Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-08-29

and didn't wonder Sam couldn't take
his eyes off her face.
" Say heword, Mime, said Sam, "and
I'll punch the idiots head"
* Who are you calling an idiot?" said
Mime, turning straight upon Sam. " If
you had the hundredth part of his in
telllgence, you might be glad
:" | thought you called him SO your
SELF, said Sam, meekly, for he was
head-over-ears in love with the terma-
CANT.
Z" If [ did" said Mime. 1T was alb
surd, and I'll never do it again. No,
Sam, III bea5 him with his own weap-
ons. I'll go to the trustees myself. If
he can wheedle and coax them, so can
| and if he can bully them, perhaps |
can do that, too"
You can do any thing said poor
Sam.
And soon after that Mime said she
was tired and sleepy, and sent Sam off,
as cool as you please. Then she cot
upon her feet and walked about the
floor, and / could see she was terribly
put out and excited by the schooLmas-
ter's visit.
You'll wear yourself out for moth
ing" | said, for it vexed me to see her
all IN a fret that way from pure spite
He'll break your health and spirits like
he did with that poor little body that
was here before YOU
9 [ don't believe all those stories about
that woman, allnty. I've found out she
had heavier troubles than those put
upon her by the school-master. You
mustn't believe all that you hear"
That was the way with Mime-she
was that contrary when she was vexed
that she'd swear black was white, and
take the part of the Evil One him
self.
She began from that time out to fight
hard for her own way, and it got to be
pretty well known she was winning over
the trustees The children had never
liked any body as they did Mime, and
little Bill Pritchard, that used to play
truant half the time, and would rather
take a beating any day than be pent up
in school, went there as regular as clock
work now; and began to mark out horses
and dogs with q stump Of a pencil him
SELF and Mr. Prichard he was one of the
trustees and thought the world and all of
my niece, Jemima.
But somehow or other, Just as | said,
the continual merriment of it fretted
Mime, and she got thin and lost her
pretty color; and the night she came
home and said she had got the best of
the schOOl-master, and the notice had
been served on him that day that he
was to let her have her own way of
teaching, that night [ made up my
mind it was about time it was settled in
some way, for Mime was more tidgety
and contrary than ever; and | don't
believe every thing would have turned
out as it did if Mime had been in her
sober senses. The girl was about half
wild, and don't believe she knew what
she was abont for it stands to reason
she must have hated the school-master.
and yet when | began to glory over his
defeat, and say how glad Sam Riley
would be, she shut me up in minute.
s'Sam Riley and Mr.. Steele" she
said, "are two very different men"
g should hope sc" | said.
"Sam is made of different stuff" she
went on to say "The little pricks and
torments that sting the soul of Mr. Steele
to madness would be utterly unfelt by
Sam. Sam is good fellow"
"Thank you for Sam,'' l said, for she
was enough to provoke a saint.
g But he has not the capacity for suf-
fering that Mr.. Steele has; and oh, aunty,
he does suffer-
"Serve him right, the monster |
said and had scarce got the words out
Of my mouth when there was rap at
the door. [ went over, thinking it was
Sam Riley, when there was the thin,
gaunt face of the schOol-master again.
He came In and bowed as grave as an
owl, and sat down on chair by the
door his cane rolled down beside him
on the floor, and for full minute OF SO
he couldn't find word out of that long
dictionary in his head.
[ was glad to see that Mines spunk
came back at the sight of him. Her
eyes were as bright as they could be,
and her cheeks like the heart of hol-
lyhock.
My GRAND here, Miss Jemima," he
began, " is altogether a friendly one.
You have so much spirit and determi-
nation that think your present subor-
dinate position is unfit for you. | know
of one that will be shortly vacant which
you can fill with great credit to yourself
and all concerned"
Pm much obliged to you," said
Mime, her lips beginning to curl, and the
color in her cheeks deepening to a flame,
"but I'm quite satisfied where [ am.
can we'll understand that you'd be glad
to be rid of me, but [ must beg to de
cline. Pm not going away from here. y
" But l am going away from here, y
said the school-master, getting upon his
feet. 4" 1t is my place that will be va
cant, and that | think you may have if
you choose"
" You-you!" said Mime and I
don't wonder the child was astounded
at the news. I was quite fustered my
SELF
+" Yes" said the school-master "you
can have your own way now" And he
went out the door, bowling awkwardly as
he went, a queer miserable smile strug-
Cling into his face
" Dear dear the contrariness OF
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