by Katie Bradford
Listed below are just a few of the rules for women teachers in the year 1915:
- You are not to keep company with men.
- You must be home between 7:00 PM and 6:00 AM unless attending a school function.
- You may not loiter downtown in the ice-cream store.
- You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless it is your father or brother.
- You may not dress in bright colors.
There are several other rules that applied to the women teachers but they don't apply to this story. They are all interesting, especially since they didn't apply to the male teachers!
"Miss Elizabeth Caldwell you have been found guilty by the school board of Glenview of breaking five rules in your teaching contract and are hereby sentenced to a whipping this Saturday at noon in the old school house. The punishment will be carried out by Mr. James A. Parker, head of the School Board. Do you have anything to say for yourself, young woman?" Judge Harris asked as he looked down at the pretty little schoolmarm standing in front of him.
Elizabeth shook her head. "No Sir."
Frowning, the judge continued, "Well then, you are remanded into your Uncle's custody until your sentence has been carried out on Saturday, Miss Caldwell."
She could still hardly believe this was all happening. All she had done was to accompany Carson Hooper to that little ice cream shop in his new automobile. There they had shared delightful conversation as well as an ice cream sundae together. The next thing she knew she had been brought up on five different charges of breaking her teacher's contract. The whole thing was ludicrous!
But the worst thing of all was the fact that she was to spend the rest of the week with her Uncle Luther. He was her father's older brother and a stickler for the rules. Elizabeth hardly ever even saw her Uncle and his family as they lived out on a farm miles away from Glenview. She herself lived in a small room in the back of Tom Willowby's Boarding House right there in town.
Her Uncle was none too thrilled about housing his niece for the week either. He let her know that right from the beginning. While they were driving back to his farm after the hearing, he'd told her she wasn't just going to be just sitting around doing nothing while she was staying with them. Elizabeth had assured her Uncle that she was a hard worker and had no intention of just sitting around.
He'd also told her she wasn't allowed to see the young man that had gotten her in this mess she was in. She had argued with him a little on this matter but after being threatened with her Uncle's belt, decided to let the matter drop for the time being. The rest of the ride was fairly quiet.
Once they had gotten to the house, Elizabeth had been greeted a little more warmly by her Aunt Mae and all her cousins. Elizabeth had always thought it was rather odd for someone as broody as her Uncle to have found and married such a sweet, wonderful woman such as her Aunt Mae. He just didn't seem to be very romantic, yet they had eight children ranging in ages all the way from three to twenty-one, with another one on the way! So there had to be some kind of attraction between them and she had to admit, Aunt Mae did look happy enough.
Elizabeth only hoped she looked as happy after being married for twenty-two years with a handful of children. Of course she had no intention of ever having nine children. Whoever she married would have to agree on a much smaller number. She liked children but didn't want to start her own school.
Aunt Mae escorted Elizabeth upstairs to the bedroom where the oldest two girls, Rosie and Maggie slept and told her to make herself at home and not to worry about her Uncle. His bark was worse then his bite.
Elizabeth sighed with relief hoping her Aunt was right. He had been very grumpy ever since their first encounter earlier that morning and she was afraid he might be that way permanently. She really hadn't spent much time with her father's brother. Ever since she'd started teaching in Glenview the previous year, she'd been kept pretty busy. She just prayed the next week was bearable!
Things had gone well in the beginning. Not wanting to be a burden, Elizabeth had thrown her whole self into helping around the farm. She helped Aunt Mae with the housework and cooking as well as doing various chores that needing tending to out on the farm. Her Uncle certainly couldn't accuse her of sitting around. Each night she fell into bed simply exhausted.
Elizabeth had never been so ready for a week to be over in all her life. She wanted to get her punishment over with and return to her more simpler life of being the schoolmarm. It wasn't until her week on the farm was almost up when things got a little heated.
Carson Hooper, who was a traveling salesman had come out to the farm to see Elizabeth on Friday. He'd actually gone to Willowby's Boarding house first, but upon hearing about the scandal that he had apparently brought upon her unknowingly, had hightailed it out to the farm to try and make amends.
Unfortunately, when he drove his little Packard in front of Miss Elizabeth's Uncle's home, he was greeted by Luther Caldwell himself holding a shotgun telling him to get off his property. No amount of trying to explain the reasoning of his visit at that moment seemed to matter to Elizabeth's Uncle, as Luther kept pointing the rifle at him, threatening to blow his head off if he came any closer.
Just as Carson was about to get back in his Packard, Elizabeth came hurriedly out onto the front porch. "Carson! What are you doing here?"
"Elizabeth," Carson called back excitedly as he stepped away from his car and started back towards the house.
"Get back in the house girl," Luther warned, not even bothering to look back at his niece.
