“May was a Christian, raised by missionaries,” Papa went on. “After she died, my daughter had her lessons from a good church woman. Now she’s got it in her head that she wants to graduate. I figure she needs maybe two more terms of school. Then she’ll be helping me at the new shop. We aim to settle down here and run a good business.” A pause. “If there’s going to be any trouble, it won’t be either of us starting it.”

Silence.

“I’m not saying to chase them out of town.” Baxter’s voice again. “But there’s gotta be laws about this. I know coloreds can’t go to school with our kids. Indians can’t either. Isn’t it the same for Chinamen?”

“There’s a question! What’s the law, Harris?” someone else called out.

Yet another clamor began, followed by the rapping sound.

This time, Mr. Harris spoke slowly. “I have to admit, I don’t know where the law stands on this,” he said. “I tell you what. There’s no statehouse as yet—we’re governed from Washington. I’ll write a few letters of inquiry, and I’ll call another meeting once I hear back.”

Apparently Mr. Baxter was still not satisfied. “And she’ll be kept out of school until then?”

“No. She’ll attend school as long as there are no problems, and it’ll be up to Miss Walters to decide otherwise, same as with any other student.”

“But that might be breaking the law!”

Now a voice that Hanna hadn’t heard before. “We don’t know that. It might just as well be breaking the law to keep her out of school. As a school board member, I’ve got to go by what I know. Last place I was on the board was Ohio, and there every child under the age of sixteen has to be in school.”

“Same in New York State,” someone else agreed.

“But they probably don’t have Chinamen living there.” Mr. Baxter again. “If they did, you know there’d be a law against it—”

“Baxter.” Mr. Harris’s voice was firm. “We’ve made our decision. You don’t like it, you can write your own letters.”

“I might just do that.” Mr. Baxter sounded belligerent but said nothing more.

Hanna realized that the meeting was likely to end soon. She ducked down low again and began creeping away from the depot.

“Hanna!” Sam called to her in a loud whisper.

She stopped and looked back, worried that if she didn’t, he’d raise his voice loud enough for someone to notice.

“I’ll see you in school,” he said.

She could hear the smile in his voice.

As she hurried home, she tried to recall every word of the meeting. But she soon found herself thinking about Sam instead. She couldn’t help smiling, and her cheeks flushed again.