Free Melinda and the Wild West by Linda Weaver Clarke

to be so attracted to her?
    Melinda stepped down from the buckboard and
thanked him for the fine supper. “You’re the first man I’ve ever
met who knows how to cook. And thank you for saving my life like a
knight in shining armor.”
    This made him laugh jovially. His laugh was
deep and warm and it made Melinda smile. When she noticed Gilbert
gazing into her eyes, she felt a warmth creep into her cheeks. What
was he thinking?
    He took her by the arm and led her to the
front door, tipped his hat with his fingers and said, “Miss Gamble,
I hope you have a good evening.”
    As she watched him walk toward the
buckboard, she wondered about Gilbert. He was so rugged on the
outside, yet he was gentle and caring on the inside. Besides that,
this tough man could cook. And he was good at it, too. He was such
a contradiction.
    Melinda quietly closed the door, intrigued by
this mysterious rancher.
     

Chapter 11
THE DANCE
     
    Uncle William sat in a chair in the living
room, comfortably reading the newspaper, while Melinda was upstairs
in her bedroom getting ready for the dance. She could hear her aunt
and uncle speaking downstairs.
    “Martha, listen to this,” said William, and began to
read aloud from the paper. “Susan B. Anthony has really been
working hard for women’s rights. A resolution was passed in Idaho.
It says, ‘Believing in equal rights for all and special privileges
to none, we favor the adoption of the pending women’s suffrage
amendment to the Constitution.’ Idaho is now considering giving
women the right to vote. Well, I’d say it’s about time, don’t you
think? Why, it was in January of this year that Utah entered the
Union as a state, and they introduced women’s suffrage immediately.
Right now women have full suffrage in only three states and all of
them are in the West: Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. I don’t know if
it’ll go through in time for the November election, though, since
it’s already October.”
    Martha stood in the doorway of the kitchen,
listening. “William, who do you think will win the election this
year?”
    “Our nation is in such turmoil, Martha,” he
said, ruffling the pages of the newspaper. “Mills and factories
have shut down, merchants are bankrupt, and millions are out of
work and have no means of livelihood. Poverty seems to dominate
this country. Due to the severe depression we’ve had, which started
during the Democratic administration, I believe that the
Republicans will win by a long shot.”
    Martha looked over at William and said with
a longing in her voice, “I can’t wait for Idaho to pass its
amendment, William.” Then she walked to the stairs and called to
Melinda, “Are you ready, dear? The town social starts in fifteen
minutes. Let’s not be too late.”
    Melinda knew that her Aunt Martha felt it
was time to introduce her to the residents of Paris at the town
social that night. Melinda was excited about meeting the
towns-folk. She had met a few of the parents of her students during
the past two months, and she felt this would be a great opportunity
to meet the rest of the people.
    As they entered the room, the music and
dancing had already begun. Aunt Martha introduced Melinda to each
person she came across. After a while, Martha spied Henry, a
handsome young bachelor. “Henry, come here. I’d like to introduce
you to my niece.”
    Henry was a thin and tall young man, about
twenty-six years of age, with blond hair and blue eyes. He walked
toward Martha and Melinda with a broad smile on his face.
    “Yes, Martha?”
    “This is my niece and the new schoolteacher
in town. Melinda, this is Henry. He’s the superintendent of
schools. Henry examines prospective teachers’ credentials and hires
them for the district, in addition to being the janitor and ‘fix-it
man.’ In other words, he was the one who accepted you to fill this
position. If you need anything at all, you can just ask Henry and
he’ll get it for you or fix it.”
    “It’s nice