Saying goodbye to her students for the summer was difficult, but by the middle of June, Hope had gotten into a new routine and was keeping herself busy volunteering at the library and working with some of the other ladies from church on charitable programs. She also spent a good deal of time doing campaign work for Mr. Canton, who had decided to run for school board president, not on the same platform as Nicholas would’ve, but on the premise that students needed more books and other supplies than what Mr. Stewart was willing to provide. Mr. Stewart argued that the budget was tight, and he’d had to be selective while Mr. Canton argued that any community that could build such a grand courthouse had enough funds to provide books for their students. While the election itself was a long way off, Hope thought Mr. Canton had a good chance at winning.
Some days, she’d go down to the playground and watch her students play. Of course, it was only those who lived nearby who had the opportunity, and then any child who was expected to be helping out in the fields or around the house during the summer couldn’t stay for long if they came at all. She saw some of them at the library as well. Caroline brought George and Ginny in at least once a week, and Hope was always happy to see them. She didn’t see Judah, though, not once, not since she’d run into him at the five-and-dime, regardless of how often she stuck her head out of the library door during her shifts.
She’d considered taking a trip back to Missouri for a week or two. It likely would’ve done her good to see her family. Then, she’d have a chance to tell her mama and daddy everything that had transpired. But Hope was afraid if she headed home, she’d never come back, so instead, she planned to go back to Lamar during the two week break she’d have over Christmas. It was the best way for her to focus on what was happening in Texas, particularly since Lola had written to let her know that she was with child and there’d be no one to teach the children that fall unless the school board found a replacement for her. The idea of going back to her old school was too tempting for Hope to put herself in a situation where Mr. Cartwright, the superintendent, had a chance to try to talk her into staying.
Now that she knew her students, she could spend more time planning lessons for them. She didn’t have much space in the cramped bedroom at the Howard’s house, so Mr. Canton had allowed her to use one of his offices, and she spent time in there even when he was out in the library himself. It was good for her to have a place to think about her lessons so close to the books she could borrow to help drive her points across.
One afternoon in late July, she wandered out of her space to pull a book off of the shelf and overheard Mr. Canton speaking quietly to Mr. Jones, Celia’s father. She didn’t know the man well, only that he owned the grocery, and every time she saw him, he’d smile at her. When she bumped into Celia, Hope was always kind and even sat with her at church sometimes, so she assumed he was appreciative of her efforts.
When they noticed her, they shifted slightly, and Hope got the impression whatever they were discussing had something to do with her. She grabbed the book she’d wanted and headed back into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar so that she might be able to accidentally overhear the discussion.
Her sleuthiness worked. “I’ll speak to Stewart,” Mr. Jones was saying. “He’s got to realize he’s fighting an uphill battle at this point. If he won’t take advantage of this generous offer, he’ll be shooting himself in the foot.”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d reach out to him. He’s certainly more likely to find the offer favorable if you’re the one who presents it. I am willing to let Mr. Stewart take full credit so long as it gets done.”
Mr. Jones sighed loud enough for Hope to hear him and said, “I’ll keep you posted.”
She had no idea what in the world they might be talking about, but the fact that it involved a generous offer to Mr. Stewart made her wonder if Mr. Canton wasn’t considering dropping out of the race. She hoped not. So many people had been working very hard to get him elected. She got the impression that’s not what the conversation was about, but she could hardly ask, so she didn’t. Instead, she tried to put it out of her mind and concentrate on building a lesson on the Revolutionary War that would be both engaging and memorable.
It wasn’t for several more weeks that Hope finally got an idea of what it might be that the two gentlemen were discussing. School was set to start in just two weeks, and she’d gone to the playground to see if any of her students were there when she noticed the beginnings of a structure behind the school. She’d stared in wonder for a few moments, not sure exactly what she was looking at, but then it all came together. Somehow, Mr. Canton and Mr. Jones must’ve arranged for her little cabin to be built while giving Mr. Stewart full credit. How or why, she didn’t know, but rather than spending time on the playground, she decided to head to the bank to discuss the matter with Mr. Stewart.
She hadn’t made her work on Mr. Canton’s campaign public because, at the moment, Mr. Stewart still had control over her contract and could end it at any time for any reason, so she’d tried to appear neutral, despite all the hours she’d spent making posters and helping Mr. Canton write speeches to present at local churches and events. Hope had an idea that Mr. Stewart was suspicious, however, so she tried to avoid him whenever possible.