Assumptions and Apologies

By Emily Siburt

San Joaquin Valley, California, Early May, 1885

Ellianna Coulter rapped her ruler on the desk. “Attention!” Her tone softened slightly as she continued. “I know you are all impatient. Finish your work, and then I have a surprise for you.”

The students of the Fresno grammar school hushed and bent over their desks. Miss Coulter was loved by all her pupils, although she kept order with a firm hand.

Beth Morgan caught her teacher’s eye and smiled. Ellie smiled with her eyes, then directed them to the little girl’s slate. Beth took the hint and scratched away at her spelling lesson with a worn slate pencil.

Ellie stared out of the schoolroom window at the blue-gray sky. The last day of school was dragging by for her as well as the children. Right now, all she wanted to do was ride out to the Circle C Ranch and take a swift gallop on her favorite black mare, Magic.

Her cheeks darkened as she skirted the fact that she would love to see Chad again. Their courtship was progressing well, even though an unseasonable thunderstorm had kept her from riding out last Saturday. The ranch work piling up for Chad squeezed the time they were able to spend together into Sunday afternoons.

Soft whispers signaled to Ellie that her daydreams had gone on long enough. Tom Belstead was pointing to his desk and whispering to the boy across the aisle. When he saw Ellie looking at him, he subsided into a sheepish grin.

Ellie raised an eyebrow and stepped quietly down to stand beside his desk. Tom winced as she opened it and found the grass snake he had smuggled in. Ellie shook her head. Oh, Tom! You just had to bring one the last day of school! 

The memory of the snake in her desk on the first day of school made a smile twitch her lips, and she turned away to hide it. She gently picked up the snake and carried it to a drawer in her desk.

“All right, class. Third-grade spelling rise and pass to the front.”

Several students shuffled to stand in front of Ellie’s desk.

They recited well, and when they returned to their seats, Ellie cleared her throat importantly. “As I said before, I have a surprise for you. To demonstrate the progress you have made, my class will, for the first time, hold an exhibition for your parents and the school board.”

An excited murmur swept through the schoolroom. Ellie’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “The exhibition will be held next Friday at six o’clock, and I expect you all to be there. Afterward, there will be a picnic. We will be having fried chicken and ice cream, so make sure you stay.”

Ellie paused dramatically and went on. “I’m proud of you and thank you for being so willing to learn. Class dismissed.”

The children scattered, and the classroom emptied of all except Ellie and Tom. He walked jauntily up to her desk and stood looking at her. “Can I have my thnake now?”

Ellie smothered a laugh. The nerve of that boy!  She opened her drawer and held the twisting reptile out to Tom. “Don’t bring another one, or you won’t get it back,” she warned.

Tom cracked a gap-toothed smile at her. “It’th the latht day of thchool. You won’t be able to catch me again for a whole thummer.”

Ellie did smile that time. “Not unless you bring one to church . . . again.”

Tom looked up, startled.

“Oh, yes, I saw you,” Ellie told him sternly. “Don’t do it again.”

Tom nodded then ran off to show the snake to his friend.

Ellie called after him, “Good-bye, Tom!”

A grass snake was waved back at her as Tom disappeared around a corner.

Ellie gathered her things and locked the downstairs schoolroom one last time. Other than the school exhibition, the summer felt like an eternity of pleasure laid out in front of her.

She hurried down K Street to the boarding house she was staying at, dumped her things on her bed, and changed quickly. Just around the corner, Cory Blake waited at the livery stable with a saddled horse. Ellie pressed a coin in his hand and mounted in one swift move. The rides she took with Chad, and sometimes Andi, had improved her horsemanship dramatically.

***

It was nearing half past five when she finally trotted into the yard of the Circle C ranch. Ranch hands smiled in recognition, and one came to take her horse.

“Thank you,” Ellie said politely.

The hand grinned. “The boss is out in the south pasture, if that’s who you’ve come to see.”

Ellie blushed but calmly raised an eyebrow. “Is he? Well, I might ride out on Magic in a moment, but I’d like to speak to Elizabeth first.”

She glided up to the house, leaving the ranch hand chuckling.

She said hello to Elizabeth for the sake of her word and received an invitation to dinner. Then she hurried to the barn and saddled Magic. The black mare nickered affectionately then shot off to the south pasture as Ellie touched her heels to the mare’s sides.

