National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1870-06-17

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 gigle; and the
teacher Miss Olive Burnett, looked
quickly, glancing. along the row of
scholars on the back seat-yOung
men and wOmen--fOr this was a
country school, and in the winter.
She had come to look for trouble in
this quarter. Every day some new
aggravation, some new infringement
of the rules and offence against the
discipline made it hard work for her,
a girl of eighteen, to maintain her
authority over those forty turbulent
spirits constantly melted to insub-
ordination by the example of their
acknowledged leader, Scott Gold
lick.
He sat there, at the further end
of the bench, quite in the corner, a
good looking young man of twenty,
with curly chestnut hair and mutin.
GUS curve of the lip, with head bent
low over his slate, and fingers busy
in figuring out some difficult prob.
lem in arithmetic. But Miss Bur.
nett was not to be deceived by the
apparently studious air. And there
was an undertone 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 forbearance ceases to be a
virtue and | think it has been pass.
ed. From this time out shall en-
force every rule of the school. The
penalty for the next interruption of
this kind will be twelve strokes of
the ruler carelessly balancing the
slip of cherry wood in her hand.
The clear, bright face in the corn
er was lifted for moment, the dark
hazel eye looked steadily in Miss
Burnett's blue eyes; only for mo-
ment, the space of a breath then
the hand went on again steadily
with that maze of figures, Miss Bur
nett went on with her work.
Hard work it was, especially hard
work to day. All day long the viv.
id scarlet had burned in her cheeks,
making her passing lovely, while
her temples throbbed with pain,
and one of the children feeling her
ftverish 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 yet, al! dependent for
the bread they ate, upon the over
worked teacher Truly, failure here
would be disaster.
But she must not fail. Would d
those interminable lessons never be
finished +! She wanted to go home
and rest.
Two hours of tolerable quiet and
order and the days work was near
Is eudei, when in the midst of the
last recitation came again that in
terupting whisper, plainly heard al
over the room.
For an instant Olive Burnett's
heart tailed her. Coul1 she muster
courage enough to terrule Scott
Goldrick. the oldest 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 he kept; her authority
was assailed and must be maintaine,
now or lost altogether. To falteI
now was to give up all. SO callin,
up her nerve, though her heat
throbbed dizzily, she closed heI
book quietly, dismissed the class
and faced the school as she sai'
, slowly:
The scholar who whispered thai
last time will please step forward
There was "a dead silence for an
, instant. Then Scott Goldrick lef
= his seat and walked up to where thu
young teacher stood. No boyisll
i. mischief in his manner now; N
mocking Difference no shade OF de
fance, but, instead, a quiet manli
ness that was harder to meet thar
any bravado would have been.
You can understand, Mr.. Gold
rick, that this is not a pleasant dut,
to me- her voice steady, but lowe
i than usual, 80 low that some wh'
i were listening, did not catch thu
i words at all. you can understand
! that it is not pleasant for me to d.
! this, but my rules must be respect
! ed
!, For an answer he bowed and hel'
!, out his hand. They were counte'
:, out faithfully-twelve strOkes--n
!, more no less. Did he know hov
every one hurt heri Perhaps Il
II did, for his eyes were OH her face al
the while, and when the last ON
!. was given he walked back to hi
II seat, a little graver than before, tina
d was all. And the rest of the schol
ia ars opened eyes of amazemcn'
4 They had expected high words an
Open defiance at the first. This De'
o rentlcness was not fear they kne,
d That we'll. Fear and Scott Gold
" rick's name never went together
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