Lines in Pleasant Places: Benny and the Bank Robber, #4

By Mary C. Findley

The high cost of a headline, the perils of forgiveness, and a flash flood on the rise.

Violet's coming with the wagon train. Ben hopes she's not still blinded by his grandfather's riches.Trouble stalks the widowed young schoolteacher. Ben may threaten both their futures to protect her from a man determined to possess his brother's wife. 

 How can Ben save Violet and himself from a ruthless outlaw gang?  An avenger of blood looking to settle scores is only the beginning when Ben helps a man with a past. Can an unexpected visitor from the past change thecourse of a raging flood with Cascade right in its path?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Findley Family Video
• Release date: Aug 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516325573

Mary C. Findley

Mary grew up in rural NY and Michael is from AZ. We met at college, taught school in AZ, MO and PA, homeschooled, and created curriculum and videos for church and commercial productions. We have three supposedly grown children and traveled the 48 states and Canada together in a tractor trailer.Findley Family Video Publications has the key verse “Speaking the Truth in Love” from Ephesians 4:15. We have four main goals:To Present a Biblical WorldviewTo Exalt the Lord Jesus ChristTo Edify BelieversTo Teach and to DelightMichael J. Findley has been on the road most of his life and his writings reflect that motion. From the rise of the ancient Hittite Empire to a generational saga of a Space Empire, the one constant is his desire to communicate the truth of God's Word through fiction and nonfiction. Homeschoolers, church leaders, and ordinary believers who want to go deeper into the Word and reach higher to put God in the exalted place where He belongs will find many answers here.They say write what you know. Mary C. Findley has poured her real life into her writing -- From the cover designs inspired by her lifelong art studies to the love of pets and country life that worm their way into her historicals. The never-say-die heroes in her twenty-some fiction works are inspired by her husband, a crazy smart man with whom she co-writes science and history-based nonfiction. These works were jump-started by a deep awareness of the dangers in our future if we don't understand ideological enemies rooted in the past. She's a strong believer in helping others and also has books about publishing advice and the need to have strong standards in reading and writing.She has traveled internationally and around the lower 48 and Canada multiple times. Anecdotes from her small town life, college experiences, European, Canadian, and south-of-the border travels, as well as adventures as shotgun rider in a tractor trailer fill her contemporary works. She has also donned the cloak of alt-Victorian adventuress as Sophronia Belle Lyon, steampunk writer with her own League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (and ladies) from the great 1800s novelists. In all her works you will find faith, family, friendship and fulfilling stories. Do come have a look!

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Praise for the Benny and the Bank Robber Series:

This has been an excellent series. As a family, we have thoroughly enjoyed meeting Benny and his family and going along with him on his adventures which have been truly amazing. Highly recommend these books for family time, reading aloud etc.

Such a pleasure to find children's books that have great storylines that clean ... not ghost stories, vampire or witch stories or ... young boyfriend girlfriend relationships.

Amazing how the author has the ability to change up things and the plot. ... Keeps you guessing and wanting to continue reading ... More action packed with great mysteries along the way ... great for preteens as well as adults. A nice clean read that doesn't disappoint!

Lines in Pleasant Places

Benny and the Bank Robber 4:

Mary C. Findley

© Mary C. Findley 2014

Findley Family Video Publications

Lines in Pleasant Places: Benny and the Bank Robber 4

© 2014 Findley Family Video Publications

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version Bible, Public Domain.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. Exception is made for short excerpts used in reviews.

Findley Family Video Publications

Speaking the truth in love.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Table of Contents

