"They make a right pretty picture, ma'am. Shall I leave them on for decoration?"
Sarah, seated on a stool by the fireplace, looked up from her sewing. "Abe, you big scamp. You get that ceiling nice and white, or I'll be carrying out my threat."
The corners of her mouth were twitching. Abe grinned, glad to be at peace with her again.
"After I finish here," he asked, "do you have any more chores?"
"No, Abe. I reckon there will be time for you to do some reading. But first, you finish your whitewashing. Then there's something I want to talk to you about."
Abe dipped his brush into the whitewash again and again, until he had covered up the last telltale mark of Johnny's feet. The cabin was bright and shining when he finished. He pulled another stool up to the fireplace and sat facing Sarah.
"I wasn't meaning to tell you just yet," she said. "Leastways until I had a chance to talk to your pa."
"What is it, Mamma?"
"There's a new neighbor come to Pigeon Creek," she said. "Man by the name of James Swaney. He is farming now, but he is fixing to keep a school next winter."
Abe jumped up and stood looking down at her. "Do you reckon that Pa—"