The *weeheese (school house) where Alice and the other children of the region attended school was a one room building. There were several one room schools built throughout the valley for the purpose of teaching. After the settlers came to an area and established that they were going to live there, they had two buildings that were put on the front line. They needed a *skype region (church) and they needed a *heese (school) for the tweeds (children).

    The *heese teach or sometimes called *schoolch (teacher) sat at the head of the room between the children and in front of the chalkboard. The teacher for Alice’s class was very young and engaged to be *locked (married). This was an exciting time with a new *ot (job) and soon she’d have a new husband. Miss Sims in the fall would become Mrs. Cedars. It wasn’t settled how long she would teach once she was married but right now she was thrilled with these two new adventures in her life., the children would call her Mrs. New, behind her back, because ever since she got engaged they would hear her saying to her friends,

        “I have a new job teaching, I’m newly engaged, and I’m going to be a new wife with a new husband.”

    The new part of the conversation confused little Mattie, the youngest student, so she asked,

        “If you are getting a new husband what did you do with the old one?”

    All the tweeds (children) laughed and Miss Sims became very embarrassed.

    Mattie brushed her golden ringlets from her face and stood starring at the schoolch waiting for an answer. You could always count on Mattie to ask a cute question and the question always sounded even sweeter because of her little, tiny voice. Mrs. Cedar explained to Mattie the best that she could what she meant. But still from time to time, she would slip and used the word new when talking about her fiancé.

    There was no division of grades; all the tweeds of various ages attended the school. The younger ones learned many of their lessons from the older tweeds. However, the hours were kept short because most of the tweeds were needed to help with the farming or with the house chores such as canning and pickling, cleaning, etc. The list of things to do really never ended.

        “Idle hands are the devils tools.”

    These were common words that came out of the mouths of the mothers and grandmothers. They fully believed that if you had nothing to do, you’d get in trouble.

    Each morning all the tweeds entered the vestibule and took off their coats and hung them on the hooks. There were benches on either side where they sat and took off their galoshes when it was a rainy day. One side was for the boys and the other for the girls. They would then store the lunches that they had brought from home under the benches.

    All the desks were in rows and connected. There was a shelf underneath the desk top for their books.  The older children got inkwells and a pen. With the class being a mixture of all ages, the younger children were able to learn from the others’ lessons also.  Mason always tried to get the seat closest to Alice, but usually her girlfriends sat on either side.

    If a boy was sweet on a girl he’d catch up with her on the way to the weehees and ask to carry her books. Alice rarely carried her own books to school. It was the same books each day but a different boy.

    Each day different boys took turns bringing the wood from home for the wood stove at the school. The black, potbelly stove was located in the middle of the classroom and it was always hungry for wood.

    One particularly warm afternoon the children were all out in the schoolyard playing. Some of the boys were playing baseball. The girls were for the most part not interested in that game. It was far too physical and none of them wanted to get all dirty or sweaty in their pretty dresses.

    At the edge of the field there were large rocks almost like boulders. One rock was about 20 feet high. It had split in two and a large tree had grown out of it.  The tree was so hefty that it could hold several of the children on its limbs. The girls would crawl through the crack and climb up the rock to the tree. They always took water so they’d have something to drink.  Most of the time they brought their books and there they would sit and do their lessons. But the conversation quickly would turn to talk about the boys.

    Alice and Beth were sitting high in the tree one afternoon chatting when another group of their friends came over to join them. When the girls crawled into the crevice of the rocks to get up the tree they were greeted by two rattlesnakes that were shaking their rattlers wildly. The girls began screaming. Alice and Beth were already in the tree and the others were at the bottom. The girls could see what was happening but couldn’t escape from the tree, it wouldn’t be safe. They yelled to the others,

        “Run, Run!!” 

    The girls at the bottom ran but the smallest girl Mattie was struck by one of the rattlesnakes. She screamed and fell to the ground.

        “Get help, Mattie has been struck by a *blue tail! Get help!! Rattlers! Rattlers!!

    The groundskeeper came running with his gun to the rocks. He cleared the rest of the girls away and began looking for the rattlers. The teacher quickly scooped up the injured girl and put her in the wagon and took off for the doctor.

    He yelled up to the girls.

        “You girls stay put. You are safe up there. I need to find these rattlers and kill them.”

    The girls were terrified and shaking. The boys stopped playing baseball and ran to where the girls were. Several of them were asking,

         “What’s going on?”

        “What happened to Mattie?”

    The groundskeeper never took his eyes off the rocks when answering them.

        “Mattie got struck by a blue tail.”

        “Is she going to be okay?”

    The groundskeeper explained everything to them while keeping an eye out for the rattlesnakes.

        “It was Mattie. The schoolch rushed her to the *Shoveltooth (doctor). You youngin’s stay back!”

    He spotted one of the deadly rattlers. He took aim and killed it. The boys yelled and the girls screamed.

