Minnesota, 1893
Chapter One
Patience forced her gaze away from the schoolhouse window. She was worse than her students sometimes. She had a bad case of spring fever and wanted nothing more than to walk home through the fields of flowers. Minnesota winters were harsh and difficult, but now she was on the far side of winter, she knew it was all worth it, because Minnesota in the spring was one of the most beautiful places on God’s Earth.
Patience was twenty, and it was her third year teaching school in the small schoolhouse where she’d attended school from the age of nine on . Five of her sixteen students were her younger brothers and sisters. Her two oldest brothers had finished school and were helping their papa on the farm until they had enough money saved to be able to buy farms of their own.
Seven of her other students were children of close family friends. Only four students weren’t people she had dinner with at least once per month, and three of them she’d known their entire lives. Charlie was the odd man out, having only moved to their community a few months before.
They were too far from town to be able to go to the town school easily, so the farmers in the area had gotten together eleven years before and built their own schoolhouse. Because the school was so small, the pay was low, and the different families had taken turns boarding the teacher. When Patience had been old enough, and had passed the teacher’s exam, the families were thrilled to have her. It made things simpler than having to find a new teacher each time someone got tired of the remote location.
“Charlie, you need to sit still and study your spelling.” She sighed. Charlie had been a problem since the first day he’d come to school there. He didn’t have a mother, and Patience was sure that was why he was always getting into mischief. Just yesterday he had thrown mud at several of the girls during recess. He was only seven, but she was worried he was going to be a real troublemaker as he got older.
Charlie sighed heavily. “My pa says spelling don’t help none with farmin’. He said the cows and wheat don’t care how you spell.”
Patience counted to ten, trying to live up to her name, not letting herself worry about his grammar as she was trying to correct his behavior. “Maybe the cows and wheat don’t care how you spell, but when you have to write a letter about the cows and wheat, I guarantee whomever the letter is for will care. Now, please sit quietly and study your spelling.”
Frank, her youngest brother at seven , who was in his first year of school raised his hand. “Patience? I mean, Miss Stevens? May I please get a drink of water?” Frank was dark haired like their mama, and he fought to be good during school. He’d rather be out running around or even helping their papa in the fields.
Patience nodded. It had been a fight since day one to get her younger siblings to remember to call her Miss Stevens at school. Grace was doing well, but she was fifteen, and almost finished with school. The twins, Danny and Faith, were twelve, and Eddie was ten. There were eight children in her family and her mama had always handled everything with a smile. In Patience’s mind her mother was a saint.
She glanced at the clock on her desk. Only thirty minutes to go and then she had the weekend ahead of her. She was working on a dress for the upcoming church social, and would spend most of the weekend on it when she wasn’t helping her mama with the household chores.
She called the first spelling class to the front of the room for recitations. The first class consisted of only two students, Frank and Charlie. As usual, Frank had diligently learned every word from his lesson, and Charlie misspelled all but three. “Charlie, you know you need to learn these words or I have to punish you. Go to the board and write each of the words you missed five
Chapter One
Patience forced her gaze away from the schoolhouse window. She was worse than her students sometimes. She had a bad case of spring fever and wanted nothing more than to walk home through the fields of flowers. Minnesota winters were harsh and difficult, but now she was on the far side of winter, she knew it was all worth it, because Minnesota in the spring was one of the most beautiful places on God’s Earth.
Patience was twenty, and it was her third year teaching school in the small schoolhouse where she’d attended school from the age of nine on . Five of her sixteen students were her younger brothers and sisters. Her two oldest brothers had finished school and were helping their papa on the farm until they had enough money saved to be able to buy farms of their own.
Seven of her other students were children of close family friends. Only four students weren’t people she had dinner with at least once per month, and three of them she’d known their entire lives. Charlie was the odd man out, having only moved to their community a few months before.
They were too far from town to be able to go to the town school easily, so the farmers in the area had gotten together eleven years before and built their own schoolhouse. Because the school was so small, the pay was low, and the different families had taken turns boarding the teacher. When Patience had been old enough, and had passed the teacher’s exam, the families were thrilled to have her. It made things simpler than having to find a new teacher each time someone got tired of the remote location.
“Charlie, you need to sit still and study your spelling.” She sighed. Charlie had been a problem since the first day he’d come to school there. He didn’t have a mother, and Patience was sure that was why he was always getting into mischief. Just yesterday he had thrown mud at several of the girls during recess. He was only seven, but she was worried he was going to be a real troublemaker as he got older.
Charlie sighed heavily. “My pa says spelling don’t help none with farmin’. He said the cows and wheat don’t care how you spell.”
Patience counted to ten, trying to live up to her name, not letting herself worry about his grammar as she was trying to correct his behavior. “Maybe the cows and wheat don’t care how you spell, but when you have to write a letter about the cows and wheat, I guarantee whomever the letter is for will care. Now, please sit quietly and study your spelling.”
Frank, her youngest brother at seven , who was in his first year of school raised his hand. “Patience? I mean, Miss Stevens? May I please get a drink of water?” Frank was dark haired like their mama, and he fought to be good during school. He’d rather be out running around or even helping their papa in the fields.
Patience nodded. It had been a fight since day one to get her younger siblings to remember to call her Miss Stevens at school. Grace was doing well, but she was fifteen, and almost finished with school. The twins, Danny and Faith, were twelve, and Eddie was ten. There were eight children in her family and her mama had always handled everything with a smile. In Patience’s mind her mother was a saint.
She glanced at the clock on her desk. Only thirty minutes to go and then she had the weekend ahead of her. She was working on a dress for the upcoming church social, and would spend most of the weekend on it when she wasn’t helping her mama with the household chores.
She called the first spelling class to the front of the room for recitations. The first class consisted of only two students, Frank and Charlie. As usual, Frank had diligently learned every word from his lesson, and Charlie misspelled all but three. “Charlie, you know you need to learn these words or I have to punish you. Go to the board and write each of the words you missed five
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