"But Uncle Luther, Carson ..."
"Get back in the house Elizabeth unless you'd like to feel my strap across your behind," Luther snarled.
"Sir," Carson looked over at Mr. Caldwell, "I'm here to try and rectify what has happened to your niece. She most certainly does not deserve what is facing her Saturday."
"You've done enough to besmirch the Caldwell name boy. My niece is only getting the punishment she deserves for failing to follow her contract."
Elizabeth, standing behind her Uncle, shook her head with disgust while trying to gain Carson's attention behind her Uncle's back. She was pointing towards the back of the barn hoping he would understand to meet her there after her uncle went inside.
Carson seemed to understand the secret signing because he looked back over at Luther, and said, "Yes Sir, I'm sorry Sir. I can assure you it was not intentional and I will be talking to the School Board this afternoon."
"Do what you want, just get off my property and don't be tryin' to court my niece again you scoundrel. You've caused enough trouble and embarrassment for her."
Carson didn't say another word, he simply nodded and walked back towards his car and hopped in behind the wheel. Without looking back, he drove away from the house, parking only when he thought his vehicle was safely hidden from any prying eyes.
Skulking behind a few of the trees, he made his way back up to the Caldwell's barn and hid behind it, waiting patiently for Elizabeth to show up.
Finally after what seemed like quite a wait, Elizabeth came scurrying around the back of the barn and hugged Carson around the neck. "Oh Carson! It's just awful. The School Board ..."
"I know Elizabeth," Carson interrupted. "Mrs. Willowby told me all about it in town. Did you know your contract had those stipulations when you signed it?"
Breathing hard from nervousness, Elizabeth looked over her shoulder making sure she hadn't been followed before looking back at Carson, "I thought I had read all the rules but I guess I didn't read them very carefully. There were so many."
"You need to be careful about things like that darlin'," Carson warned. "Contracts can be pretty binding."
"I know that now," Elizabeth smirked. "Just about thirty minutes after you dropped me back off at the Willowby's, Mr. Parker came calling."
"Who's that?" Carson asked.
"The head of the School Board. Anyway, I wasn't home more then thirty minutes before he came calling and told me I was to report to the Sheriff's office the next morning at nine. I asked him why but he was very sketchy. Told me it had something to do with setting an unsavory example for our young people in the community."
"Oh Elizabeth," Carson replied sympathetically, "I am so sorry you're having to go through all this! I'll go right now and try to talk to this Mr. Parker."
"It won't do any good Carson." Elizabeth frowned. "I'll just go through the punishment they have set for me so I can get my job back. I really miss the kids."
"But it's not fair," Carson pointed out.
"No it's not, but as silly as those rules are, I did break them and they have the right to punish me for it," she answered sensibly.
"I thought I heard voices back behind here!" Luther strode round the corner.
"Uncle Luther!" Elizabeth's hand flew up to her mouth.
"Now Sir," Carson interjected quickly, "Elizabeth and I were just talking.
"I thought I told you to get off my property and not come bothering my niece again," Luther snapped walking right up to Carson.
"Uncle Luther," Elizabeth wedged herself in between the two men. "Carson is just trying to help."
"He can help by getting off this property!"
"It's okay Elizabeth," Carson replied softly, "I'm going into town and talk to Mr. Parker right now. I'll talk to you later."
"Not if I can help it. You stay away from Elizabeth. You hear me boy?"
Both Elizabeth and her uncle watched as Carson turned and walked back towards the road. Once he was almost out of sight, Luther turned to Elizabeth.
"Lift your skirt up and lower your drawers young lady. You've earned a good walloping with the belt for defying me."
Elizabeth stood, wide eyed, staring at her uncle. Could he have said what she thought he'd said? She was twenty years old! How could he possibly mean to whip her? After all it wasn't like she was one of his children or anything. Frankly, she couldn't even think of the last time her own father had whipped her for something. It had been sometime in her early teens was all she remembered.
Taking a deep breath, she asked, "You want me to do what?"
"I'm not in a habit of repeating myself young lady. If I have to undress you myself, I promise you, you won't like it," Luther warned as he began unbuckling his belt.
"But ... but Uncle Luther ..." Elizabeth stuttered nervously, "I'm a grown woman ..."
"I promised your father I would look after you while you were up here, so grown woman or not, it looks like you need a taste of the belt to remind you of proper behavior," Luther spat, sliding his belt through the loops of his pants. "Need I remind you why you're being whipped tomorrow in the school house?"
Elizabeth lowered her eyes, "No Sir."
"Apparently I do," Luther snapped doubling the leather in his fist. "You are going to be labeled as a trollop if you keep up your silly antics, and then where do you think you'll get a teaching position?"
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