anywheres,” Creed moaned. “I’ll never find him now.”
“Raccoons are right smart about things. He’ll come back, I’ll bet you,” Hannah said as she searched under some bushes.
“Ain’t like him to run away,” Creed said. “He just ain’t been hisself lately.”
Della May patted her brother’s back. She could tell he was about to cry. “Don’t fret yourself,” she said. “Scalawag’s your best friend. He’ll come back. He probably just didn’t like all that ’rithmetic, is all.”
Creed frowned at Hannah. “Didn’t like somethin’, that’s for sure and certain.”
Della May watched her brother stomp off. It wasn’t fair, exactly, blaming Hannah. She’d done her best to hide old Scalawag, after all. And Creed had been the one holding him when he’d run off.
She looked at Hannah uncertainly. “It weren’t your fault,” she said at last.
Hannah smiled a little. “I know. He was just bein’ ornery. Got me a brother just like him. Feisty as a stepped-on bee sometimes.”
Della May tried not to smile back, but she couldn’t help it.
“Creed’s all right. Most of the time.”
“My brother John is all right most of the time, too. It’s those other times that’ll try your patience.”
Quiet fell between them. Della May felt all twisted up and funny inside. She could almost hear her pa yellin’ over her shoulder about how she shouldn’t be talking to Hannah. But she sure seemed nice enough.
Maybe she’d just keep up her guard, to be on the safe side. See how things went. Granny Allen had a Bible quote she was always saying—“ By their fruits ye shall know them.”
Della May figured that meant she should give Hannah a chance. Judge her by the way she acted, not just by what others say, or the color of her skin.
In the meantime, she wouldn’t say anything to her pa. No point in getting him angry and all riled up.