Background and Characters for the Benny and the Bank Robber Series

Chapter One: The Principal and the Schoolteacher

Chapter Two: His Brother’s Wife

Chapter Three -- Hard Waiting

Chapter Four -- Marching Orders

Chapter Five -- Heal the Sick, Preach To the Lost

Chapter Six -- Missionary Journey

Chapter Seven -- Testimony Time

Chapter Eight -- Flowers That Bloom In Fall

Chapter Nine: Still Waiting

Chapter Ten -- The Hired Man

Chapter Eleven -- Hurting

Chapter Twelve -- A Hard Boss

Chapter Thirteen -- Desperate Measures

Chapter Fourteen -- Jubilee Troubles

Chapter Fifteen -- A Ringer in the Race

Chapter Sixteen -- Tad Tags Along

Chapter Seventeen -- Saving Pancho

Chapter Eighteen -- Drawing Fire

Chapter Nineteen -- Lights and Shadows

Chapter Twenty -- Afraid of the Dark

Chapter Twenty-one -- Still Afraid

Chapter Twenty-two -- Love the Sinner

Chapter Twenty-three – Uncovering

Chapter Twenty-four -- Sending the Messenger Again

Chapter Twenty-five – Still Getting Up

Chapter Twenty-six – Hurting Hearts

Chapter Twenty-seven – The Avenger of Blood

Chapter Twenty-eight – Some Things You Can’t Fix

Chapter Twenty-nine – Fruitful and Faithful

Chapter Thirty – Getting a Fresh Start

Chapter Thirty-one – Digging for the Truth

Chapter Thirty-two – Awakening to Possibilities

Chapter Thirty-three – Pleasant Places

Chapter Thirty-four: Swept Away

Chapter Thirty-five: Who’s Dead?

Chapter Thirty-six: The Truth about Pancho

Chapter Thirty-seven: A Fruitful Future

Other Books and Products from Findley Family Video Publications

Background and Characters for the Benny and the Bank Robber Series

Benjamin Carlisle -- Editor-in Chief of the Oregon Sentinel, the weekly newspaper he produces in the frontier town of Cascade, Oregon. Ben lives on an extensive property with a large house. It is known as Jubilee for the Thanksgiving festival held there each year. Ben helps provide for his parents (Jeremy Carlisle and his wife Abigail) and their growing family and solves mysteries while finding news for his paper.

Violet Mitchell --Violet completed her education at a school for the deaf in Detroit and prepared to be a teacher. She joined a wagon train to come to Oregon and Ben hopes to marry her, though he has concerns about her love for material things.

Rose Mitchell -- Violet’s identical twin sister. She completed nursing training, married Ben’s best friend Jason Owens, and travels to Oregon with her sister and husband to help Ben’s stepfather, Jeremy Carlisle, with his medical practice in Cascade.

Jason Owens -- Having completed his studies in engineering, Jason joins the wagon train to Oregon with his wife and sister to help with the growing need for roads and bridges in the Oregon territory.

Caleb Sutter – Ben’s adopted brother. Caleb served as a trail guide with the wagon trains on the Oregon Trail, married Lila Hawkes, and plans to go into business with Jason Owens to survey and design roads and bridges in the territory.

Murray Jacobs --Ben’s partner at the Oregon Sentinel, Murray lost the use of his right arm but makes up for physical weakness in brains and courage to help Ben keep things going.

Bridgett Weston –Foolishly married a drunk who beat her. After he was killed in a saloon fight, she escaped Oregon City to become Cascade’s schoolteacher. Her husband’s brother, Elijah Weston, a drunk, vowed that he would marry her after his brother’s death.

Paul Conners –Half-Tlingit, half French pastor of the Cascade church. Young, hardworking, and a passionate and brilliant Bible teacher. Adopted son of the Carlisle family’s old friend Doc Daniel Connors.

Baxter Merriweather – A highly gifted young doctor in San Francisco who helped the Carlisle family when Ben’s sister Sarah fell ill. He was reunited with and married Kate Grimes, a young woman Ben had helped bring to Cascade, and who became Doctor Carlisle’s nurse at his clinic after bearing an out-of-wedlock child.

Jack Williams – Ben’s friend and fellow student at Brigham School for Boys in Detroit. Experienced in logging from his family business in Maine. He graduated and went on to college before Ben left school.

Chapter One: The Principal and the Schoolteacher

Sunday morning Ben Carlisle sat with his dad Jeremy Carlisle in the front row on the men’s side at church, as he always did. He glanced over at his mother, his sister-in-law Lila, his sister Sarah, her Chinese caregiver Sen Hui, his dad’s nurse Patricia Locke, and his housekeeper Mrs. Trotter, taking up a whole row on the women’s side as they always did.

The schoolteacher, Mrs. Weston, sat with the Tippett women, since she boarded with the family; grandmother, mother, and three daughters. The pew looked very crowded. Even though Grandmother Tippett and Mrs. Weston were very thin, the rest of the females were not.

Why is it that men and women can’t sit together in church? Ben whispered during the quiet time before the service began.

Too distracting, Doctor Carlisle quipped. I know I couldn’t keep my mind on a sermon smelling your mother’s perfume.

Mother doesn’t wear perfume.

