The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1870-12-29
MANTTOWOC, WIS, THURSDAY DECEAfRrp 90 1910

motnef, threw themselves Il
% downward on her brown bosom with uneo.
earresses, filing the air with their Taught,
D. ana how Miss Mary herself, fslinsly f.sti,
Gus and sntrsnchsd - she Vas in II. pur;
IS OF spotless skirts, collars and cuffs. forrot !.
ID .no ran like crested quail at the head Of 4
brood until rompine, laughing and pantin
< with loosened braid Of brown hair. a h
e hanging ~ knottted ribbon from her thre
!. she ssns suddenly and violently in the hsa
OF the forest, upon luckless Sandy.
The explanation, apologies, and not 9th a.
wise conversation that snsued, need not ,
indicated here. 1t would seem, however, ths
MISS Mary had already established some a
, quaintanes with the sx-drunkard. Enouel
that he was soon accepted Is one of the party
that the children with the quick ;atsllipenc
which Providence gives the bslplsss, recos
nlz'd friend, and played with his blond,
beard and long silken moustache, and tool
0tner hosrties-as the helpless are apt to 10
Ana when he had built FIRE against . tree
and had shown them other my ysteries of wood
craft their admiration knew no bound. A,
the close OF two such foolish, idle, happy
hours, he found himself lying ut the feet of
.ne scnooi mistress, gazing dreamily in her
iace-as she sat on the sloping hillside
weaving wreaths Of laurel and syringa-in
very much the same attitude as he b ad lain
when first they met. Nor was the similitude
greatly forced. Tie weakness of an .a,v
sensuous nature, that had found a dreamy ex.
halation in liquor, it is to be feared, was now
finding an equal intexication in love.
think that Sandy was dimly conscious of
tois himself. l know that he longed to be
doing something good, staying a grizzly,
scalping = savage, or sacrificing h,m.elf in
some way for this sallow-faced, gray-eyed
school mistress. AS / should like to present
him in an heroic attitude, l stay nv hand with
oimeulty at this moment, being only withheld
from introducing such en- episode by the
strong conviction that it doe. not usually oc-
cur at such times And trust that my fair
est reader, who remembers that in regular |
Crisis, 1t is always some uninterested stranger
OF unromantic policeman-and not Adolphus |
who rescues, will forgive the omission.
SO they sat there, undisturbed-the wood
peckers chattered overhead and the voices
u the children came pleasantly from the hoi-
ow below. What they said matters little.
- '|~s- Al --eL. ;eh. ha-. ,S1n In.sI~ss-
ng--d1d trunep:.-. I.L,. |
'niy learned how Miss Mary was an orphan;
low she left her uncle's house to come 70 CAL
fornia for the sake o. health and independ-
'nce; how Sandy was an orphan too; how he
'ame to California for excitement, how he had
ived wild lie, and how he was trying to re-
orm: and other details, which from a wood
'ecker's point of view, undoubtedly must
lave seemed stupid. and q waste of time
But even in such triaes was the afternoon
pent; and when the children were again
,athered, and Sandy, with delicacy which
he school mistress well understood, took
cave Of them at the outskirts of the settle
nent, It had seemed the shortest day of her
veary life.
As the long dry summer withered to its
oots, the school term of Red Gulch-to use
ocal EXP alhonism-'dried up' also. In an
thcr day Miss Mary would be free, and for
eascn At least, Red Gulch would know her no
nore. She was seated in the school house,
er head resting on her hand, her eyes half
losed in one of those day dreams in which
liss Mary fear to the danger of school dis
ipline--was lately in the habit of indulging
Ter lap was full Of MOSES, ferns and other
Foodland memories. She was 10 preoccupisd
nth these and her own thoughts, that gen.
10 tapping At the door passed unheard, or
itself into the remembrance Of far
# woodpeckers When at last it asserted
tself more distinctly, she started up with
ushsd cheek and opened the door. On the
hreshhold stood 3 woman, the self assertion
nd nudacity of whose dress were in singular
ontr:st to the tiuid irresolute bearing.
Miss Mary recognized at glance the dubi-
us mother of her anonymous pupil. Perhaps
he was disappointed, perhaps she Was only
astidious, but as she coldly invited her to en-.
er, she half unconsciously settled her white
uffs and collar, and gathered closer her own
haste skirt. 1t was. perhaps, for this reason
hat the embarrassed stranger, after a mo-
nents hesitation, left her gorgeous parasol
pen and sticking in the dust beside the door,
nd then sat down at the farther end of long
ench. Her voice was husky As she began
II heard tell that you were goin' down to
Ae Bay tomorrow, and couldn't let you 20
ntil came to thank you for your kindness
D my Tommy
Tommy, Mary sail, was good boy, and
eserved more than the poor attention she
ould give him.
THANK you, Miss Thank yep cried the
tranger Frightening even through the color
'hich Red Gulch knew facetiously az her
war paint, and striving in her embarrass-
aent. to drag the long bench nearer to the
chool mistress. II thank you Miss for that
nd if am his mother there amt . sweeter,
learer, better boy lives than him. And if 1
int much As says it, there amt
weeter, dearer, angel teacher than he has
;ot."
Miss Mary, sitting prinsly behind her
iesk. with . ruler over her shoulder, open
ID her grey eyes kidely At this, but said
aothing.
6 l. amt for you to be complinented BY
he like Of me-" she went on, hurriedly,