The Revenant by Sonia Gensler Read Free Book Online

“I said you seemed young for a teacher, didn’t I, Miss McClure?”
    “She’s right, Eli,” said Alice. She looked at me a little nervously. “Miss McClure, please allow me to introduce you to Mr. Eli Sevenstar of Sallisaw.”
    Eli stood still for a moment, his expression now sober. Then he reached out to take my hand. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss McClure.” His grasp was confident, but his eyes were still puzzled.
    “Pleased to meet you,” I mumbled awkwardly.
    “Miss McClure was at the Columbia Athenaeum,” said Alice.
    “You’re from Tennessee, then?” he asked.
    I nodded and then checked myself. “My schooling was in Tennessee, but my family lives in Van Buren, Arkansas.”
    Please don’t say anything about the train. Please, please, please .
    He started to speak, then bit his lip. “Well,” he said finally, “the Cherokee Nation welcomes you, miss. I hope you are settling in at the seminary.”
    “Are we going to stand here jabbering all day,” demanded Larkin Bell, “or are we going to get some ice cream and sit in the shade? It’s damned hot in the sun.” He glanced at me and pretended to look embarrassed. “Pardon my language, Miss McClure.” He offered one arm to Lelia and the other to Alice, who squealed happily, and off they went. With one last glance back at me, Eli took Fannie by the arm, leaving Lucy and me to trail behind.
    I could not keep my eyes off the back of Eli’s head. I tried to look away, but he talked so animatedly with Fannie, and she responded with vivacity. So much for having “moved on.” Their flirtation was mesmerizing … and somewhat sickening. I tossed my head. Why did I care about a Cherokee boy?
    I knew why. He was more gentlemanly than any boy who’d ever tried to court me in Columbia. And he’d seemed pleased to see me. Surely his eyes had brightened when he recognized me. But now I was no longer a girl to him. I was a teacher. A spinster in service. A frump.
    The young men purchased treats for the girls from the ice cream saloon. Nothing was offered to me. My purpose was merely to hover at the edge of their party like prissy Miss Kirtley, ready to shake my finger at any pair who dared sit too close or speak too intimately. I followed them to a large and handsome brick structure—the sign told me it was the capitol building—bordered by a grassy lawn shaded by trees. As if long accustomed to this routine, the cousins sat together under a tree, arranging their skirts carefully, while the young men sat a cautious distance away. Lucy stood behind the girls, arms crossed at her chest. I leaned against a nearby tree, wondering if I should fly up to a branch to perch over them, vulture-like. Instead, I sighed, prepared to be thoroughly bored.
    “We had a run-in with the ghost last week,” said Fannie cheerfully, as if speaking of a friendly encounter on the street.
    “Fannie!” gasped Lelia, her eyes darting toward me.
    “Oh, don’t get in a tizzy, Lelia,” said Fannie. “She won’t say anything. After all, she lives with it.”
    Eli looked toward me, his eyebrows raised in alarm. “What are you talking about, Fannie?”
    “Miss Crenshaw gave her Ella’s room,” said Alice, pouncing on the opportunity to join the conversation. “None of the girls would stay there. Isn’t that right, Lucy?”
    Lucy merely frowned in response.
    “How did Ella drown?” I asked abruptly.
    There was a pause as they glanced at each other.
    “That is,” I continued awkwardly, “if I’m to stay in her room, I should be privy to the details.”
    “No one really knows,” said Larkin finally. “Her body washed up on the bank of the river south of town.”
    “It was an accident,” Eli said, fiddling with his hat.
    Alice tilted her head thoughtfully. “You know what people say, Eli Sevenstar.”
    He set the hat down and fixed her with a hard stare. “About what?”
    “About Cale.”
    Larkin frowned. “That’s all nonsense. Cale loved