That’s what you think. Your mother smells like new-made bread and fresh pine boughs and wildflowers. Ahhh. See? I get distracted just thinking about her. Stop that, Ben. He elbowed Ben playfully and the pew shook.

I can’t remember what Violet smells like. After all that had happened since he had left Detroit almost two years ago, Ben had a hard time even remembering Violet Mitchell’s face.

You’ve got no business smelling Violet before you’re married anyway. Don’t let me catch you getting that close.

I know what Kate Grimes -- I mean Kate Merriweather -- smells like, Ben mused. When she was nursing me after I was shot she smelled like lavender soap. And I know what Bridgett Weston smells like because I had to get between her and Elijah Weston and practically pull him off of her at her husband’s funeral. She smells like Oregon’s bridle did when it was new. Sharp, like a marigold. But I like the smell of marigolds.

Jeremy looked over at Mrs. Weston. She’s wearing her hair differently than she did when she first came. It’s looser and softer, isn’t it? She looks a lot younger than what I first thought. I assumed she was older than her brother Tom Wilkes, our cavalry lieutenant friend from Fort Kearny.

I’m not sure how old she is. At first I thought that too, but she does seem young somehow.

Younger and prettier every day. Jeremy looked again. She’s not wearing black anymore, I see.

No, Ben said. He looked again too. I wish she could take off her past like she took off her mourning. She sure doesn’t look happy most of the time.

Ahem. Jeremy coughed. Making Mrs. Weston happy will have to be someone else’s job, my boy. Stop thinking about the smell of new leather and marigolds and think about the smell of violets. Violets from Osage, Missouri, by way of Detroit, Michigan, due to be delivered to your door sometime in October. Think of violets, all right?

All right, Ben grinned. Jeremy got up to begin the song service.

*****

Most of the parents with a child in school had made it a point to have the school teacher over since she had arrived. Mrs. Weston had been working her way through dinners and families. Ben surprised her after school one day when he invited her up to his place.

Why, Mr. Carlisle, I’ve already eaten with your family.

My family, yes. Me, no. Are you free this evening, or should we arrange another time?

I am free tonight, if it isn’t too short notice for Mrs. Trotter.

Mrs. Trotter is used to my whims by now. I’ll pick you up at the Tippets at five, all right?

Please don’t trouble yourself. I can easily walk.

You cannot easily walk from Tippets to my place. It’s two miles, Mrs. Weston. I’ll pick you up.

Mr. Carlisle, please, I wish you wouldn’t trouble yourself on my account. The weather is so beautiful, and I love to walk. I’ll be at your house at five-thirty. Thank you so much for the invitation.

*****

At a quarter to five Mrs. Weston stepped out of the Tippet house. She gasped when she saw Ben leaning against a crab-apple tree waiting for her.

You were right. It is a pretty easy walk from my place. I found a shortcut through my woods. Come on. I’ll show you.

This really wasn’t necessary, Mr. Carlisle.

Of course it wasn’t. But you aren’t going to make me walk by myself, are you?

Well, no. She fell into step beside him and they followed a path into the light grove of trees alongside the Tippet property. This is the most beautiful place in the world, I think.

I like it, too. Tom’s pretty set on staying in Kansas, is he?

Oh, yes. He believes there is no better place. But he’s never been here. You know he is married now?

He told me he planned to marry in the spring. I used to imagine what his Maggie must be like. Do you know her?

I know her very well. I introduced them, you see. Magdalena was my best friend at boarding school in Ohio. She had to go home to New York and care for her ailing mother about the time I began to teach school. Tom visited her there while he was at West Point and helped her a great deal. That’s when they fell in love. Her mother did not live to see the wedding, though. She died during the winter.

Is Maggie living at the post with Tom?

She would never have it any other way. She’ll bear their children in a ditch alongside the road if necessary, but she won’t ever be separated from Tom.

Caleb wouldn’t let Lila go with him, Ben said, half to himself.

Oh, dear, I’m not sure it’s quite the same thing. I was making a jest, of course. Tom does not have to keep constantly traveling such a great distance without returning home.

You’re right, I guess. Here’s the river. I’m sorry there are only stepping stones here. I guess I should have thought about your petticoats, shouldn’t I have? We can stay along this bank till we get to the Jubilee Bridge. It’s not that much out of the way.

No, I will enjoy a trip across stepping stones. I haven’t done it in a year at least.