In less than five minutes, Ellie rode up to several men moving cattle to another field. They seemed to be having a hard time with one heifer in particular. Every time they tried to herd her forward, she dashed to the side, taking several others with her.

Ellie spotted Chad on the edge, yelling, “Andi, get out to the right and rope her.”

The heifer spun the other direction.

“Not the right, Andi, the left!”

A slim figure on horseback streaked out to the side as the heifer tried to dodge again, a lasso whirling above her head. Andi. The loop of rope snaked out and fell neatly around the neck of the cow. The horse followed alongside the heifer for a little way then slowed, and the tension on the rope increased.

The heifer seemed to acknowledge she was beaten and clattered into a walk. The cattle were easily led once the troublemaking heifer was out of the way, and they ambled through a gap in the fence.

Chad noticed Ellie and rode to her side, a grin creasing his tan face. “How was the last day of the school, Miss Coulter?” he asked teasingly.

Ellie rolled her eyes and laughed. “Fine. Anita Clay fell into a bucket of water, Tom Belstead had a snake in his desk, and I’m nervous about the exhibition.”

Chad’s bright-blue eyes twinkled at her. “They’ll do fine. After all, you taught them.”

Ellie shook her head. “Thanks, but that doesn’t give me much confidence.”

“Why? Are you that bad of a teacher?” Chad asked, straight-faced.

Ellie smacked him lightly on the arm. “Be quiet.”

Chad laughed. “Yes, ma’am,” he said with a wink that made Ellie’s cheeks flush.

Andi joined them as they turned their horses toward the ranch house. “Howdy, Ellie!”

Ellie returned the greeting with a smile at the gutsy, dark-haired young woman. She liked Andi a lot and sometimes she wished Chad wasn’t so antagonistic toward her. Ellie hadn’t witnessed one of their famous quarrels yet, but she figured she would if she was going to be part of this family.

“Watch this, Ellie.” Andi coaxed Shasta into a canter and pulled her boots out of the stirrups. Carefully, she knelt in the saddle.

Ellie heard a slight gasp and glanced over at Chad. His face was white and set. When he found his voice, he chirruped to Sky and went after Andi as she sat down in the saddle and reined Shasta in. Her bright face glanced back for Ellie’s approval just as Chad burst out, “Don’t you ever do that again!”

Dismay, hurt, and anger mixed on Andi’s face. “Chad, you said Riley could teach me.”

“I didn’t agree to you doing these stunts all over the ranch, when Riley is nowhere in sight.  You stay in that saddle, do you hear?”

Ellie broke in. “Chad, don’t you think—”

“Stay out of this, Ellie,” Chad said sharply. He turned back to Andi and went on with a raised voice.

Ellie felt the blood drain from her face. Stay out of this? Did he really just say that? She clenched her jaw in pain as the sharp barb of his words sliced her heart. I thought we were trying to do things together.

She spurred Magic forward until she was near the shouting pair. Andi looked close to tears.

“Chad!” Ellie raised her voice. When he turned to face her, Ellie glared into his ice-blue eyes. This was the first time she’d ever been angry at him. It hurt almost worse than the provocation. “Don’t ever tell me to stay out of this, like it’s not my business.”

Chad looked surprised and angry. “It isn’t your business. This is between me and Andi, so stay out of it.”

Ellie felt ready to explode. “When you asked to court me, you made it my business, unless you are ending our courtship.”

“Sounds to me like you just ended it,” Chad snapped.

Ellie gripped the saddle horn to keep from falling off Magic. She never thought this would happen, not between her and Chad. She wanted to hit something, but instead she popped Magic with the end of her reins and galloped back to the barn.

Quickly, Ellie unsaddled and rubbed down the mare. She wanted to cry from anger and hurt but didn’t. She tacked up the livery stable horse and went inside to say good-bye to Elizabeth.

She was in the kitchen, kneading bread. Her long, graying braid hung loosely down her back. Ellie felt like a traitor somehow when she considered the words she had just said to Elizabeth’s son. She wanted to cry on the woman’s shoulder but couldn’t. She couldn’t ask comfort from the motherly, selfless woman. Not after what happened.

Ellie cleared her throat.

Elizabeth looked up. “Ah, Ellie!  Did you find . . .” Her voice trailed off. “What’s wrong?”

Ellie forced her lips to turn up. “Everything is” a sob threatened—“fine,” she finished in a whisper.

What a lie. Nothing was fine, and if she and Chad didn’t make up, nothing would ever be fine again.

