Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1872-02-15

you"
So it had happened that Miss Warine
looked with something more than usua
interest along the line of larger bows who
took their places on the back row OF
benches at the opening of the school. She
saw the various types of boyish faces. al
ready so familiar to her, some bright and
earnest, others dull or sullen, still Others
well-meaning, but marked as vet, by no
strong Northumberland one which at all
embodied her ideal of Hal Thorn. One
by one the names were enrolled-he was
not there. But half an hour later the
door suddenly opened with a creak of de-
clslon, and tall boy walked with swing
ing, defiant step along the narrow aisle,
casting keen glance at the teacher as he
went. She nodded pleasantly, her rapid
practiced eye taking him in, from the
heavy boots, so splashed with wet sand
as to suggest the cause of his hardness to
have been morning visit to the creek,
to the brown shapely throat revealed by
the rundown collar of his coarse gray
| jacket, the proud head covered with crisp,
auburn curls, the dark eyes full of
! dangerous fire, the reckless untrustful ex-
| preston, over writing like the characters
OF a palimpsest, the first noble plan Of his
| young face.
! No wonder, she thought, that the peo-
! pie had turned in their seats" when the
| dove-eyed mother brought in her youngest
eaglet. She could fancy him in his glorious
babyhood, radiant, unsulled-heaven his
| fatherland, earth his inheritance
The teacher paused until the room was
| quiet again, then she resumed what she
had been saying.
"As | was telling you, children, rules
are troublesome, and only good for peo-
pie who do not wish okeep them. 1t is so
much nicer to do the things we ought be-
cause we like to. Now we are here, first
and always to learn. ! shall give you Just
one rule, DO right y The very smallest
one of you will understand that. And
shall trust you, every one"
She looked up and caught Halls eyes
fixed on her with an intensity that made
her start. Oddly enough, something far
back in her childhood seemed to confront
her in his face. She CROPPED for a moment
in the labyrinth of memory, and caught
the clue.
| Her father had been Garrisonian
Abelitionst, his house station on the
underground railway. One night poor
bondman came hard pressed by the Off
GERS. There was just time to hide him in
the granary, under heap of empty bags,
| in a corner full of dust and cobwebs His
pursuers, warrant in hand, came up in
| hot haste, searching the house from gar.
ret to cellar, ranging barns and out
| houses, thrlsting pitchforks ruthlessly in
| to fragrant hay-mows, cropping at last in
| that very heap of sacking, whose heart
was one unit of agony in the unsolved
problem of the worlds sorrow. At the
instant when all hope had fled they turned
away, baffied; and, as the ring of the
| horses hoofs died upon the distant high
way, the fugitive came forth.
The little girl, clinging to her fathers
coat-there were no secrets in that house
hold-had kept, through all her years,
| the memory of that sable countenance.
Zone chance MORE" it said, i" for life,
liberty, home One chance more !"
Zone chance MORE" said this boys
face, at once so young, and SO sadly old,
for faith, sympathy, love !" lone
chance more !"
Days passed Miss Warnings single rule
was working. The children were not per
fect-aggravatingly human sometimes
yet the best in each nature seemed lifting
itself like plant, to the sunshine checked,
by sterile soil, turned aside by stones,
half-choked by rank weeds, yet strug-
Cling and aspiring still. So she worked
and waited.
Hal Thorn developed powers of atten-
ton and application which astonished
her. His conduct had been thus far IRE
proachable, but he seemed TO shield him
self behind an impenetrable barrier. She
felt herself on trial. with judgment re-
served
At last, it was one noon, sound OF an
CRY voices smote her ear. She stepped to
the door. The boys ere gathered in
crowd, and the first glance showed her
Hal Thorn, his eyes blazing and his face
pale with passion.
"Take that back, Bill Jenkins, or by!
Pill" His clenched fist was raised
high, the veins in his bold forehead knot
ted, his white teeth set. The boys parted
suddenly, but he did not see.
A hand touched his shoulder.
He turned fiercely, wavering for an in
slant then a steady, defiant CLEAN flashed
to meet the teachers sad firm eyes.
There is no use! The chance is lost" 1t
seemed to say.
"Harold. he is smaller than you"
That was all she said; no sharpness OF
personal TcilOOi, Iob oho WIZ 49, "
wickedness of fighting, the guilt OF anger
and profanity.
A swift flush dyed his cheek-his hand
dropped to his side. For a moment all
was still in the playground. Miss Waring
held out her hand. The boy caught IL
impulsively, then as suddenly letting it
fall, he turned, vaulted over the high
fence, and running swiftly across the
meadow, toward the creek, disappeared
behind clump of willows.
No human eye saw him there lying upon
the grass, his face in his hands, his young
breast swept with stormy sobs: II he
prayed he did not know it. doubt II he
thought of God at all. Apart from some
vague memory of ''now ! lay me, sara
at his dead mothers knee, his ideas OF de
votion were Of the cold, rigid uniformity
of his stern fathers morning petitions, or
the stately untianslated formulas OF ihe
minister's long prayer. But perhaps lie
who saw the boys soul cropping bllndiy
after some good it did not know, feeling
weakly for some strength not its own,
warming from its bitter unrest toward
some uncomprehended peace, was less
iealous of forms and names, than some OF
us, His followers.
Hal came back at little past the hour
. 1890, oassion silent and pale, but