May I ask you a rude question, Mrs. Weston? How old are you?

Mrs. Weston blushed. I shall be twenty in a few months, she replied.

Twenty? How can you have taught in three different schools already besides ours?

If you had read my letters of recommendation carefully, Mr. Carlisle, you would have seen that I began teaching when I was fourteen. I was still studying at that time and had the devil’s own time keeping ahead of my pupils. But I found even after I had completed my licensing that I could not stay at any school very long. People have different standards of discipline. Mine seemed too harsh for some of the parents and I was asked to seek employment elsewhere, though no blot was placed on my record.

Ben stepped out into the ford and extended a hand to Mrs. Weston. She took it gingerly and began to cross, wobbling and waving her free hand. Ben did his best to steady her but he found himself being pulled off-balance as the heel of Mrs. Weston’s shoe slipped off a rock and she tottered badly. A second later they both toppled into the river.

Oh! Oh! cried Mrs. Weston. Ben struggled to right her in a knee-deep pool. She was every bit as weighted down as his mother had been when he and Caleb had rescued her from the river in Osage. Ben was very glad the river was neither deep nor fast at this particular point. He finally dragged Mrs. Weston safely out onto the opposite shore.

How dreadful! Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Carlisle. How clumsy of me. But I felt as if something hit my foot and I couldn’t keep my balance.

It was my fault. The rocks were too wet. I hope your clothes aren’t ruined, Mrs. Weston. At least the water’s not too cold.

I must go back and change. I fear we must put off our dinner. I’m so sorry.

We’re closer to my place than yours. Come on. You can put on something of Lila’s. She can’t wear most of her things anymore anyway. They’ll be a little big but I know Mrs. Trotter’s clothes would never work. You’d swim in them.

They arrived dripping and laughing at Ben’s sprawling log house. Lila and Mrs. Trotter looked at them with pursed lips and said nothing when they explained what had happened. Lila managed to tuck and cinch up a dress for Mrs. Weston. Ben noted that her hair was very fine and soft hanging loose to dry.

I’m eating with your parents tonight, Ben, Lila reminded him as she swept out. You’ll want to be alone for your hearing, anyway.

Chapter Two: His Brother’s Wife

Hearing? Mrs. Weston repeated as Ben seated her at the big dining room table.

Lila likes to make fun of my being in charge of the school. After all, I’m the unofficial principal. I’d like to know how things are going and if there’s anything you need or want. I’m afraid I kind of threw you in and forgot about you, Mrs. Weston. But Lila has told everyone I’m deciding after tonight whether to keep you or not.

Mrs. Weston went white. She didn’t say another word while Mrs. Trotter served the meal. Ben tried several times to make small talk as they ate but got only monosyllables in reply. Mrs. Weston kept trying to bind her hair up without any pins and it kept falling down again. She ate very little.

All right, I’ve said something wrong, Ben said finally. What was it? I really am sorry about the dunk in the river.

Please don’t trouble yourself about that, Mr. Carlisle.

Then what’s wrong? We were having a pleasant conversation before we got here. We had several of them, in fact. Now I can’t get you to talk to me at all.

Perhaps it would be best if we got down to business. I know you haven’t formally observed my classroom yet, but I’m sure some of the parents must have spoken to you. I cannot change my method of running a classroom to suit mothers who don’t want their darlings made unhappy by a hickory switch, Mr. Carlisle. I will not.

Mrs. Weston, nobody’s said a word to me about your hickory switch. As a matter of fact no one’s mentioned the school. I always say no news is good news. I guess somebody would come to me if they felt the need.

No one has -- No one has complained about me?

As I live and breathe. Is that what’s troubling you? Mrs. Weston, Lila was making a joke about a hearing. I am so grateful to have a teacher here you’d have to blow up the schoolhouse to get me to reconsider choosing you. And then I’d still think about it long and hard before I dismissed you. I just wanted to know if you were running low on chalk.

Oh, thank you, Mr. Carlisle. This is the first school where I haven’t been brought in before the powers that be and told to moderate my discipline by now. I’ve been dreading it.

We live in a rough land, Mrs. Weston. The folks here have had to get used to hard knocks, so they expect their children to get used to them too, as long as they’re reasonable hard knocks. Rest easy. If I’m worried about your discipline it’ll probably be because you’ve gotten too soft. Relax and enjoy Cascade, Mrs. Weston. It’s a good place with good people.

