Outcasts of River Falls (10 page)

At last, the stern examiner appeared satisfied. She ti
died the pages and tapped them lightly with a bony index finger. “Adequate,” she pronounced dourly. “Let me explain how the Academy works.”

She then went over all the benefits of the school. The Carter Academy offered all the classes Kathryn intended to take at Our Lady of Mercy, and several more university preparatory courses she would need when she applied to the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Taking a note out of her pocket, Kathryn gave it to the teacher. “I am particularly interested in obtaining these books. Would your school library have them?” Knowing she was coming here, she’d written out a list of texts she’d need to continue her studies. Aunt Belle had been doubtful even the Carter Academy would have such specialized tomes.

The Headmistress read the list, then handed it back. “Yes, we have all those titles. This is an institution of the highest academic standards and we afford our students every opportunity to excel, which of course means providing them with all the tools they need to succeed.”

Surprised, Kathryn tucked the paper back into her pocket. Perhaps the Carter Academy
could
fill the gap in her studies until she went back to Toronto. She needn’t fall behind; in fact, she might even surge ahead of her spoilt-rotten, chin-wagging, gossip-mongering classmates. She began to feel excited, picturing herself going to this institution, at least for a short period.

Withdrawing a formal induction form from her drawer, Miss Weaver slid it across the desk. “You’ll need to fill this out and,” she squinted over the narrow spectacles, “there will be the matter of the fees.”

Kathryn thought of her practically non-existent inheritance. “That won’t be an issue,” she assured the Headmistress,
relegating this to the category of
tomorrow’s headaches
.

“In that case, I’m sure you will have no problem being accepted. Your entrance exam was, to be truthful, extremely well done. You will be placed with our higher achieving students.” She relaxed a fraction and Kathryn thought it a very good sign. “Since you are only fourteen, I will, of course, need your parents’ consent.”

A
t this, Kathryn remembered Aunt Belle and a flash of guilt hit her. She’d forgotten her aunt who was probably
sitting on that hard wooden bench in the hallway. “Actually, my aunt is my guardian and I believe she is waiting outside.”

“Wonderful. We always like to meet the family of new students.” The stern instructor rose from her desk and moved toward the door. “I find you remind me of my niece. Once you’re settled in, I’ll make the introductions, as I think you two young ladies have a lot in common.”

When Miss Weaver stepped into the hallway, she halted so abruptly that Kathryn almost ran into her.

“
This
is your aunt!” Her words were an accusation.

“Why...ah, yes. This is Miss Belle Tourond.”

The Headmistress glared at Aunt Belle, with her long black braids and dark skin, then grimaced as though a large rat sat on the bench. “She’s a
half breed
.” The teacher made no attempt to hide her disgust.

The insulting words were a stinging slap but Kathryn tried to keep her voice reasonable. “It is
I
that am applying to your school and you assured me there was no problem!”

The temperature in the room dropped to freezing. “Your application is rejected. We are not accepting new students at this time.”

“I can get a transcript of my marks from Our Lady of Mercy and if it’s about the money, I said I could pay the fees...” Kathryn hurriedly tried to cover all the objections, knowing
there was nothing she could do about the obvious one.

“I said there is no room. You and
your aunt
must leave immediately.” The woman retreated to her office, slamming the door with a resounding bang.

Kathryn now understood why poisoned apples were so popular in fairy tales.

“Nellie’s foot is fine and I had a nice rest waiting.” Belle said quietly, and then added sympathetically, “Don’t worry, Katy. I’ll help with your studies at home. We’ll find the books you need and maybe the Sisters at the convent school will let you write the tests and send them back in the mail.”

Kathryn couldn’t hide her distress. She didn’t know whether to scream in outrage or weep in disappointment.

“Oh, my dear girl,” Aunt Belle moved to Kathryn, giving her a comforting hug. “This is the way it is for us. Out here, we are so few, with no one to champion our cause. Life on the road allowances is not ideal, far from it, but we have to accept it and make the best life we can for our families.”

Kathryn was so angry she could spit. She stared at the Headmistress’s closed door and wanted to march back in
and demand the bigoted woman see reason. “This is so un
fair! What kind of place is this?” She fired the question at the indifferent portal rather hoping her words would be heard through the barricade, then turned to her aunt, still raging. “The law of the land is for everyone except the Métis? You have no justice or protection and no safe haven. Worse, your tarpaper existence can be burned out from under you at any time. This is
not
the Canada I was raised in. What is happening to the Ditch People is, is...nothing short of criminal!”

Her aunt, ever patient, listened to her tirade and agreed tiredly. “Yes,
ma chère
, it is unfair and yet we must survive. We who live in the road allowances discovered the hard way that raising our head for attention will only get it shot off.”

“I agree, the Métis must survive,” Kathryn said in as reasonable a tone as she could muster, “but at such a price? This school is the perfect example of everything that’s wrong with your system. I passed that ridiculous test with
flying colours and there was no question of my being ac
cepted – no question until my race was revealed.” She felt tears, hot and bitter, stinging and wanted to hit something before they spilled over and completely humiliated her. She saw the futility of it all written in the resignation on her aunt’s face. Impossible!

“Come, Aunt Belle,” she said stiffly. “I smell something rotten in here.” And with that, Kathryn strode out of the school with her head held high and her spine poker straight.

