03-15-2013, 02:04 AM
Little Well wasn't a large town by any means, but it was by far the largest community for miles. It's location was completely dependent on the natural springs in immediate area which were an instant draw to a parched population worried about water-borne disease. The problem with Little Well is that it wasn't a major stop on the road West out to the boom towns and that kept the place fairly quiet.
Only a few years ago the Ivy family had moved into Little Well and set up shop despite there having already been an apothecary present there at the time. This brought Miss Lydia Ivy into the picture as a young woman eager to sink into the dusty plains and scrubby woodland that flanked Little Well. She had only recently finished her own schooling when she decided to offer her time to teach the students of the community, and found that it was a job that desperately needed filling. She fell into life in Little Well nicely, though she did keep mostly to herself and her family while they were around.
Today was already starting out well. She had visited Mr. Lodge at the general store and he had managed to save her just the right amount of flour from the remains of the last bag he opened for another customer. "I appreciate it." She called back to him, backing out of his shop. Flour for bread, and there was plenty of beans left... She was pretty much set. Lydia carried the bag down the road to the schoolhouse and set it down on her own desk. They would arrive fairly soon, she was certain, and then lessons would begin for a short time. Today was one of their last days in class before spring let out for planting and all the kids would be put to work by their parents. The problem was they were anxious about their time away from the stuffy old school house now, and she had a building full of them to deal with.
As the children started to mill into their seats she gave them a warm smile "Please remember to quiet down, you're not out yet but if we work quickly I'm sure we can manage some extra time for you before lunch."
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