Elizabeth wiped her hands on her apron and came to stand in front of Ellie. She looked deep into her eyes and put her hands on her shoulders. “Did you and Chad quarrel?”

Ellie’s lips trembled and tears spilled down her face. She nodded.

Elizabeth pulled Ellie into a warm hug then sat her down at the kitchen table. “Tell me about it.”

Ellie sobbed out the story. At the conclusion, there was silence. Elizabeth’s deep blue eyes were bent on the floor as she pondered the problem.

She finally broke the silence. “I think you should talk this over tonight. Many couples quarrel merely because they misunderstood the other’s feelings. The best thing to do is talk about it.”

Ellie gave Elizabeth a watery smile. “I don’t want to talk to him. I just want him to know how I feel.”

“Might he feel the same way?” Elizabeth inquired gently.

Ellie shrugged sheepishly. “I guess so.”

Elizabeth patted Ellie’s hand. “Go upstairs and freshen up for supper. Afterwards you and Chad can talk in the library.”

***

When Ellie came down for supper, she met Chad in the dining room. He nodded a greeting and sat down at the table. Ellie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye but didn’t receive a response.

Her heart skipped a beat, and not in a good way. Chad’s face was clouded and grim. Ellie felt a little scared. What if he didn’t forgive her? Could she really live in Fresno if Chad ended their courtship?

Supper was awkward. Andi was quiet and worried. Mitch tried to keep up a cheerful conversation, but only Elizabeth helped. Chad ate quickly and excused himself. Elizabeth nodded to Ellie, who followed him out to the barn.

“Chad?” Ellie asked faintly.

He turned. The look on his face was not encouraging, but Ellie went on quietly, “Your mother thinks we should talk about it.”

Chad shook his head. “I’m sure she does.” He sat down on a bale of straw and rested his elbows on his knees. “Those blasted stunts are driving me crazy. Every time Andi does one, I see Father’s accident all over again. You don’t understand what it was like to lose him. During spring roundup it comes back to me clearer than at any other time.”

Ellie leaned up against a stall door and looked at the floor. “I lost my mother, Chad.”

“When you were young. You can’t remember her that well.” Bits of straw floated to the ground as Chad broke a piece between his fingers.

“Yes, I can.” Ellie skipped past the ache that lived in that part of her memory and came back to the point. “The fact is, Chad, you can’t let that hurt your relationship with Andi. If you do want her to stop doing something, ask nicely. Chances are she’ll listen.”

Chad frowned and shook his head. “You don’t know how stubborn she is.”

Ellie felt herself getting frustrated. “You aren’t kind to her. Justin never has to tell her something twice, and it’s because of the way he tells her to do it. You rub in the fact that you’re the boss, and it stings.”

“So, it’s all my fault.”

“I didn’t say that, all I said was—”

Chad stood up. “That’s what it sounded like, Ellie.”

“Chad, listen to me, please! I’m not pardoning Andi. She has her faults. All I’m saying is that there are some things you could work on too.”

He grunted. “You know, I thought I’d left school behind me when I turned sixteen. Now, you’re trying to cram another lesson down my throat.”

Ellie lost all patience. “Turning sixteen and graduating doesn’t seem to have made you any less ignorant than that stubborn heifer you were working with today.”

“That’s quite the compliment.”

Ellie untied the livery stable horse and swung onto it’s back. “Don’t bother coming to see me for a while.”

Chad grasped the horse’s bridle. “Are you ending our courtship?” The tone of his voice made a shiver go down Ellie’s spine.

As angry as she was, Ellie wasn’t going to do that. “No. But we both need time to think. Let go of the bridle.”

He stepped back, and Ellie trotted out of the barn.

***

That Sunday, Ellie didn’t go out to the ranch. The boarding house was still and dreary. She graded final exam papers and organized the upcoming exhibition, but her heart wasn’t in it. Her argument with Chad weighed heavily on her heart. How would it end?

All week she washed clothes, cleaned her room, and thought. Maybe she hadn’t been understanding. Under all his rough exterior, Chad was kind. The memory of her harsh words snapped back at her jeeringly.

What a fool she was! She had done exactly what she had accused him of doing. Instead of asking nicely, she had tossed around orders and told him what to do. Acted like she knew everything. No wonder Chad responded the way he did.

Every evening, Ellie hoped Chad would call on her. She desperately wanted to tell him she was sorry, but he never came by.

