Keeping Secrets Read Free Page B

school and clean all the slates.”
    “Who’s teaching your students while you’re here?”
    “Mrs. Cummings was kind enough to step in for me for a few days, but I can’t impose on her good nature.”
    Peg sighed in admiration of her big sister. Sixteen, and already with a full-time teaching job! There had been times lately when Peg—hating the daily memorization of arithmetic tables and history dates—had promised herself never to set foot inside a schoolhouse, once she had reached fourteen. But at the momentshe began thinking favorably of someday becoming a teacher, just like Frances.
    As Ma packed a small lunch pail for Peg and a large basket of food for Frances, with treats inside to take to Petey, she worried aloud.
    “Are you sure you’ll be safe traveling alone?” she asked.
    “I’ll be fine, Ma. I can take care of myself.”
    “But what if Quantrill and his like …?”
    “Quantrill and his men ran to the south when Union forces rode into Lawrence.”
    “There are other bushwhackers about.”
    “Ma, you know as well as I do that it’s the lower counties along the Kansas-Missouri border that have had most of the trouble. During the last few months there’ve been very few skirmishes in Buchanan County or in northern Kansas.”
    “All well and good, but you’ll be traveling until late tonight.”
    Frances smiled. “I can handle a rifle as well as any man. I’ll be safe. I promise.”
    A rifle! Was there nothing Frances couldn’t do? Peg’s heart swelled with admiration.
    Ma paused, folding a cloth over the contents of the basket. She looked at Frances with such yearning in her eyes that the feeling in Peg’s heart turned to a dull ache. “Then I ask God’s blessing upon you, Frances Mary. May he send His angels to guide and protect you on your journey.”
    She took a long, shuddering breath and added, “My goodness! Look at the time! Run, Peg, or you’ll be late for school.”
    “Ma!” Peg complained, but she gave her mother and Frances quick hugs and hurried toward the front door.
    Peg had no sooner shut the front door behind her when Miss Hennessey, well swathed in shawls, suddenly appeared at her side. Peg jumped and let out a squeak of fright.
    “Oh, dear, oh, dear! I didn’t mean to startle you,” Miss Hennessey said. She gripped Peg’s arm with much more strength than she’d shown the night before. Bending close to Peg’s ear she said, “I’ve been waiting to talk to you. I need your help.”
    “I’ll get Ma,” Peg began, motioning toward the house, but Miss Hennessey shook her head.
    “This is something just between you and me.” Again the shy smile flickered. “It’s easy to see that you’re an intelligent, brave girl. Brave and smart enough to keep a secret.”
    “What secret?”
    “That I’m staying here at your home.”
    Peg knew she must look surprised, because Miss Hennessey hurried to explain. “Oh, there are bound to be some people who will know I’m here. I’m not in hiding from your neighbors. I’d just rather that as few people as possible know of my presence. I’m asking you not to tell your friends, or your teacher, or the shopkeeper, or anyone else with whom you might stop and visit.”
    Peg hesitated. The only thing that could possibly pull her away from Frances Mary’s departure and this mysterious woman who had come to visit them was to tell her friends what had happened. May would turn pink with envy, and her sister, April, would beg to be told more. Marcus and Willie would scoff, but they’d listen, especially if Peg made the story as exciting as possible. She’d already planned how she’d begin. “It was late at night. We heard a frantic pounding at our door …”
    “After my dreadful experience I’m so afraid.” Miss Hennessey, tears rushing again to her eyes, interrupted Peg’s thoughts. “I’m so terribly, terribly afraid.”
    “I won’t tell,” Peg promised, disgusted at her quick capitulation, because she always kept