Chapter 7

Magic
and
Masked
Men

After a fitful sleep, disturbed by bumps in the night, Kathryn awoke very early and decided to put the sour
school experience behind her. She was now even more de
termined to get home to Toronto; however, after some realistic thinking and brutal calculations on not only the train fare, but necessities like clothing and tuition, Kathryn had accepted the hard fact that she would need a substantial amount of money to fund her escape. How she would come up with this money was a mystery she didn’t yet know, but she would find a way.

And speaking of mysteries...Her thoughts returned once again to the Highwayman, the only truly intriguing thing about River Falls. He seemed to occupy her mind an inordinate amount of the day and sometimes the night too, when an unknown hero, tall, dark and mercilessly handsome, would come riding into her dreams.

When she became a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, it would be her full-time job to uncover the truth. So, why not start now by uncovering who this Robin Hood of the wild west was? It would help pass the hours and develop her skills. What a coup for her to discover what no one else had been able to – the identity of the River Falls Highwayman!

Where to start? The best way to do this was to talk to her new, albeit temporary, neighbours. She would subtly question them, gleaning every bit of information she could; then, using her superior powers of deduction, put all the clues together to discover her man’s identity.

Kathryn dressed quickly and tidied her small room, carefully straightening her precious books, then went to set her plan in motion. Opening the doors on the tall cupboards in
the kitchen, she inspected the bottles, bags and boxes.

“What on earth are you up to, Katydid?” her aunt asked, bustling into the cabin.

Startled, Kathryn whirled around, feeling oddly off kilter. She thought she was the only one up, yet here was her aunt completely dressed, including high-laced boots wet with dew and hair neatly braided. How peculiar.

“Aunt Belle! You may as well shoot me as scare me to death!” She patted the spot over her fluttering heart for emphasis. “I thought I would get an early start on the day. I’m going to make delicious muffins for the neighbours.” She turned back to the cupboard and peered at a box marked bicarbonate of soda. “As a thank you for the wonderful party we had.”

Distracted, Aunt Belle moved to the peg holding her capote, a waist length coat fashioned from a Hudson’s Bay blanket, grabbed it and turned for the door once more. “How thoughtful. If you wait until I get back, I can help.”

It was then that Kathryn noticed she was holding a paper sack. “Get back?” The sun was barely up. “Where are you going at this hour? It can’t be much past six o’clock.”

“I have to take this medicine over to Mrs. Jones. I pray it will make the difference.” Without waiting, Aunt Belle hurried out the door, leaving Kathryn filled with more questions than answers.

Grabbing her sweater off the back of a chair, Kathryn raced to catch up.

Aunt Belle hastily pulled a very sleepy horse out of the lean-to and, slipping her Métis sash around Nellie’s neck to act as a makeshift bridle, jumped onto the horse’s back, then reached down for Kathryn.

“If you’re coming, then come on, girl. There’s not a minute to waste.”

Kathryn tentatively took the outstretched hand. She clambered awkwardly up and after much squirming and huffing, managed to seat herself behind her aunt.

“Hold on!” Belle touched her heels to the horse’s sides and they were off.

At first the jostling and fast gait caused Kathryn to cling rather childishly for dear life to her aunt. Adjusting herself to a more natural position on the horse’s broad back, she decided as transport, Nellie was actually rather nice, like straddling a wide carpeted log. The ride was quite comfortable, once you grew used to the movement of the strong muscles under the warm flesh.

The early morning air was crisp and clean, with an in
toxicating scent of tangy pine. In fact, if it weren’t for the sense of urgency, this whole excursion would have been very enjoyable. They cut across green fields and forded the river, eventually arriving at a quaint white clapboard house with a fence around the yard and sweet peas climbing a trellis over the gate.

Kathryn immediately knew this was no road allowance shanty. Sliding off Nellie, her aunt didn’t wait as she rushed to the front door of the tidy house.

It was immediately opened by a young woman, worry lines aging her ashen face.

“I have medicine for Louisa,” Aunt Belle stated without preamble.

The woman motioned for them to enter. “I’m so frightened, Belle. Her fever won’t break and she’s very weak.”

The distressed mother crossed the room and knelt be
fore a wooden cradle in which Kathryn glimpsed a tiny baby lying unnaturally still except for the jerky rise and fall of her chest as she struggled to take in a raspy breath.

“She’s been sick for days. We’re about out of our heads with worry.”

This remark came from a rake-thin man who was dressed in a rather stuffy suit. He appeared awkward and out of place, like he was on his way to work at the bank, but had forgotten to go in. Kathryn decided he must be the baby’s father and watched as he placed a shaky arm around his wife’s shoulders.

Aunt Belle put the paper bag on the table and withdrew a bottle filled with white powder. “Alice, you must mix this with warm water and give it to Louisa to drink. It tastes bitter; still, we must get it into the child.”

The young woman’s fear etched her face. “I tried an infusion of willow bark like you said, and have been sponging her down, but nothing’s working. She’s going to die, isn’t she, Belle, like my little Billy two years ago.” She contorted in anguish as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks.

Belle put the bottle on the table and took the woman’s hands in hers. “No, my dear, we must not think like that. Right now, Louisa needs us to be strong. We will give her the help she needs to get well. Together we can do this, Alice. This is a new medicine which is going to fix that baby of yours up fine. Now, get me some water and a clean cloth.” Her voice was gentle, and yet there was no hint of weakness or doubt. Even Kathryn believed there was going to be a miracle.