Columbus index. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1869-1893, 1874-05-08
" sZs1FSNtEs.is,Nl9
RUTHTE E4 gRfNENNT.\
by ETAN E0cMG

Haii-paSt three OhNl SHBberlhg
August afternoon. " IN
kuthie Turner sat at Nqe lHldRI
the long, narrow school r0M, lea6N
ing her aching head upon hef(kanG
aud wondering if the hour fof\liS
mission was never coming. NeNel
had the old sehO0l-house seemed 81
close and crowded, 0r the pupils 80
dull and listlesss Her mind was
busy with the pase as she gazed
through the open window, over the
green meadows and fields of yellow
waving grain
Miss Ruthie, make JIM Blake
stop piuching me-
With a sigh for her broken dAam
she turned toward the delinquent -.
Jimmie, | thought | told you not
to trouble Gussie JONES'
Perhaps Jimmie saw a CLEAN of
sympathy in the kindly eyes bent
upon him, for he answered bravely
why, Miss Ruthie, was getting
so sleepy, that / was obliged to do
something to keep myself awaken
His frank confession was reward.
ed by a smile, instead Of the scold-
ing he had anticipated, and he was
sent to his seat with the admonition
to pinch himself the next time he
wished to ascertain if he was awake.
One-two-three -four, tolled the
school clock, and right gladly did
the weary little teacher give the sig
nal for dismission. She did not lin.
ger in the deserted school room, for
she lOnged to get breath of fresh
air, so, throwing on her straw hat,
sauntered forth into the summer
sunshine.
She sees in the distance clump
of oaks and an inviting stretch Of
! green sward, and bends her steps
thither.ward. Let us see if we can
not fathOm her thoughts as she half
reclines on her messy scat, her head
and her eyes down.cast.
Ruthie Turner was trying an ex
periment-sO she told herself-said
experiment being an attempt to eke
out a subsistence for herself and
widowed mother by teaching. Twas
the old story of a life Of afiluence,
succeeded by bankruptcy, ruin, and
the death Of him who, at this trying
time, should have been their staff OF
saftsept.- -Rathie4hed hoaa- faioraaeh-
ly we'll educated, for, unlike mdsi
girls in her position, she had used,
and not abused her privileges; and
the consequence was, she was ena-
bled, with very little exerti0n on
her part, to obtain a lucrative stu.
alton as teacher of the district school
in WOod-lawn.
Ruthie Turner was not one OF
girls who are willing to do their duty
so long as it is pleasant, but shrink
from it the moment it becomes un.
pleasant. Her path in life had hith.
ertO been strOwn with roses, but she
did not falteT or draw back one sin
gle step when the thorns began tC
appear A brave little woman was
Ruthie, though only nineteen years
had rolled over her head; so she
went courageously to work, entering
upon her new life as chcerfully as
though inclination, and not stern
necessity, had led her to take the
step.
A model teacher she was, and
pretty too, with rebelliOus, wavy,
brown hair, which lcOuld curl, in
spite of all her attempts to arrange
it in dignifed coil; brown eyes
that were wells OF truth and sweet
ness; delicately tinted cheeks; a
rose bud OF a mouth, and-but ono
must see her to be able to appreci
ate her loveliness at its full value.
And was all this sweetness TO bC
wasted on the desert airP We
shall see.
Ruthie seldom gave herself time
to think, for then she suffered ; but
somehow, this evening, she felt thai
it would do her good to glance back
to the past, and bring into view the
uprising memories, so long crushed
and hidden from sight.
After ALL she murmured, 'my loI
is not a Uery hard one. Mother i;
contented, the people are kind, ant
the children Obedient and dOcile
And yet-and yet
Her thoughts flow back to the
halcyOn days when Will Laurence
was her accepted lover, How ten
der were his looks and words
when he called her his life, his love
and said that without her life would
be blank. Those happy, happy
days! How quickly they flew past
for love had lent them wings. All
such days come to us all, once in q
lifetime but, alas, how often, asir
this case, are they followed by 9th.
ers, so dark and bitter as to cause
us to regret having known The briet
season Of bliss.
Ruthie almost wished that slit
could bot out the remembrance o.
that time, as she recalled her an
guiSh when she heard that he was
gOne-gone without a word OF fare
well. Her high hopes were dashed
to the ground, and ior a season, the
vecy sun seemed behind a cloud
That was long ago, and she had, III
measure, recovered from The
shock. Was it, then, so long ago
/ Only year, but how like an eter
nifty it had been to her. Often hat
she wondered where he was, whaI
he was doing, and if he ever thought
OF her.