Chapter 19
Marta’s last month at the teacher’s college was a test in her study skills.
She was given a test in her language aptitude…
what are the rules of writing? What are the rules for starting a letter?
Definitions of a noun…a pronoun… verb…an adverb…
an adjective…a conjunction…a direct object…
an indirect object. A helping verb, an action verb…
Marta didn’t realize that there were so many parts of speech!
Then, they gave her a test on her mathematics skills…
basic math, algebra, geometry. Then, they tested her on story problems, applications of the skills…
Marta thought she would go crazy with all the formulas she memorized and used.
Lynn was especially worried because math was not her strong point.
The three girls stayed up late every night studying and asking each other questions to make sure they all knew their formulas and the areas of triangles, squares, perimeters, and even how to get the square roots of numbers.
The last test they had to pass was about the Constitution of the United States. They had to know about the Preamble, the Constitution itself, and all the Amendments. It was very important, because if they flunked the Constitution Test…they wouldn’t be able to graduate at all.
They were all excited because Brody, Carson, and Grady were all coming to see them graduate from teacher’s college.
It would be the first time that Lynn and Brody could do something other than hold hands, and the same was true for Carson and Darcy.
They were all holding their breaths that when they got their first kisses from their boyfriends, that they hoped it would be as special as Grady’s and Marta’s had been.
Grady hadn’t been able to come back and see Marta since he had gone to Sheridan and become a deputy.
He had written her constantly. He did tell her that he told Kyra and Nimrod about them getting married as soon as she graduated from teacher college, about him becoming a deputy in Sheridan and her a teacher, and about him buying several lots by the school and that John Feldman was building a house for them and it would be done by the time school started.
He asked for their blessing and got it. They were thrilled that they were getting married and so was Mattie.
He also told Marta all about the house they were building for them.
He wanted to make sure that he hadn’t forgotten anything important.
Grady told her that it was going to be three rooms and a loft…
a kitchen, and two bedrooms. It would have a cellar with wood walls and a wood floor.
A large cookstove with a reservoir, a tub and sink that would drain out to her garden, a large fireplace that would heat the whole house, a large loft, and the loft and the cellar would have stairs going to them.
Lots of shelves in the kitchen, and bedrooms, and even in the loft.
They were building a washstand, rinse box, clothes lines, smoke house, a barn with six stalls, pig pen, chicken coop, and a very large corral.
The loft would be huge with stairs going up to it, and he’d have a work area in the barn.
The house was built of logs walls, and inside walls of lumber.
Marta loved the idea of moving into a new house!
Grady told her that they’d go shopping at the resale store as soon as she arrived and get all the pots, pans, dishes, sheets, towels, and everything else she felt they needed to set them up the house.
They’d also buy all the food they needed at the general store.
He also mentioned that Nimrod and Brody were building a large bed for them, a smaller bed for Mattie, a table and chairs for the kitchen, and two rockers to put in front of the fireplace, so they wouldn’t have to buy any furniture.
She cried when she finished reading the letter telling him all they were giving them as a wedding present.
She couldn’t wait to graduate and become his wife and a teacher in Sheridan, neither could Grady.
He stopped by and watched their house; barn and the outbuildings go up.
He was amazed at how much they got done each day.
They weren’t wasting any time in getting the house and barn up.
There was no time to waste. Winter was coming.
Even now, there were some days when they woke up and found frost on the ground.
The last thing that John Feldman wanted was to have his men on the roof when there was snow, sleet, or hail forecast or coming down.
He didn’t want any of them hurt as they worked for him each day.
As long as they finished the shell of each big building, they could work inside without any trouble at all.
He did have them put up the washstand, rinse box, smoke house, pig pen, chicken coop, corral, and clothes lines so that the only outside work would be the house and barn roofs.
Grady ordered nine cords of wood to be delivered, because he didn’t know when he would have time to get them in before the snows came.
He also arranged for a farmer to bring several wagons of straw and several wagons of grass for his animals as soon as the barn loft was finished.
He went to Oscar Jennings and picked out eleven chickens and a rooster, two good sized pigs, a steer, two large horses, a male and a female, to pull their wagon that he also bought, and two kittens he asked for to keep their mice population under control.
He also picked up a beagle pup for Mattie.
But he also asked that Jennings keep them all until his barn was finished.
“That won’t be no trouble at all, Grady. I saw where you were building a house over by the school. It looks to be a real nice place when they get it done. Word is that you’re marrying one of the new schoolteachers that they hired for the school year. Is that right?” Oscar asked him with a grin.
“That’s right. Marta will graduate, we’ll be married and move into our house, and she’ll start teaching all in about a week.
