Free [Canadian West 01] - When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke

that Pearlie was not shy and offered information freely. I was anxious to discover any information I could
about Pine Springs.
    "How do you like school?" I asked, thinking that this
would he a normal question for a teacher to ask.

    "Fine, but I didn't like my last teacher good as the one before. But," she hurried on, after a quick check of my response
to that, "least he was better than the one 'fore that."
    "Do you have a new teacher every year?"
    "Most of the time. One I had for a year an' a half once."
    She shrugged it off as of no consequence.
    "How far is Pine Springs?"
    "Pa says it'll take 'bout half an hour."
    "What's it like?"
    "Don't know. Never been there before."
    My eyes must have opened wide at this reply.
    "You don't live in Pine Springs?"
    "Uh-uh. Live here in Lacombe."
    "But I thought that it was your father who will be driving
me to Pine Springs."
    " 'Tis. Nobody in Pine Springs has got an auto, so Mr. Laverty hired my pa to drive you on out. Team takes a long time
an' Mr. Laverly said that by the time you got there by horse
an' wagon, you might decide to pack right up an' head on back
East. An he sure didn't want that."
    "I see." I smiled at Mr. Laverly's assessment of a lady from
the East. "Then you aren't a Laverly."
    "Nope. We're Ainsworths."
    "You live and go to school here in Lacombe?"
    "Yup.
    "Do you have any idea how many children attend the Pine
Springs school?"
    "Never been any yet."
    "Pardon m,~?"
    "It's bran' new. They jest built it. They been tryin' to get a
teacher, an' M Higgins never had one for 'em. They built the
school two yeitrs ago-an' no teacher. An' then last fall, no
teacher. Now ,his year they get a teacher. Mr. Laverly sounded real excited. That's why he asked Pa to drive you out. My
pa's 'bout the only one 'round here with a good auto," she added proudly.
    "That's very nice. What does your father do?"
    "He's an undertaker, an' business has been unusual good-I heard him tell Ma. Says that she can even have that
new washing machine that she's been a'wantin'. Won't need to
use the old scrub board no more."

    I smiled and nodded. "That will be nice for your mother."
    Pearlie watched me carefully. As soon as I had finished my
tea, she rose from her chair.
    "We best get back. Pa will be done loadin' your stuff."
    "Are you going with us to Pine Springs?" I asked, hoping
that she was.
    "I gotta," she stated. "I gotta help Pa start the car."
    "You help? What do you do?"
    "I choke it an' things, whilst he cranks."
    We walked back to the station and found Pearlie's pa pacing back and forth in an agitated fashion. Before him on the
platform sat my trunks. I guessed by the look that the station
master sent my way that he and Pearlie's pa had already had
words. Without any preliminaries, Pearlie's father stated,
"These'll have to stay. Got no place in my automobile for
freight like thet."
    "But I need them!" I protested. "They contain my clothing, my-"
    "Can't do a thing 'bout thet. I can take the luggage thet
you're a'carryin', but the trunks will have to stay here. Someone will jest have to come on in with a wagon an' pick 'em up."
    I could see that his mind was made up. Besides, he appeared to be right. There was no room in the automobile for
my trunks.
    "I put yer other things on the backseat there. You can seat
yerself there beside 'em."
    I did as I was told. The station master was summoned with
a wave and given instructions regarding my trunks. They were
soon riding a cart into the small wooden building.
    Pearlie took her place behind the steering wheel and expertly pulled and twisted knobs while her father began his
cranking chore. It took a good deal of hard work before the automobile coughed into action. He came dashing from the
front, through the door, and bumped Pearlie out of his way.
his face red and sweaty from his exertion.

    We began to chug our way carefully through the little
town, avoiding potholes, pedestrians and teams. Dogs took
pleasure in