DECEMBER 7, 1861

While the children worked on their art projects and Susanna slept, Kathleen walked by each desk to see how each child was coming along. She had let the children pick their own project. The only rule was that it had to be some form of Art.  

As the other children broke up into groups and starting working on their projects, Tyrell looked around to see what the other children were doing. She didn’t know how to carve. She didn’t like using knives. She wasn’t very good at drawing, but some of the girls were knitting and sewing. She knew how to sew, but the knitting looked interesting. Maybe one of the girls would show her how. She was a quick learner. Meanwhile her twin brother, Tye hadn’t started anything either, and he hadn’t moved out of his seat. She saw Jesse with a piece of wood and a knife sitting by himself, so she left her seat and went over to him. “Jesse, my brother is a little shy, do you think . . . well, could you teach him to do what your doing?”

Jesse looked up at Tyrell and then over to Tye. “Sure, tell him to come on over. I wouldn’t mind teaching him.” He smiled at her and watched as she went over to her brother.

“Tye, Jesse says that he would like to teach you how to cut wood into shapes. Do you have that knife on ya that Pa gave ya?” Tye knew she meant the one that Caller Bob had bought for him one day while they were in the store and he was staring at them. He very much had wanted one because all the other boys in school had one. When Caller Bob told him to pick out one, it had been a very special day for him. One because he never really had anything of his own except his clothes, and two because this was the first time that anyone had ever given him anything to keep for his very own. He treasured the knife and never let it out of his sight. So of course he had it on him. Right in his pocket, so he nodded to his sister. “Good, come on.” She started walking back towards Jesse, but she stopped half way there to make sure Tye was following. After he got up and started moving, she continued to lead him over to Jesse. “Here he is.” Tyrell smiled at Jesse and then went over to join Ana and Melissa. 

Thomas and Erac Cromwell were working together on building a dollhouse for their sisters while Aslan Cromwell was working on carving out little dolls for his nieces. Hal had joined them to work on a birdhouse made of wood for the tree in the schoolyard.

Sarah, Rhonda, and Anne Cromwell were the noisiest while working on their project. They were giggling and talking while making a blanket for Jimmy and Lee’s wedding gift.

Ana was knitting a sweater for her new mother, while her new sisters, Brianna and Jemima, were crocheting an afghan for their parents. It would be wedding presents from the girls to them when they got married the following year. Sitting beside Ana was Melissa. She was also knitting, but not a sweater. She was knitting a scarf for Michael.

Ana asked, “Melissa what are you making?

“A scarf,” she replied.

“Is it for yourself?,” Ana inquired.

“No, it’s for somebody else.” She didn’t tell her who it was for because Michael was too close, and she was afraid that he might hear if she told Ana the real person she was going to give it, too. And she didn’t want Michael to know until she gave it to him because it was going to be his Christmas present.

“Hello,” Tyrell said as she sat down near Ana and Melissa. Both girls greeted her. “I was wondering could you teach me how to do that?”

Melissa looked up at Tyrell. “Sure, I’ll help you.”

“Great, I’ll pick out some colors and be right back.” Tyrell’s face lit up with a great big smile as she stood up and proceeded to the back of the room to get the supplies that she would need.

Meanwhile Jaslyne seemed to be the only one sitting by herself. Kathleen walked over to see what she was working on. She had paper and crayons and seemed to be drawing something. It looked pretty much like a black horse, but not a very good one, but of course she wouldn’t say that. She liked to encourage her students, not tear down their confidence. “Jaslyne that’s pretty good.”

Jaslyne looked up at her teacher. “No, it’s not.” And she scrunched up the paper and threw it. The paper landed in the trash bin.

Seeing how discourage Jaslyne was, Kathleen thought she might be able to help her. “Well, if drawing isn’t your thing, then maybe you should try something else. How about sewing or knitting?”

“I’m no good at that either.”

“Are you sure? Have you ever-” She stopped when she saw Jaslyne shaking her head. “Then how about embroidery?” But again she shook her head. “Well, how about making something. Can you carve?” Kathleen was running out of ideas. Jaslyne just shook her head and then bent it down to stare at her desk. She felt awful that she wasn’t somewhat artistic like the other children. Kathleen wasn’t going to give up though. “Jaslyne isn’t there anything that you do for fun, in your spare time? Or something that you like to do?”

When Kathleen thought that Jaslyne was just going to sit there brooding and not say a word, all of a sudden, she said something. It was so quiet, but Kathleen thought she heard her say that she likes to write. Kathleen put her hand on the desk and bent down, “Did you say you like to write?”

“I write sometimes.” She answered a little above a whisper.

“Well, alright, writing is sort of a form of art, so why don’t you write something for me.” Jaslyne perked up and took her pencil in hand and starting thinking. Kathleen smiled and starting walking around looking at the other students’ projects making comments to most of them. She knew that each person had their own special talent, and she didn’t mind that Jaslyne was just writing, at least she was doing something besides feeling sorry for herself.

When the art project began, Miss Bourdeaux, had told the children that they could move around and work near a person who was also working on the same type of art that they were, but Zee had decided to stay in her own seat beside Blaine. Zee had seen Melissa knitting, so she had decided to do the same thing. She had heard Melissa telling Ana that she was making a scarf, so she decided to make one, too. She was hoping that it would be better and prettier than the one that Melissa made. She would give it to Jesse for a Christmas present.

Though Blaine was drawing a picture of the Pony Express station, she decided not to move next to Michael, Dagon, and Palmer. She was kind of shy around boys. So when Zee didn’t leave her own seat, Blaine was happy.

There wasn’t really anybody else sewing, so Devany just moved to sit near Zee and Blaine. Blaine and her had been very good friends while in the orphanage. She had looked after her because some of the other girls had teased Blaine because she couldn’t talk. Devany had sat thinking for a while before she finally decided to sew Marta an apron. Since Marta worked at the hotel as a waitress, an apron would be a very appropriate gift to give her for Christmas.

Dagon and Palmer were drawing a picture of an Indian Hunting Troupe hunting buffalo. Michael was drawing on a hide what he thought Buck’s Village might look like. Aisley and Martina paired up together, sitting near the boys, to make Indian beaded bracelets and necklaces.

Instead of joining Dagon and Palmer, Paul sat with Adrianne while she was embroidering a picture of a house with the saying Home Sweet Home for Jimmy and Lee for a wedding present. Paul was painting a picture of Black and Sundancer for them. 

“Paul, that’s really good. If that was in a store, I’d buy it and put it up in my house.” Kathleen complimented.

“Thank you, Miss Boudreaux. I’m painting it for Miss Lee and Mr. Jimmy. I wish I could paint them, but I don’t paint people so well, so I’m painting their horses for them. Charlie and Grace are going to give them a dinner at the Silver Spoon.”

“That’s wonderful!” Kathleen said. As she returned to her desk and sat down, she looked across her full classroom and was grateful for all of her new students.