It’ll be close, but it couldn’t be helped.
I’m just glad that I got a job here as a deputy and she got a job here as a teacher.
I didn’t want to go to where she was going to teach if she got a job somewhere else.
” Grady told him and paid for the animals.
“I’ve got a farmer bringing in several loads of straw and grass for the loft as soon as they get it done.
I’ll get some grain and chicken feed from the general store when we get our supplies as soon as Marta arrives.
I really appreciate you keeping the animals for us for a few weeks until they finish up on the barn. ”
“No trouble at all, we’re just glad to have you as a deputy here in Sheridan and for your woman to become a teacher here. As I remember, she was a real pretty woman, and nice too. I don’t know if the town is ready to have two Harper’s in it at the same time!” Oscar told him and they both laughed.
“I just hope that Marta and I are as happy as you and Sally are.” Grady told him and walked back to continue on his rounds. He was one happy man, but then so was Oscar.
The barn was finished first on Grady’s lot, and Oscar helped him bring all his animals over to their new home.
The chickens loved their new coop and could go inside or outside whenever they wanted to.
The pigs were large enough that they were going to make a lot of pork when Grady butchered them this fall or winter.
The horses and steer just started grazing in the very large corral.
Grady gave a huge sigh to see them there.
He felt like he had arrived. Now, he just had to get his woman here and situated.
It was the middle of September. Farmers were getting their crops harvested at an alarming rate, every day there were wagons on the road bringing in their corn, wheat or oats to be ground up into flour, corn meal, or grain.
On his first day off, Grady drove his new wagon and work horses out to the ranch and Brody and Nimrod helped him to load the two beds, table, chairs, and two rockers into his wagon.
Kyra had made them two mattresses stuffed so much that the seams were bursting.
Grady loved all they had done for him and Marta.
“I can’t tell you how much this means for us in getting us into our dream house.
The barn is finished and Oscar furnished us with some healthy animals to fix us up real well.
I’ll be able to butcher hogs and a steer this winter to fill my smoke house up.
I’ve been putting in game every time I go out on rounds.
Cooper, Chris, Clark, and Owen do the same thing.
We can keep our smoke houses filled that way without too much trouble until the snow gets too high and we can’t go on our rounds.
” Grady told them and hugged Kyra, kissed the twins, shook hands with Nimrod, Brody, and Mattie.
“I’m bringing Marta back on the train on the twentieth of September with Brody.
We plan on getting married that same day with the minister.
Mattie, we’ll come out and get your clothes and belongings the next day as we go to the resale and general store.
I’ll need your muscles as we put everything away.
I have a couple surprises for you when you arrive at your new house. ” He told his almost new brother.
“Yeah? I’m looking forward to seeing Marta again and I can’t wait to help you move in.” Mattie told him and grinned at Grady. “I’ll be all packed when you come to pick me up.”
“Who’s going to help you move that furniture into your new house?” Brody asked him worried that he’d try and do it by himself.
“They’re still finishing up on our house. I’ll get some of the men there to help me move it all in.” Grady told them and took off. He couldn’t wait to try out that bed with Marta. His hands were already shaking just thinking about making love to her.
John Feldman asked two of his men to help him move the bed into the bedroom and help him put it together.
They also carried in the mattress. They helped put the second bed together in the loft for Mattie and put that mattress on it as well.
Then, they carried in the heavy table and all six chairs.
The last thing they carried in were the two rockers.
Grady loved how the furniture looked in the house.
He thanked the men who helped him and put the wagon and horses away.
Then, he went to the resale store and bought two sheets, a blanket, a quilt, and two pillowcases.
He filled the two pillowcases with grass and asked Marley to sew them shut.
He and Marta were going to sleep in the bed on their wedding night.
He wanted it to have sheets on the bed at least. They’d go shopping with Mattie the next day and get everything else they needed.
He took a deep breath. He was getting there…
only a few more days and Marta would be married to him.
Test scores were posted on the door of the chancellor of the school.
Everyone was trying to crowd around to see if they passed or not.
Marta, Lynn, and Darcy held their breath.
They were finally able to squeeze in to see their grades…
Marta Romera…Language Skills 98%... Math Skills 95%...
History Skills 96%... Constitution Skills 100 %.
Marta felt like she was going to pass out…
she passed, she passed them all! She looked at Lynn and she nodded…
she had passed them all. She looked at Darcy and she was standing there with her eyes closed, too, and then she smiled and nodded too!
They all started hugging each other! They were going to graduate and go to Sheridan and begin teaching together.
Marta’s dreams were going to all come true!