The day before the exhibition arrived and Ellie went to clean the schoolroom. In the quiet room where she had spent nearly the whole fall and winter, Ellie dusted and swept and rearranged blindly. The lonely week was taking its toll on her nerves. Finally, she sat down at her desk and buried her face in her hands. Tears came at last, and she cried bitterly.

Suddenly, a hand rested gently on her shoulder and a worn Stetson hat was placed on the desk.

Ellie looked up, startled.

Chad squeezed her shoulder, a slight smile hovering on his lips.

Ellie leapt up, and Chad pulled her into a hug. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”

Chad rested his cheek against her hair and his arms tightened around her. “Me too,” he whispered.

Ellie drew a deep breath and wiped her eyes. “I was such a fool. Please forgive me.”

Chad brushed a tear from Ellie’s cheek. “There’s nothing to forgive. It was my fault.”

Ellie sat wearily down in her chair, and Chad perched on the edge of the desk. He took her hand in his and held it tightly. “Let’s not ever do that again, Ellie.”

She gave a weak smile. “Sounds good to me.”

***

The children filed into the schoolroom, dressed in their best. Ellie tried to push the butterflies in her stomach to one side, but they kept rising up into her throat. She tapped the ruler on her desk. “Please be seated.”

The students sat in the front row and stared at their teacher.

The crowd of parents who had come to see their children frightened Ellie. What if they thought she’d failed terribly? Trying to keep her voice from shaking, Ellie made a short speech explaining the purpose of the exhibition, and then called up the grades one at a time from youngest to oldest.

As each grade answered questions on the basic elements of education, Ellie felt a little better. The children were doing very well. Only a few mistakes had been made.

Tom Belstead was solving a short division sum when the left pocket of his trousers wriggled.

Ellie’s eyes widened as the smooth head of a grass snake poked out of his pocket. Tom went on working his sum as if nothing had happened, but his hand came from behind his back and slipped around the snake, holding it in place. Ellie held her breath as the boy finished his problem and gave the correct answer.

“That’s right.” She turned the page in the arithmetic book and gave a problem to the next student. At the same time, she caught Tom’s eye and gave him a look that said, If that snake gets loose, you’re in for it.

Tom cracked a grin, but Ellie was far from thinking this was funny. If Tom’s snake made it out of his pocket and someone saw it, things could go from good to bad in a hurry. Ellie watched that snake for the rest of the exhibition, but Tom kept a hold of it. It never got any further than halfway out of his pocket, although it scared Ellie a couple of times.

At the end, the children sat down to the applause from their parents. Ellie smiled in relief and dismissed them. Everything had gone pretty much according to plan, if she didn’t count the snake. The parents and children gathered around the tables of fried chicken and ice cream made by a few obliging mothers, chattering happily.

As the last of the parents gathered up their children to leave, Ellie noticed a familiar figure at the edge of the crowd, waving her over. She hurried around the tables until she was standing next to Chad. “What is it?”

“Are you finished here?” he asked.

Ellie cocked her head. “I can be, but I have to lock the door first.”

“I’ll be waiting in the buggy.” He motioned to a shiny black rig on the other side of the road.

Ellie locked the door and made her way across the street. “Since when did you start driving a buggy to town?” she asked curiously.

Chad took her hand and helped her in. “Since I started courting you.”

Ellie huffed. “Don’t even try it. This is the first time you’ve driven a buggy to town in years.”

Chad grinned, shrugged, and clucked to the horse. They drove out of town for a while, ending up in an orchard. The last of the blooms on the trees floated down into the buggy, and Chad tightened the reins. “Whoa.”

Ellie didn’t know why they had stopped here, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the trees. “Where are we?”

Chad got out and motioned her to do the same. “This is the Carter peach orchard. I thought you’d like to see the last of the flowers.”

Ellie watched as Chad tied the reins to a low-hanging limb. He came to her side and held out his arm. Ellie’s cheeks darkened as she took it. They walked away from the buggy in silence. It was nice just being together. They didn’t need to talk.

Finally, Chad came to a stop under a large, well-blossomed tree. He gently took Ellie’s hand off his arm and went down on one knee.

Ellie felt her heart stop as she stared into his eyes.

“Ellie . . . ” Chad pulled a thin gold band out of his vest pocket. “You are the most selfless, kind, and genuine woman I have ever met, and I love you more than I can say. Will you be my wife?”

Tears slid gently over Ellie’s cheeks, and her voice was shaky as she answered. “Yes, with all of my heart.”