I thank God for bringing me here, Mr. Carlisle. When my husband was alive I could see only misery in my future. Now it is bright with promise.

Pardon my asking, but was your husband a lot like his brother?

They were much the same. Tobias and Elijah drank very little on the trip out and seemed very mannerly and fine young men. I was completely deceived by their courtly ways and their attentiveness to me. They had planned to go into business out here together, but they could not agree on what to do and began to quarrel almost daily. There was -- there was some disagreement about me, too. Both of them courted me, you see, and I finally just had to choose.

You had to choose?

Mrs. Weston colored. "Oh, I know, I didn’t have to. But a woman my age was already thought of as an old maid. And they were so handsome, both of them, and they flattered me so. I stopped thinking somewhere after Shawnee Mission and didn’t regain my senses until the morning after my wedding night at Courthouse Rock.

It was a rude awakening, let me assure you. Tobias was a drunken brute from the night of our marriage. And Elijah was always around, leering and making filthy remarks. They fought over me, over their business, over everything the entire rest of the trip. I was glad Tom was not there to see it. I was so ashamed. I felt as if I had made two bad marriages instead of just one. If Tobias was not beating me Elijah was pawing me. I never had a moment’s peace until they told me Tobias was dead. God forgive me for being so grateful as I was to whoever smashed one last whiskey bottle over my late husband’s head.

But Elijah was ready to step in and take you, wasn’t he? I saw the way he treated you at the funeral.

I feared he was, but he has no claim on me. I saw your advertisement in a newspaper and sprang at the chance to get away from him. He was so drunk at the graveside he probably passed out somewhere and did not even know I had gone. I made sure he did not know my plans.

But I spoke about your teaching job in his presence. He must have overheard it.

Well, he has not come, has he? Neither of those two had much ambition or staying power. He will not remember that I exist by now, I am sure.

Let’s hope so. Mrs. Weston’s clothes were dry by the time she was ready to go home.

We’re taking the buggy this time, and no arguments. Ben said.

Just as you say.

They arrived at the Tippetts and Ben jumped down to assist Mrs. Weston off.

Hey, Britt, said a voice behind them. Both of them turned quickly and saw Elijah Weston standing in the shadows near the Tippetts’ porch. Mrs. Weston almost fell from the buggy. Ben grabbed her and set her on the ground.

Cozy. Elijah smirked. You two were cozy at the river ford too. I saw that convenient little tumble. That was a lotta laughin’ you did over such an unfortunate accident. You’re recoverin’ mighty quick for somebody who ought to be still wearin’ mournin’ over my brother, Britt.

How dare you? Mrs. Weston snapped. How dare you come here and spy on me? How dare you, of all people, accuse me of behaving improperly? Give me that, Mr. Carlisle.

She snatched Ben’s buggy whip from his hand, marched over to Elijah, and began to strike him with it. Elijah was too surprised to resist at first. Mrs. Weston beat him with all her strength, driving him several yards down the road. Elijah began to flail at her with clenched fists but she ducked and dodged with amazing agility and struck at him all the harder.

Stop it, Bridgett! Elijah swore a long streak and pulled a knife. Mrs. Weston backed off.

Go away, Elijah, she warned, but she was clearly frightened.

Go away right now. Ben stepped forward. Put your knife away or I’ll put it away for you.

Yeah, Mr. Newspaper Man, I’m scared. Elijah sneered.

Ben came nearer. You’ll wish you’d gone quietly in another minute.

Why is that? Britt’s mine, you know. The Good Book says a man’s to take his brother’s wife as his own, an’ raise up seed for him. I like that part. Come on, Britt. You know I’ll treat you better than Toby did. Come to your ‘Lij’.

I’d be the world’s biggest fool if I did. Mrs. Weston snapped the whip. And I’ve already been fool enough for a lifetime. Put up that knife, Elijah, and go away now. She tried to move between Ben and Elijah but Ben pushed her away.

Don’t you touch my Britt! Elijah took a swipe at Ben with his knife. Ben dodged backward. His throwing knife was still where he always kept it and he had it in his hand in half a second.

I think my knife’s a little bigger than yours, Mr. Weston. I’ll bet it’s sharper too. Want to find out? I don’t have to get any closer to show you.