        “Watch yer step boys, the other one is around here somewhere.”

    The groundskeeper lit a branch on fire and threw it into the crevice hoping to smoke out the other snake. It works. He quickly drew his gun, fired and killed the second rattlesnake.

        “That’s the last you’ll see of those two blue tails.”

    Mason quickly pulls out his knife and cuts one of the snakes’ heads off. He pokes his knife into the eye and holds it up to Alice.

        “You want me to make a necklace out of this for you?”

    Alice begins to weep. She was so frightened and so scared for Mattie. She turns to Beth.

        “Oh Beth, Mattie, she’s so little, dear Lord help her.”

    Alice is horribly shaken by this event as were all the tweeds .  Their safe area had been invaded and it was deadly. This was a reality that was too soon and too much for this innocent group of children. Thomas runs over to Alice and helps her out of the tree.  The groundskeeper takes the knife from Mason and shakes off the dead snake. He looks at Mason and under his breath he says.

        “You go *tee’l (to hell).”

        “You can’t *harp (talk) at me that way.”

        “I didn’t say nuthin. But I’ll tell you what, yer mama and papa need to give you a good *ear-settin’ (reprimand or scolding) for yer behavior. Now get out of my way.”

    Then he turns to the rest of the children.

        “You children pike (walk) on home for now and watch yer steps. This is *blue tail (rattlesnake) season and I didn’t kill the only two blue tails in the region.”

    Thomas quietly escorted Alice home. They both kept a watchful eye for blue tails  as they walked home. Alice was mighty *somerset (upset) and wept most of the way home. Thomas ushered up some words of comfort to her. 

        “I’m glad you’re alright. I would feel terrible if anything ever happened to you. I remember my mama needed to cry it out sometimes so she could get over things. So I reckon that cryin’ a good thing.”

    And then he was quiet. He was good that way. If he didn’t know what to say he would just listen or be there for comfort.    

    The next day at school the teacher gather the children to tell them the sad news.

        “Mattie passed away on the way to the doctors.”

    She catches herself because she was starting to cry.

        “It’s alright to cry Miss Sims.” Alice says softly.

    The room sits silent for about five minutes while Miss Sims composes herself. The children’s hearts were also broken when they heard the news. They all cried and asked if they could say prayers for her.

        “Yes, children, it would make us all feel better.”

    One by one the children bowed their heads and each took turns saying a prayer for Mattie.

        “Dear Jesus, please take care of Mattie.”

        “God, please let there be pink flowers in heaven for Mattie. She loved pink flowers.”

        “Lord, please make sure that all snakes go to tee’l (Hades).”

    Snickers and sniffing could be heard in the room.

        “Okay children.” Miss Sims said with a catch in her throat. “Let’s say the 23rd Psalm.”

    In unison the class quoted the passage.

        “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Amen.”

         “God bless you little Mattie.” Miss Sims concluded.

    Later that day the children watched from the windows as the groundskeeper roped off the area around the tree. The children were not allowed to play there ever again.

    Mattie’s parents came a few weeks later to the school and brought a placard and a picture of Mattie. The young parents looked so tired and worn from the experience. Mattie’s father spoke.

        “We’d like you to have this picture and placard to place in the school room. We’d like the children to have something to remember Mattie by.”

    The teacher took the items and mounted them on the wall. The children and Miss Sims had another good cry with the parents. 

    The early years in the new region were grueling to the body and the soul. The land could be so good and fruitful and yet so unforgiving. These were also torturous years for Thomas. He was so sad that Mattie had died. It conjured up the memories of losing his parents.  But in his guilty heart he was so thankful that Alice was still alive. He continued to sit by patiently for the ensuing years as one young man after another sought her attention. He didn’t like it but he didn’t care because he was so thankful that she was alive.

    The most agitating of all the suitors was Mason. He never accepted that Alice didn’t want him and he never stopped pursuing her. No one could stop Mason and his advances. But common decency prevailed and he kept a civil distance when ordered by Alice.

    Alice always looked at Thomas as the constant in her life. He had proven to be quite a good friend. She felt safe whenever he was around. He was always a faithful ear whenever she wanted to talk. He listened to several infatuations that she had. He was more than happy to listen to her because it gave him time with her and insight to who she was. And who she was, was winding herself around his heartstrings. However, shy Thomas kept silent about his feelings.

    School felt different for the rest of the year. Mattie’s dying had a serious effect on many of the children. Several of the children opted not to go outside to play. It was just as well, less worry for everyone. The summer days came to a fast end and winter was in the air.

    Miss Sims had a beautiful winter *lockin’ match (wedding day) and the tweeds from the weeheese  attended as well as dozens for folks from the region and all of the bride and grooms *reals (relatives). Most of the town’s people were there including Bayless and Mary but the Lawsons were noticeably missing.

