Love for Sale

difference?“
    “Just age.“
    “I meant, why are there only four girls and ten boys?“
    “I’m sorry to say it, but most of the girls are helping their mothers. Many women who aren’t educated themselves see no reason why their daughters need to be. Most people hereabouts believe only the boys need schooling to get jobs. It’s a pity. At eleven and twelve, the girls are so much more receptive to learning. And if the economy isn’t fixed soon, they’re all going to have to try to acquire jobs to help support their families.”
    The schoolroom was old. The ancient desk; and chairs were bolted to the floor, and generations had carved their names on the wooden desktops. Mrs. Tarkington had already made sure each child had a paper plaque at the front of their desks with his or her whole name printed on it.
    “I thought it would make it a little easier for you to learn who is who,“ she said.
    “How thoughtful of you. Thanks. Miss Langston must be very artistic. I like the pictures of the alphabet she’s hung around the room with the pictures.“
    “For all her bossiness with adults, she’s really an excellent teacher,“ Mrs. Tarkington said. “She simply doesn’t know she shouldn’t try to instruct people outside the classroom. She and a friend of hers share a house, and have a little business on the side selling needlework and embroidery patterns. They advertise in women’s magazines. Miss Langston’s grading book and lesson plans are in her desk.”
    The first children started filing in. Two girls, arm in arm. They sat down at their desks. Mrs. Tarkington said, “Mary Helene and Susie, don’t be larking about that way. Sit in your own seats.”
    The girls giggled and exchanged places.
    “I know you, Mary Helene,“ Lily said. “You’re Mrs. Anderson’s oldest girl, aren’t you?“
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    Roxanne Anderson’s husband had died a few months ago, and Lily was glad to see that Mary Helene was getting along so well and able to play little tricks with friends.
    When all the children had arrived, Mrs. Tarkington introduced Miss Brewster and told the children that her brother, Mr. Brewster, would be teaching them in the afternoons.
    “I’ll leave it to you, now,“ she said, departing.
    Lily said to the children, “Now I’d like to get to know you. Each stand up when I call on you, and tell me a little bit about yourself or your family. If you have pets. What your favorite subjects are. Whatever you’d like to say.”
    Two of the girls had cats that were from the same litter. Brothers, Mary Helene explained. She and a sixth-grade girl, Josie, were the cat owners. The other fifth-grade girl, Betsy, and her older sister, Susie, both mentioned that they had four younger brothers and a new baby on the way.
    “Mommy’s cried the whole time she was waiting,“ Betsy said. Susie nudged her to be quiet about that.
    The boys had an assortment of pets to mention, mostly faithful old hunting dogs. The four boys in fifth grade—two of them named John and one Jim and a Ted—hardly mentioned their families or their favorite class. One sixth grader said his father had already taught him how to drive their old truck. He was allowed to do errands with it.
    He’s the top dog, Lily thought, watching the other boys, who obviously looked up to him for this. I’ll have to keep a good eye on him.
    “ It’s nice to know all of you,“ Lily told them with a smile. “Since I’m going to be teaching you English, arithmetic, and deportment, I’d like to know what you already know. I don’t want to be repeating what you’ve already learned. Let’s start with the times tables.”
    She called on them randomly, giving each a different set of one-digit numbers to multiply in their heads. Each answered quickly and correctly. “My goodness!“ she exclaimed. “You’re really a group of brainy kids.”
    Most of them smiled at her. Except for the boy who drove a truck. His name was Bob and he’d looked upset when she’d called him Bobby.
    “Now I’ll test you on addition.“ She gave each two double-digit numbers to add. A few of them, including a quiet sixth-grade boy named Hiram, had to think for a moment to carry over, but again, they all passed the test correctly.
    “This is wonderful,“ Lily said. “We’ll move on to grammar now.“ She wrote a sentence on the board for them to diagram on their tablets. A very simple one. When they all had it right, she gave them a slightly more complex