Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-10-25


was. an If ever no enuff, an am Good |
enuff to go to see any body as good as |
Won Be. lie cum all the way from ohio |
thank you agin! feel orfully to think i
swore so yisterdy. trew as live An
breeth, never swore so afOre. an new
will Agin, i hope god will bless You,
an you'll be well An happy for Your
kindness to mel!
s5~s ~ good ByN y
Benjamin fareWell.w
He probably would not be quite so
pre- fuse of explanation points in a letter
now. He undoubtedly thought then,
that they were the .haIdsomest punctua-
ton marks there were, and so he pre-
ferred to use them, and that capital let
ters should be thrown in occasionally,
according to the taste of rhe writer, for
ornamentation.
When Ben said good by to the schel-
ars, and went Otlt, Mr.. Willet took
pocket Bible and a package from his
desk, and went out, also, and closed the
school-roOm door after him. When he
returned, he did not have the Bible nor
the package. What his parting words
with Ben were, his scholars never knew.
He looked anxious and thoughtful all
day. The children observed that the
tones of his voice were more gentle land
less formal. Somehow he was differ
ent man from that time. He taught
school in that district twelve winters in
succession, after that, but in all those
years not one foriorn and discouraged
child ever thought that he looked upon
them with disdain or even indifference.
Ben met Libby Arnold short dis
tance from the school-house.
'Why, Ben,' she exclaimed. rushing
up to him, what have you got all of
your books for? 1 wouldn't leave the
school, if I were you. You'll have good
times, nOw.s L was never SO sorry for
Anything In my life, as l am for the way
our folks anything about it when l first
got home. 1 felt ashamed Of it.
couldn' t eat any supper, and looked so
sober mother said that she knew some
thing troubled me. and she made me tell
her what it was. She was almost angry
with me when l told her that ] got some
little boys to bring in dust-pan full of
snow, and ask Won to rub your dirty
hands with it. She said that almost any
| one, if so insulted, would have been
| tempted to roll it up in a hard ball and
throw it at me. She told father of it,
| and they both talked to me ever so long.
Father said that he should see the select
men about you before the week was out.
| two pairs of thick woOlen stockings for
me to bring you. this morning. And
mother has sent some nice frosted loaf
cake for your dinner. The frOsting is
half an inch thick. You'll 60 back to
school now, won't your i.
She talked so fast that she was obliged
| to pause, at last, to take breath, and Ben
had a chance TO answer her questions,
and explain the cause of his leaving
school. At first he declined to take the
stockings, telling her that his uncle
would get him everything that was
needed.
But you must take them,' she said,
sif you don't, L shall feel very badly
about it. 1 have planned ever SO many
Things to do for you, TO make up for be-
ing so fatefuI to you this winter. Now,
you are going off, and can't do them.
hate to have you go off feeling hard
toward me. 1 shall always feel unhap-
py when I think about you, if you do.
When brother Ed and have had any
difficulty, we always kiss each other
when we make up. l want to kiss you.
and 1 want you to forgive me, really
and truly, every bit, this morning, be-
cause we may never see each other
4 y Suiting her actions to her words, she
7Esprang UP and clasped her arms about
his neck, and kissed him.
You didn't kiss me back, Ben,' she
said, sadly. Il always know that Ed
hasn't got over feeling vexed with me il
he won't kiss me-
Poor Benn was so amazed and embar-
rassed, he hardly knew how to act. His
face was redder than it-was in the school
room the day previous. If any girl hat
kissed him before in his life, it certainly
u was before ,his remembrance. Libby at
fibAtedhis flushed face and silence tt
vexation. She dared not say any more
about her kissing him. But with tear
full eyes and faltering voice, she sait
pleadinglys n {.ilJs1i
wont you forgive me Ben? never
never, will treat you so shamefullI
: again, as long as 1 live.'
Forgive your Ben repeated. Il wa
, a'grate brute to git SO mad at little ter
year old girl, and throw q SNOWFALL a
her, And he caught her up in his arm
;dSana Kissed hor half a dozen times; theI
he dropped her and hurried off withou
even saying good by-he dared not trus
9 his voice just then-but Libby went OF
to school, feeling that she was forgiven
What an eventful period the pas
twenty-four hours had been to Ben HI
rubbed his forehead. Was he awake
Had all these things actually transpired
a0ffwasahe draining? Notwithstanding.
:. he had felt that the should be willing t.
go almost any where, and do almost any
!, thing to get away from Dunbar's ant
Swetland, sthe. recollections of his las
: hours in that town were not unpleas
ant.
] Schoolmaster Willet's reputation 70
i; being model school-teacher, increases
i each year, till, at last, it came to be al
established custom for all young peda
gogues in that vicinity, to call upon min
: every convenient opportunity, and t
take special trips for that purpose,
they had trouble of any kind in thei
! schools. He received them with sucl
edgepuihe, :eordiality. and kindness tina
the most timid of them were relieved Q
I their embarrassment, and felt no hesita
2 ton in consulting him on any Difficult
ID point. asa s,.4..; -
9 i Mr.. sWillet always had some story
|. = from his experience, to relate, tina
helped young teachers wonderfully t
= see their way out of a dilemma. II
u would often bring forward large boo
4 containing the names of all the pupil
!. 4that he HAD ever had, and slowly turr
y ing the pages over, he would give hi
J. visitors interesting "reminiscences c
many of them. But the story that h
e told the most frequently, and dwelt up
! ON the longest, was Benjamin Fare
:, Wells. The last winter that he taugh
school, Ehe had a gathering at his hous
: one Saturday, of about a dozen teacher
II from adjoining towns. He had to te
z them Ben's story; and, as it was new
Is most of them, they were greatly inter
d5 ested. ty.ft
1t -'sDid you ever hear from him after
II left Swetland p one of them asked.
r. ooh bless you, yes indeed! He is on
10 of the most talented young clergyme
It in the whole West. He came here thre
l. years ago for the first time after his un
g Gle took him away. He had been abser
ID three years then He arrived here j
le Swetland one Saturday evening in Fet
IL ruary. and he went directly to our mir
1t ister's. We learned afterwards that M
le Gordon knew that he was coming an
Is met him at the depot. But, as no othe
a person in. the place knew anything abo,
g ~ WeSwere all surprised to see fin
looking young stranger enter the pulp
with Mr.. Gordon, the following day.
No agent for any religious object eve
tie dropped in upon us unannounced; an
m it was not any ueighboring minister, W
r were sure, for in that case Mr.. Gordo
W would be, in his neighbours pulpit.
TT thought during the opening exercise