        “I wonder where the Lawsons are? I talked to Malva last week and she said that they would be here. I guess that have a real nice gift for the couple.”

        “We’ll they missed the boring part but the *gorms (food) is good.

        “Bayless!”

        “What did we get them?”

        “We gave them money.

         "*HIGS!"

         "Sush! They’ll need it to relocate and get set up. These young ones need all the help they can get.”

        “How much *higs?”

        “What you told me to spend.”

        “What’d I tell you to spend?”

        “I declare, Bayless, you don’t seem to remember any conversations that we have.”

        “I’m going to remember this one, it cost me *higs.”

    Mary looks perplexed at Bayless.

        “I’m just *sharkin’ (kidding) you, mama. I remember what I said.”

    Mary pokes at him for getting to her.

        “You just never stop with your little jokes, now do you?”

    Bayless gives her a peck on the cheek.

        “I’m always trying to get you mad so we can kiss and make up.”

    Mary gives him a peck on the cheek back.

        “Would you like to dance, Mary?”

        “That would be wonderful.”

        “It’s not a *bahl *tidric (good party) without a few *bahl *hobs (good dances).”

    There was *hobbin’ (dancing) and lots of food. Some of the men had drank some *skee (whiskey) before they came but they still minded their manners.  But no matter there was plenty *horns of *zeese (cups of coffee) to sober them up.

    Miss. Edna had baked the *lockin’ cake. She was the one that everyone in town went to for their *lockin’ cake. Her cakes were the best around. The funny thing was she was a *codgy (old) and grumpy old maid. Never had been married and didn’t want to be. She’d always say,

        “I don’t need no man in my house messin’ things up, wanting me to cook *gorms for him and share my bed! Nope, not me, not one twit do I want to get *locked.”

    An yet she was the official *lockin’ cake maker. The cakes always looked beautiful but Miss Edna always had to add how hard it was to make.

        “That cake took me seven hours to make. Let alone the hauling it over here.” She complained to her friend Ruth.

        “Seven hours? You must be exhausted.”

        “Got my back out of wack and the house was so hot I had to cook in my underwear.”

        “Oh dear, you didn’t tell the bride that did you?”

        “What do you take me for? Of course not.”

        “Oh good.”

        “I had to chase the hens down for their *Easters (eggs). I use six of them for the whites, ya know. Then I churned the butter till it was perfect. *Piked (walked) out to the barn and got some fresh *charl (milk)  from the *brodie (cow). She always complains cause my hands are cold. Then I put all the rest of the ingredients together. It’s hard *ot (work). Like’ta killed me.”

        “Why on earth do you do it?”

        “I do it out of the goodness of my heart. It’s usually that last *bal *gorms (good food) the groom will get for awhile.”

    At a certain point of the evening the beautiful bride Miss Sims now Mrs. Cedar took the children aside and told them that she wouldn’t be returning as their teacher. Mr. Cedar had taken a job in San Francisco and they would be moving there in the spring. The children all cried but knew from the death of Mattie that nothing was forever. They hugged her and wished her well. Alice and Beth stayed back after most of the children had left. Alice asked,

        “Mrs. Cedar, will you write us?”

        “Oh yes, please do” begged Beth.

    Mrs. Cedar was touched that the girls wanted to stay in contact.

        “I will, I promise.”

        “We’ll be watching for the mail every day!” chirped Beth.

        “That’s right! We have a new postal office in town now.” chimes in Alice.

        “Well, give it a little time after I leave. I have to move, get settled and most importantly I have a honeymoon to get to.”

    Mrs. Cedar hugged the girls and then returned to the arm of her new husband. The girl watch them for quite some time. They are in a dreamy state. They start talking about the day that they’ll get locked.

                         
                                         (Picture of 1800s bride and groom)      

        “Alice, I think I have seen her dress in the catalogue. They have so many beautiful lacy lockin’ dresses in the catalogue.”

        “Look how much they’re in love.”

    Alice sighs,

        “Lockin’s are such fun.”

        “They say once your locked everything in life is perfect.”

        “I know, but just incase they're wrong I've saved all the four-leaf clovers I've found my entire life.”

        “Alice, when I get married I’m going to have a dress just like Mrs Cedar.”

        “Me too…”

    Alice catches what she said. She realizing that she wouldn’t want the same dress.

        “I mean, yes, but different. Oh, you know what I mean”

    The girls laugh. It was good to laugh again.

    Thomas often sat and thought about life and how fleeting it seemed to be. He thought about the people he’s known that had died. How he wished he could talk to them, spend time with them and just feel the touch of his parents once again. He thought about the winter and how the leaves change colors and then they’d let go and dropped to the ground. But when they dropped he noticed that they weren’t finished yet. With every step of someone’s foot the leaves made their presence known without saying a word. And then he realized that those that had passed still made sounds in his memories. So when he paused and thought about them, for that moment in time, they were with him once again.

BOONTLING words used in the story.