answer right. All right, Princess, let me think of something else."
Kevin stared into space and rubbed his chin, as one might do if he were mulling over a host of delicious options. A moment later, he returned to Sadie with a wide grin.
"OK. Try this on for size. Train A, traveling seventy miles per hour, leaves Wallace for some godforsaken town in Montana two hundred and sixty miles away. At the same time, Train B, traveling sixty miles per hour, leaves the same godforsaken Montana town for Wallace. When do the two trains meet? And how far from each city do they meet?"
"Do you have something to write with?"
"I don't, but I'm sure the waiter does."
Kevin hailed the waiter and asked him for a pencil and a slip of paper. When he received the items, he gave them to Sadie and repeated the problem. She scribbled a few equations on the slip and gave him an answer in thirty seconds.
"The trains meet two hours after leaving their stations," Sadie said with a self-satisfied grin. "They meet at a point a hundred forty miles from Wallace and a hundred twenty miles from that godforsaken town in Montana."
Kevin laughed and looked at Sadie with animated eyes.
"You're amazing, Sadie Hawkins."
Sadie beamed. She had impressed this rich and obviously educated man and done it on his terms. Her good day continued to get better.
"I'm glad you think so."
"Have you ever thought of going into teaching?"
"No. Why?"
"Why? You'd be an incredible math teacher, that's why."
Sadie sighed and soaked up every word. No one, but no one, had ever talked to her this way. She wondered how much of what this man said was flattery and how much was truth. In the end, it didn't matter. She liked hearing what he had to say.
"Thank you," Sadie said. "When I was younger, I dreamed of going to college. I dreamed of getting a degree and doing something important, but I soon realized that that dream, like a lot of things, would never happen. My father barely made enough money to support the two of us."
Kevin peered at her with a more thoughtful expression.
"Never give up on your dreams."
"That's easy for you to say."
"I haven't always had money, Sadie. I know what it's like to have to work for something important. I also know what it's like to fail, but it's never stopped me from trying to succeed."
Kevin leaned closer and softened his voice.
"Your problem now is that you need a job. You need to be able to support yourself. Then you can save for school. Then you can do anything. Do you have any other skills or talents?"
Sadie nodded.
"I'm good at chess. I was school champion for two years."
Kevin laughed.
"I mean skills you can sell."
Sadie reddened.
"Oh, Lord, this isn't my day," Kevin said. "I'm sorry, Sadie."
"That's all right."
"Let me try again," Kevin said. "What do you know how to do?"
"I know how to cook and clean!"
Kevin stewed on the answer for a moment and then started to smile.
"What's the matter? Did I say something wrong?"
"No," Kevin said. "You said something very right. Let's finish up and go."
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to King Street. There's a big house there and a lady I want you to meet. I think I've found you a job."
CHAPTER 20: ANDY
Tuesday, February 22, 1910
Andy O'Connell, Irishman, journalist, randy fellow, and connoisseur of whiskey, women, and tobacco products, lit up a fat cigar in the living room of Maude Duvalier's mansion and studied his two newest friends. He liked them both and wanted to get to know them better, even if they didn't stick around. The likelihood of that, he thought, was pretty strong.
"Tell me, Kevin, are you still planning to skip town tomorrow night?"
"I am," Kevin said. "I want to see what Montana has to offer."
"You'll be back, of course."
"That's my intent."
Andy looked at Kevin and wondered about that. The would-be teacher had visited only one school in his eight days in Wallace and had expressed no interest in investigating the prospects in neighboring
Kevin stared into space and rubbed his chin, as one might do if he were mulling over a host of delicious options. A moment later, he returned to Sadie with a wide grin.
"OK. Try this on for size. Train A, traveling seventy miles per hour, leaves Wallace for some godforsaken town in Montana two hundred and sixty miles away. At the same time, Train B, traveling sixty miles per hour, leaves the same godforsaken Montana town for Wallace. When do the two trains meet? And how far from each city do they meet?"
"Do you have something to write with?"
"I don't, but I'm sure the waiter does."
Kevin hailed the waiter and asked him for a pencil and a slip of paper. When he received the items, he gave them to Sadie and repeated the problem. She scribbled a few equations on the slip and gave him an answer in thirty seconds.
"The trains meet two hours after leaving their stations," Sadie said with a self-satisfied grin. "They meet at a point a hundred forty miles from Wallace and a hundred twenty miles from that godforsaken town in Montana."
Kevin laughed and looked at Sadie with animated eyes.
"You're amazing, Sadie Hawkins."
Sadie beamed. She had impressed this rich and obviously educated man and done it on his terms. Her good day continued to get better.
"I'm glad you think so."
"Have you ever thought of going into teaching?"
"No. Why?"
"Why? You'd be an incredible math teacher, that's why."
Sadie sighed and soaked up every word. No one, but no one, had ever talked to her this way. She wondered how much of what this man said was flattery and how much was truth. In the end, it didn't matter. She liked hearing what he had to say.
"Thank you," Sadie said. "When I was younger, I dreamed of going to college. I dreamed of getting a degree and doing something important, but I soon realized that that dream, like a lot of things, would never happen. My father barely made enough money to support the two of us."
Kevin peered at her with a more thoughtful expression.
"Never give up on your dreams."
"That's easy for you to say."
"I haven't always had money, Sadie. I know what it's like to have to work for something important. I also know what it's like to fail, but it's never stopped me from trying to succeed."
Kevin leaned closer and softened his voice.
"Your problem now is that you need a job. You need to be able to support yourself. Then you can save for school. Then you can do anything. Do you have any other skills or talents?"
Sadie nodded.
"I'm good at chess. I was school champion for two years."
Kevin laughed.
"I mean skills you can sell."
Sadie reddened.
"Oh, Lord, this isn't my day," Kevin said. "I'm sorry, Sadie."
"That's all right."
"Let me try again," Kevin said. "What do you know how to do?"
"I know how to cook and clean!"
Kevin stewed on the answer for a moment and then started to smile.
"What's the matter? Did I say something wrong?"
"No," Kevin said. "You said something very right. Let's finish up and go."
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to King Street. There's a big house there and a lady I want you to meet. I think I've found you a job."
CHAPTER 20: ANDY
Tuesday, February 22, 1910
Andy O'Connell, Irishman, journalist, randy fellow, and connoisseur of whiskey, women, and tobacco products, lit up a fat cigar in the living room of Maude Duvalier's mansion and studied his two newest friends. He liked them both and wanted to get to know them better, even if they didn't stick around. The likelihood of that, he thought, was pretty strong.
"Tell me, Kevin, are you still planning to skip town tomorrow night?"
"I am," Kevin said. "I want to see what Montana has to offer."
"You'll be back, of course."
"That's my intent."
Andy looked at Kevin and wondered about that. The would-be teacher had visited only one school in his eight days in Wallace and had expressed no interest in investigating the prospects in neighboring
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