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Chapter 4 Teaching Alexander A Lesson l The bitterroot juice in Alexander’s milk at breakfast the next morning didn’t turn out nearly as well as Louise had planned. She arrived at the dining hall early and worked her way to where Alexander sat. She poured the juice into his milk. It was the worst, nonpoisonous substance she could think of. She had taken bitterroot juice when she was sick. It was supposed to cast off all illnesses. She felt that the only reason it could possibly work was that no illness could co-exist with such a rotten-tasting medicine. She was trying to conceal the small flask and get back to her seat when Alexander walked in. He eyed her suspiciously, but said nothing. When they finally sat down to eat, she kept an eye on him, but tried not to draw attention to herself. Finally, he took a drink of milk. His eyes widened slightly, and then he swallowed a couple of times. He glanced over at her, and she stifled a laugh. Then he continued eating, acting as if nothing had happened. He didn’t choke, he didn’t gag, he didn’t even ask for a new glass of milk. He was calm and unruffled. By the time she walked from the dining hall, she was fit to be tied. She would see him get ruffled before she left if she had to hang him to do it. For the next month, her antics escalated. She forced 34