The Secret Promise

Chapter Eighteen

"It came!" Allie burst into the house and waved the letter around.

"What on earth are you talking about? What came?" her father asked, snatching the letter and holding it still to read it.

"It's my teaching certificate!" Allie finally caught her breath. "Mr. Morrison said he would talk to the rest of the school board and they've offered me the school this fall!"

"I thought you hated public school," Seth muttered.

"I didn't enjoy attending," she said. "But I wouldn't mind teaching."

"Congratulations," her father said, handing the letter back to her. "I had no idea you were even trying for it."

"I didn't say anything in case I didn't get it. I didn't want anyone to be disappointed." she read the letter one more time. "Would you mind if I walked over to Susan's?"

"Of course I don't mind," her pa replied. "But weren't you literally just in town getting the mail?"

"Yes, and I was so excited that I walked all the way home to tell you!" she laughed. "But if I don't tell her the news and she hears it from someone else, you know she'll be furious!"

"That she will!" Mr. Warner laughed. "Off with you!"

Allie hurried back to town and knocked impatiently on Susan's front door. Mrs. Lewis opened it and smiled. "Hi Allie. Susan's in the sitting room with Arthur,"

"Oh, perfect!" she said, hurrying down the hallway and tapping on the door. "Susan, I'm coming in!" she exclaimed.

Susan and Arthur were sitting very properly on the sofa when she opened the door and she hurried over, handing the letter to Susan, before sitting on the ottoman nearby.

Susan read it and squealed as she stood up to hug Allie. Arthur had no idea what was going on, but Susan was holding the letter in her hand and it swatted him in the face several times before he was able to snatch it from her and read it for himself.

"Allie, girl!" he stood up as they finally released each other. "Good on you! When did you get this!?"

"Just today!" she breathed, accepting the letter back from him. "I walked to town to pick up the mail and I was so excited that I went all the way home to tell Pa, and had to come all the way back to tell you!"

Susan laughed. "So, you'll be teaching this fall then?"

"Yes!"

Allie stayed a while longer and discussed her plans, but she also realized that Susan and Arthur were likely in the middle of a private conversation when she'd arrived, so she gave Susan a great big hug and headed home.

Summer quickly turned to fall, and she began looking forward to the first day of school. She rang the bell at exactly eight o'clock and several students came inside, joining the ones who'd already taken their seats. She glanced around the room and smiled. It was a fairly small group, with only two older girls, four in the middle grades and two that were just starting.

"Good morning, I'm Miss Warner," she said, writing her name on the chalk board. She had come up with a few games to break the ice and help the children get to know her, and each other, and they spent the day taking turns doing fun quizzes at the chalkboard until it was time to go home. "Alright, be ready for real school tomorrow," she smiled as they filed out of the building and headed home. Satisfied that they had started the school year off on the right foot, she cleaned the board, tidied and swept the room and closed it for the night. She walked home with a smile on her face.

"How's school going?" Susan asked. It was three days after Christmas and they finally had a chance to get together since school would be out through the new year.