Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-06-25
selttt storp.
4 TALE TOLD OUT OF
SCHOOL.

First person love, second person
thou lowest, third person he loves.
drawled the head boy in the class. The
next, little girl, took it up promptly
"Plural-First person We love, second
person you love. third person they love,
And we all love-"
The interruption came in whisper,
loud enough to be heard all over the
room. causing the older boys and girls
to smile and giggle; and the teacher,
Miss Olive Burnett, looked up quickly,
glancing along the row of large scholars
on the back seat-young men and wo-
men--for this was country school, and
| in the winter She had come 10 look for
trouble from that quarter. Every day
some fresh aggray alton, some new infringe
| ment of the rules and offence against the
discipline made il hard work for her, a
girl of eighteen, to maintain her authori-
" over those forty turbulent spirits, con-
stantly melted to INSTRUMENTATION by the
example of their acknowledged leader,
Scott Goldrick.
He sat there, at the further end of the
bench, quite in the corner, u good-look-
ing young man of twenty, with curly
chestnut hair and mutinous curve OF the
lip, with head bent low over his slate.
and fingers busy in figuring out some
difficult problem in arithmetic. But Miss
Burnett was not deceived by the appar-
emily studiouS air. And there was an
undertone of determined rosolute deter
mination in her voice As she said, looking
quietly over the forty faces before her.
These Interruptions must come to an
end at once. There is point where fog
bearance ceases 10 be virtue, and l
think it has been passed. From this time
out shall enforce ereryrule ofthe school.
The penalty Of the next interruption OF
this kind viii be twelve strokes of the ru-
ler," carelessly balancing the slip of cher
ry-wood in her fingers.
The clear, bright face in the corner was
lifted for a moment; the dark, hazel eye
looked steadily into Miss Burnett's blue
ewes; only moment, the space of a
breath; then the hand went on again
steadily with the endless maze of figures.
and Miss Burnett went on with herwork.
Hard work il was, especially hard work
to-day. All day the vivid scarlet had
burned in her cheeks, making her pas
sing lovely. while her temples throbbed
with pain, and one Of the children feel
inc her feverish touch, wondered "what
made Miss Burnett's hand so hot" She
must not give up, though. There was too
much depending on her for that A
helpless mother and two little sisters,
hardly more than babies vet, all depend
ent for the bread they ate, upon the
over-worked young teacher. Truly fail
ure here would be her disaster.
But she must mol fail. Would those
interminable lessons never be finished
She wanted to go home and rest.
Two hours Of tolerable order and quiet.
and the days work was nearly ended,
when in the last recitation came again
that interrupting whisper, plainly heard
all over the room.
For an instant Olive Burnett's heart
failed her. Could she muster courage
enough to ferule Scott Goldrick, the old
est and largest boy in school-a man
grown' The thought came at once that
it was unmanly in him TO try her so. But. +.
right or wrong, her word was passed
and must be kept her authority was as
sailed and must be maintained now or
lost altogether. To fsllter now was to
give up all. So, calling up all her nerve,
though her head throbbed dizzily. she
closed her book quietly, dismissed the
class and faced the school as she said,
slowly:
The scholar who whispered that last
time viii please step forward"
There was dead silence for an instant,
then Scott Goldrick left his seat and
walked up to where the young teacher
stood. No boyish mischief in his manner
now; no mocking Difference; no shade OF
defiance, but, instead. quiet manliness
that was harder to meet than any brava-
do would have been.
lyon can understand, Mr.. Goldrick,
that this is not pleasant duty to me. !"