Elijah looked uncertain for the first time. "Come on in and fight me like a real man

I don’t have to prove I’m a real man by fighting you. I’m afraid I’d do the opposite. It’d be like fighting a rat or some other kind of vermin. Go away or you’ll get hurt. I’m sober and you’re not. I’m very good with my knife and from what I can see you’re only passable with yours. I’m not interested in a fair fight. I only want to put a big enough hole in you to convince you to go away. I’ll do it whatever way seems best.

Elijah swore again.

Stop using my Lord’s name that way or I’ll put this knife into you just to make you be quiet, Ben warned. Elijah turned and stalked away, grabbing the reins of a pale horse cropping grass near the road and galloping off.

I’ll try hard to remember not to ever deserve your contempt, Mrs. Weston. Ben chuckled. He touched her arm and found her trembling. It’s all right. He’s gone. If he had any doubts about your feelings for him they’re settled now. And I’ll let some other people know to keep an eye out in case he comes back.

He will come back. Mrs. Weston shuddered. I saw it in his eyes. I’ll never be free of him. I can’t stay here. It could endanger the children -- Certainly it will endanger you. He’ll want revenge. That was Tobias’ way. Elijah is just the same.

Oh, and I promised my brother I wouldn’t do this again, sighed Ben. Mrs. Weston, go on inside and try to get some sleep. School tomorrow. We’ll make things mighty unpleasant for Mr. Weston if he decides to come back.

Ben stopped in at Tom Nathan’s house on his way home. Tom was the constable in the same way that Ben was the principal and George Lucas was the mayor. Ben thought wryly that Cascade would have to incorporate pretty soon and get some real officials before they became a city instead of just a town. Tom listened to Ben’s story and his description of Elijah Weston. He promised to tap some deputies to watch for him.

He’d better not try and scare off our schoolteacher. My boy never said ‘yes, sir’ to me so quick when I give him work before. I’d like to have seen her strip some hide off that fellow. I bet she did it proper.

She did. Ben grinned. Good night, Tom.

Chapter Three -- Hard Waiting

Lila gave birth to a whopping baby boy, almost ten pounds worth, and named him Benjamin Seth. That’s the name Caleb and I picked out, she said. We had Abigail Jemimah ready if it was a girl. We can call him Benny and no one will get confused.

Sarah calls me Benny, Ben grinned. So do Mother and Rose Mitchell. I mean Rose Owens. Why don’t we call him Seth?

Oh, all right. I can’t wait for Caleb to see him. Why can’t that wagon train hurry up?

Amen to that.

*****

Murray Jacobs announced to Ben one day that he had asked Sophie Lauren, the daughter of the trading post owner and the Sentinel’s housekeeper, to marry him. Ben tried to congratulate him, but later he asked his dad if he thought that was wise.

I’ve told you already that I think Daniel was wrong when he said Murray has Consumption, Jeremy replied. Murray and I talked about it for a long time and I gave him my blessing. I don’t know why Murray got so sick on the wagon train, and I don’t know why he was sick so much over last winter. Maybe Sophie can nurse him better up close and personal. She understands that there’s a possibility I’m wrong and he may continue to be sick. Her parents know too. Cristophe and Jolie had a harder time giving in to them, but Sophie won’t look at anybody else and Murray needs to get married.

I do, too, grumbled Ben. Maybe I’m just jealous. At least he’s got Sophie here and he can look at her and talk to her.

*****

Ben found it harder and harder to concentrate on his work. Murray complained about Ben’s sudden urges to take off. Ben knew that Murray was very busy getting a house built. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs had already planned to come out and were traveling in the same wagon train as Caleb, Violet, Rose, and Jason. He knew he had no business dumping his responsibilities on Murray but there was an absolute pain growing inside him.

I’m going to sit in on Mrs. Weston’s lesson, Ben said as he jumped up from his desk at the Oregon Sentinel office.

Go right ahead. I’m getting used to the sudden change from assistant editor to editor. Take your time. Smell the marigolds for me while you’re at it.

Ben stopped dead halfway through the doorway. What did you say?

Murray looked up, startled. What? Nothing. I was joking.

Ben walked back in and stood over Murray’s desk. His friend had gone back to his work, but he looked up again as Ben continued to stand over him.

I was sitting right behind you when you told your dad that Mrs. Weston smelled like marigolds. So I said -- oh, never mind, Ben. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you mad.

I’m the principal of the school, Murray. I’m supposed to sit in on classes once in a while to see how things are going.

Mhm. Once in a while. Murray kept his head buried in his ad copy. Ben