Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-12-23

say-father has always called me No
body's nothing, and l assure you the
title is only too we'll earned
Monday morning came round, as Mon
day mornings in November are apt to
do-clear, cold and frosty, but this did
not prevent the old schoolroom from be-
ing filled to the brim with noisy boys
and girls, and the disturbance only be-
came less, when curly headed Harry
Frost came rushing in, shouting
''The schoolmaster's coming get into
your seats every one of you
But few of the elder ones fingered
around the stove, Mertie among the rest
and Mr.. Harrison seeing her, went to
her at once saying cordially:
Il am glad to see -ene familier. face
among so many strange ones, though |
trust they will all be familier soon'
Mertie welcomed him etly-intro-
duced him to the pupils standing around,
and after few words of greeting they
all took their seats, and the routine of
school life began.
1t was not monotonous to Mertie, how
ever, for Mr.. Harrison evidently intend
ed to know what ingredients were re-
quired to compose 'Nobody's Nothing,
for he lost no opportunity of being with
her and improving the acquaintance so
queerly commenced.
We will not say that it was designed
ly that Mr.. Harrison spent so much time
on his other classes that he had no time
in school hours to explain the difficult
problems in Mertie's Geometry, and was
obliged to put her off till evening, when
he would '.just step in and explain them
all to her - but the almost utter neg
lect of the poor Geometry in the even
ing could not have been entirely unin-
territorial for it generally lay open before
them, as they sat side by side at the ta-
bic, and its qncar figures seemed to ask
for attention, but its calls were unheed-
ed, as they talked on this or that sub
iect, or discussed bits of travel, or po-
ems which they read together
Mr. Harrison was more and more sur
prised each day as the mind of his pupil
, became unfolded to him. She read much,
and sensibly, which is thing too sell
dom to be said of the young ladies of
nowadays, and made it special point
to- thoroughly understand everything
that she read
1t is not strange that all these quiet
evenings should bring them nearer to-
gether than ordinary pupil and teacher,
y and when the fourteen weeks of winter
school began to draw to a close, Mr..
i Harrison often asked himself what he
u should do with his evenings, with nc
:, Mertie to help him pass them.
The question came oftener and often
u er as the time for parting drew near
{ and he found it brought him positive
pain.
% But shs was young-only sixteen
u and he-oh, dear he almost wished thai
{ ten years could be clipped off his age
Il that he might be nearer a suitable com
u panion for his pet.
:. He felt that she looked up to him a.
to an elder brother, for she often called
> herself his little sister, and allowed hin
. the quiet home familiarity that broth
III er has by right. He feared that b,
Il breaking in upon this delusion and show
y ing her the reality, he should frightel
'e her away from him and never be able t
u win her back for the intercourse of thos
'0 winter evenings had brought him to low
this true hearted little girl as only
l. strong heart can love, for though nearl
'0 thirty years of age-he had never love-
~ ~. before.
- Examination was over. School ha,
II closed. Pupils and teacher had bidde
each other adieu with one exception.
IL AS Mr.. Harrison shook hands wit
o. Mertie (as with the rest) he said in a
undertone, This is not a final farewell
" | must see you this evening; you wi
: be at home p
0' ''Yes" answered Mertie. and sh
= turned away quickly, that he might nc
see her rising color, or hear the quic
u beating of her heart.
She did not know what it meant
she did not dare ask herself-all sh
:. knew was that she wanted to get ava
- from him and every one else, and sti
- the beating of her troublesome heart
J. the quiet of her own chamber.
Early that evening Mertie heard Il
- well-known footsteps in the hall, an
!, rose herself to open the cosy sitting-roo
door, for her father had gone to his 0
fee, and the house-keeper being in h
y room, Mertie was, as usual, alone
:, Fora time the conversation was upc
=, ordinary topics, and then turned upC
J. the close of the school, and thence ma
- urally, to the departure Of the teache
10 ''Sha you miss me any, Mertie p
asked.