Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1871-02-23
rofassed innnrance nf fhe azaIeas.

was taken with spasms of apparently
gratuitous laughter that threatened the
discipline of the school. All that Mis-:
Mary could get from him was, tha
some one had been "looking in the
winder." Irate and indignant, she sail
ed from her hive to do battle with the
! intruder. AS she turned the corner o.
/ the schOOl-houSe she come plump upon
the quondam drunkard, now perfectly
sober, and ineXpressibly sheepish and
guiity-looking.
These facts Miss Mary was not slow
to take a feminine advantage of, in hel
present humor But it was somewhat
confusing 10 observe, also, that the
beast, despite some faint signs of past
dissipation, was amiable looking LIN
fact, a kind of blond Sampson, whose
corn-colored, silken beard apparently
had never yet known the touch OF
barbar's razor or Delilah's shears. So
that the cutting speech which quivered
on her ready tongue died upon her lips,
and she contented herself with receiv-
| ing his stammering apology with super
ciliouS eyes and the gathered skirts OF
] contamination. When she re-entered
the school room, her eyes fell upon the
azaleas with new sense of revelation.
And then she laughed, and they were
all unconsciOusly very happy.
1t was hot day-and not long after
this-that two short-legged boys came
| to grief on the threshold of the school
with a pail of water, which they had
laboriOusIy brought from the spring,
and that Miss Mary compassionately
seizedthe pail and started for the spring
therself. At the foot of the hill shad-
| Ow crossed her path, and a blue-shirted
arm dexterousIy but gently relieved
her of her burden. Miss Mary was
both embarrassed and angry. eff you
carried more of that for yourself" she
said spitefully, to the blue arm, with
out deigning to raise her lashes to its
Eowner. tsyou,d do better.n In thesud-
iVesilence that followed she regret
ted the speech and thanked him SO
sweetly at the door that he stumbled.
Which caused the children to laugh
again.. laugh in which Miss Mary
Joined, until the color come family in
to her pale cheek. The next day bar
rel was mysteriously placed beside the
door, and as mysteriOusly filled with
fresh spring water every morning.
Norwas the superior young person with
out other quiet attentions. "Profane
Bill" driver of the SlumgulliOn Stage,
widely known in the newspapers for
his "gallantry" in invariably offering
the box seat to the fair sex, had accep-
ted Miss Mary from this attention, on
the ground that he had habit OF "cus-
sim on up grades,'' and gave her half
the coach to herself. Jack Hamlin,
gamblerf, having once silently ridden
with her in the same coach, afterward
threw decanter at the head Ofa con-
federate for mentioning her name in a
bar-room. The overdressed mother Of
pupil whose paternity was doubtful
had often fingered near doors of Vestai's
temple, never daring to enter tssacred
precincts but content to worship the
priestess from afar.
With such unconscious interval the
monotonous procession Of the blue
skies, glittering sunshine, brief twi-
lights, and starIit night passed over
Red Gulch. Miss Mary grew fond of
walking in thesedate and proper woods.
perhaps she believed with Mrs Stidger,
that balsamic oders of the frs "did her
chest good" for certainly her slight
cough was less frequent and her step
was frmer: perhaps she had learned
the unending lesson which the patient
pines are never weary repeating to
heedful or listless ears. Andso, one day,
she planned picnic on Buckeye Hill
and took the children with her. Away
from the dusty road, the struggling
shanties, the yellow bitches, the clam
or of restless, the cheap fineryof shop
windows, the deeper glitter of paint
and colored glass, and the thin We
neeringwhich barbarism takes upon
itself in such localities, infinite
relief was theirs! The last heap of rug
ged rock and clay passed, the last un-
slightly chasm crossed = how the watt
ing woods opened their long files to
receive themi How the children
perhaps because they had not yet grown
quite away from the breast of the bOun-
teous Mother-threw themselves face
downward on her brown BOSOM with
uncouth carsesses, filling the air with
their laughter; and how Miss Mary
herself -felinely fastidous and intrench-
ed as she was in the purity of spOtless
shirts, collar, .ond cuffs-fOrgot all and
ran like crested quail at the head of her
brood until, romping, laughter, and
painting with a lOOsened braid Of
brown hair, hat hanging by a knot
ted ribbon from her throat, she came
suddenly and violently in the heart of
the forest, upon-the luckless Sandy!
The explanations, apologies, and not
overwise conversation that ensued,
need not be indicated here. 1t would
seem, however that Miss Mary had al
ready established some acquaintance
with this eX-drunkard.. Enough that
he was accepted as one Of the party;
that the children, with that Quick in
telligence which providence gives the
helpness, recognized friend, and play
ed with his blond beard, and long silk
en- moustache, and took others liberties,
-as the helpless are apt to do. And
when he had built a fire against az tree,
and had shown them other mysteries
of woodcraft, their admiration knew no
bounds. AT the close of two such fool
ish, idle, happy hours he found himself
living at the feet of the schOol-mistreSs,
gazing dreamily in her face as she sat on
the sl0ping hillside, weaving wreaths
of laurel and syringa, in very much the
same attitude as he hae lain when first
they met. For was the similitude
greatly forced the weakness of an easy
sensuous nature, that had found a
dreamy exaltatiOn in liquor, it is to be
feared was now finding on equal intoxi-
cation in love.
1 think that Sandy was dimly con-
cious of this himself. / know that he
1onged to be doing something, ,-slay-
ing a grizzley ,scalping savage, or sac
riicing himself in some way for the
sake of his sallow-faced, grey-eyed
schoolmistress. AS should like to
present him in heroic attitude, / stay
my hand with great difficulty at this
moment, being only withheld from in
Producing such an episode by a strong
conviction that it does not usually occur
at times And ] trust that my fairest
reader, who remembers that, in real