The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1870-12-29

age from her advantage Of distance. al
him II there was anything he wanted,
"Wass up! Wassar naar?u continued s,
dy in very high key.
Get up, you horrid naanpu said N;
mary, now thoroughly inesnsed, "S.t up a,
60 home.''
Sandy staggered to his feet. He va.
feet high, and Miss Mary trembled. 81
started forward few PAGES and then stopp.
""ass 60 home fora' he suddenly al.
with great gravity
10 and take bath" replied Miss Mar,
'yeins bis grimy person with great disfavo,
To her infinite dism ~. Sandy mil.
on his coat and vest, threw them on tb
ground, kicked of his boots, and plunge
wildly forward, darted hsad-lons over th,
ahi' IN the direction Of the river.
Goodness heavens! the man will be drown
ed's said Miss Mary; and then with femi
nine Inconsistency, she ran back to the school
house and locked herself in.
That night, while seated at supper with he,
hostess, the blacksmiths wife, it came 70 Ms,
Mary to ask, demurely, if her husband ave-,
got drunk.
Abner," responded Mrs stidgers. re-
nsc.ively, 'let's see; Abner hasn't been t;obt
since 'lection''
MISS Mary would liked to have asked If h.
preferred lying in the sun on such occa.ion,
and If cold bath would hurt him: but this
would have involved an explain ,tion, which
she did not care to give.
Ia less than week Mi., Mary had forgot
ten this little episode, except that her after
noon walks took hereafter = different diree.
ton. She noticed, however, that everv MORN
ing fresh cluster Of azalea blossoms appeared
among the flowers on her desk This was not
strange, as her flock were aware Of her fond.
ness for flowers, and invariably kept her dc.k
bright with anemones, syringas and lupi mes;
out on Questioning them they one and all.
possessed ignorance of the azaleas. A few
days later, Master Johny Stidger, whose desk |
was nearest the window, was suddenly saken
with spasms of apparently gratuitous laugh
ter that threatened the discipline of the |
school All that Miss Mary could get from
MIN was that some one had been s'lookinp in
the wlnder." lrate and indignant, she sailed
from her hive to do battle with the intruder.
As she turned the corner Of the school hou.e
she came pump upou the quouuam urunx.
ard, uvw perfectly sober, ond uneA pr ossihI,
sheepish and guilty-looking.
Those facts Miss Mary not slow to take |
a feminine advantage Of in her present humor.
But 1t was somewhat confusing to observe,
also that the beast, despite some faint sign of
past dissipation was amiable looking in fact.
4 kind of blond Samson, whose corn colored,
'lixen beard apparently had never known
he touch of Delilah's shears. So that the
cutting speech which quivered on her ready
ongue, died upon her lips, and she contented
herself with receiving his stammering apology
'upercilious with eyelids and the gathering
'kirts of funcontamination. When she re-en-
'ered the school room her eyes fell upon the
azalea with new sense of revelation. And
hen she laughed, and the little boys oil
aughed, and they were all unconsciously
'appy.
1t was very hot day-and not long after
his that two short legged boys came to grief
IN the threshold of the school with pail of
water, which they had laboriously brought
rom the spring, and that Miss Mary compass
'ionately seized the pail and started for the
'pring herself. At the foot Of the hill shad-
w crossed her path, and blue shirted arm
lexterously, but gently relieved her of the
burden. Miss Mary was both embarrassed.
md angry IF you carried more of that for
she said spitefully to the blue arm;
Without deigning to raise her lashes 70 the
'wner, "you'd do better" In the submis-
i've silence that followed, she regretted the
'peech, and thanked him SO sweetly at the
loor that he stumbled, which caused the chill
lren to laugh again, q laugh in which Miss
Nary joined, until the color came inte her
pale cheek. The ae1t day barrel was mys-
sriously hlled with fresh spring water every
morning.
Nor was this superior person without other ,
luist attentions. "Profane Bill,'' driver of
he Slumgullion stage, had excepted Miss
Mary from his attention, on the ground that
le was in the habit of ''cussin' on up grade" ,
md gave her half the coach to herself Jack ,
gambler, having once ridden |
nth her in the same coach, afterwards threw
! decanter at the head Of a confederate for ,
Mentioning her name in . bar-room The
'ver dressed mother of pupil whose paterni-
y vas doubtful, had often fingered near thi.
'stute FestaPs temple, never daring to enter
Is sacred precincts, but content to worship
he priestess from afar
With such unconscious intervals, the mo- .
,otonous procession Of blue skies, glittering
brief twilights, and starry nights
,assed over Red Gulch. Miss Mary grew
ond Of the sedate and proper woods. Per-
aape she believed With Mrs. Stidger that the
oalsamic odors Of the frs ;'did her chest
Iood,' for certainly her cough was less frs-
ausnt and her step was irmer.
And 80 one day she planned . picnic to
Buckeye Hill, and teok the children with her.
Away from the dusty road, the struggling
Ihanties, the yellow bitches, the elamor of
rsstless engines, and cheap fnery Of shop
windows, the deeper glitter of paint and glass,
and the thin sencering that barbarism takes