"That would only give us two or three hours of school, and the children will need more time than that."
"A little schooling a day is better than none," Jed reminded her.
"Yes, I know," Mary admitted. "But there must be a way. Some place—" Suddenly, she knew where she could start the school. "The ballroom."
"What?"
"The third floor of the Ettinger House has complete servants quarters and a ballroom." Mary was excited. "The ballroom is more than big enough, and with the servant's quarters, we could even house students from outlying farms and towns. And I won't even have to leave my home. I can be there to take care of Judah and Maddy. Order the supplies, Mr. Buford, Utopia is about to get a school!"
Although enthusiastic about the school and the sales for his store, Jed Buford was also practical. He figured it was bad enough having nearly everyone in town going in and out of Ettinger House for meals. Adding a school would be adding more inside traffic and a lot less privacy for the residents. "Maybe we ought to wait to order the school supplies, Miz Kincaid, until after your husband gets back."
"Why?" Mary asked, still carried away by the idea of founding Utopia's first school.
"Maybe you ought to discuss this over with your husband first. He might not think it's such a good idea…" Just this morning, Louisa Shockley had mentioned to Jed, when he delivered fresh eggs and milk, that it was a shame that Lee Kincaid had to leave Utopia to take care of a business matter when he and his sweet wife were still honeymooning. Jed wouldn't like leaving a woman like Mary Kincaid home alone on her honeymoon. And he certainly wouldn't enjoy having a town full of strangers traipsing through his house at all hours. Mealtimes would be bad enough, but having the town's child population underfoot all day long monopolizing his wife's time… After hearing about the passionate kiss between Kincaid and his wife in the middle of Main Street yesterday afternoon, Jed didn't imagine Lee Kincaid would be thrilled with the idea either.
"There isn't any need to discuss this with my husband." Mary gritted her teeth at Jed's suggestion. "I'm the teacher. It's my decision. Besides, my husband is a very well-educated man and I'm sure he'll be delighted by the idea of having a school that the children in town can attend." At least, she hoped Lee would be delighted. She'd been so excited by the idea of starting a school that she hadn't given any thought to Lee's reaction. What would he say when he discovered that not only did she plan to redecorate most of Ettinger House, but open a school too? Still, Mary told herself, Madeline needed the company of other children, and what better way to get it than to have the other children go to school upstairs in her home? Mary bit her bottom lip. Jed Buford was right—she probably should consult with Lee. But he might be gone for weeks and she really wanted to get started on the project immediately.
"Anything else you need, Miz Kincaid?" Jed asked.
Mary handed him her list of paints, wallpaper patterns, and fabric selections. "And now that we've decided to open a school, I think I should add a dozen or so blankets, sheets, and pillows to the list in case we get boarders. And several bolts of white cotton, navy blue serge, and navy blue wool for school uniforms."
"Anything else?" he asked as he added the other items
to Mary's list.
"Can you tell me where I can find a telegraph office?" she asked.
"At the depot," Jed answered.
"Thank you, Mr. Buford, thank you very much." Mary waved good-bye as she left Sherman's General Store and practically skipped down Main Street until she reached the Denver Pacific Railroad depot.
"I need to send a wire," she announced as she entered the railroad office.
"Right this way, ma'am." Carl Baker, the manager of the depot and the telegraph operator, escorted Mary over to the opposite side of the depot where a high counter and the sign proclaimed the existence of an official Western Union telegraph office. He handed Mary a pencil and a slip of paper. "If you'll be so kind as to write the message out for me."
Mary took the pencil and paper and wrote:
Mr. Reese Jordan,
Trail T Ranch, Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory.
Dear Reese, I am starting a school in Utopia. Need funds for renovations. Please send enough capital to equip and supply a school of approximately twenty students, plus extra to cover the cost of turning a ballroom into a schoolroom and for emergencies. I am opening an account at—
Mary looked up at the telegrapher. "Can you tell me the correct name of the bank here in town?"
"It's called the Ajax Saloon, Bank, and Assayer's Office of Utopia, Colorado Territory," he told her. "And it's the only bank in town."
—the Ajax Saloon, Bank, and Assayer's Office of Utopia, Colorado Territory. Need funds as soon as possible as Lee is in Washington on business. Thank you. All my love to the family. Yours, Mary. PS. Do not wire Lee for approval as this is meant as a surprise. Also, as we do not have a newspaper office in Utopia, please place advertisements announcing the opening of the Utopia School for summer term in the area papers.
She finished writing out her message and handed it to the telegrapher.
"That will be one dollar and forty-three cents," Carl told her. "Will you want to wait for a reply or have it delivered? It's an extra two bits for delivery."
Mary took the money out of her purse and added the extra twenty-five cents. "Thank you, Mr…"
"Baker, ma'am. Carl Baker."
"Thank you, Mr. Baker. I'm Mary Kincaid. I'm new to Utopia. I have several more errands to run this morning." She glanced at the watch pinned to the bodice of her walking dress. "I don't expect to get an answer before I return home, so please have the reply delivered to Ettinger House as soon as you receive it."