Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-02-22

| to listen to at the school, even it the
| Door little blockheads could make Meth
er head nor tail of his meaning. I look
ed at MI. Slade, then out of the win-
dow, where the mellow light of sunset
shone, and away over at the wooded
hills beyond, and I thought how, such
a little while ago, it was q spring land
scape all bathed in tenderest green,a and
now it was autumn, the grass vas sere
and brown, the leaves falling, the
branches like skeletons against the
evening sky.
"Madam-my dear Mrs. Sweet 81
said the voice of the school-master, 81
beg your attention to these few first
rules. 1t is distasteful to me to leave
you a prey to the coarse habits of these
village women, who flaunt their finery
in an o5trusive and unbecoming man
ner, and grudge you the poor reward
for your labor"
"She said the seams were crooked,
and perhaps they were," [ said; for
knew he meant Mrs. Chapel. "I'm
not very good at sewing, or-or any
thing" Then two big tears rolled out
of my eyes upon Charley's slate, and
blurred the schoolmaster's pretty fig
ures, which so distressed him that he
got up and took a turn about the room.
Then he came back 10 the table again.
"Dear Mrs. Sweet" he said, quite
imploringly, 'sif you would only make
up your mind to master these first rules !
A man sold his firm for $S,37O-"
"And I'm sure he got a good price
for it'll broke in sand whatever he
| rof fOr hSc hoyJca 81 S,,,,ct haro ham IL
it was worth. AS for his store, [ don't
want to know any thing about it; |
can't see that it's any of my business,
Mr.. Slade, and I cans bother with it
just now. If it was a house alone, or
a store alone, or a farm-but to cut
them all up and put them together
again like a patchwork quilt is impos-
sible for me to think of, Mr.. Slade. /
can't do it, | never could, and it's RI
| diculous to ask me such a thing, Mr..
Slade. All / can do after you 90 away
is to go on working for Mrs. Chapel
till l drop dead; and if it wasn't for
Charley, l wouldn't care how soon that
would be-"
Then I put my head down on the Ia
BILE and cried, ready to break my heart.
| couldn't help it. l was the most
wretched creature in the world, and my
heart was full. / couldn't help the cry,
and I'm glad now that | did.
For suddenly | felt his strong arm
tremble on the back of my chair.
"It is SO sad and TERRIBLE" / said,
"to have the seams always crooked,
and Mrs. Chappel-"
"Confusion to Mrs. Chapel and her
crooked seams! Tell me, madam
Mrs. Sweet-tell me, dear little heart,
would it not even be better to give over
your future to a grim old ~pedagogue
like me? 1t shall at least be free from
crooked seams and puzzling problems -
| heaved a little sigh of relief, and
his strong arm fell shelteringly about
me.
elf Heaven will vouchsafe to me-
he said, getting back to his dear old
wordy way, "your sweet companion
ship for all the days to come, [ Can
even find it in my heart to be grateful
to Mrs. Chapel, and wish hes we'll"
l don't know what | said, but every
body knows that | never could see any
fault in Mr.. Slade, and l don't to this
day. He fills his professors chair, and
L nave ever SO many cOmIOrGaOie ones
at home. Charley is a splendid mathe-
matician; but there is a little fellow
just creeping into fractions, and he
came to me the other day, his dear lit
tie brains sore with puzzling I'VE the
same sum.
land please, mamma" he begged,
ga man sold his farm for $500, anu
fourteen-fifteenths of this is"
$50 to papa, darling" | said; "he
fosnd out the cost of it all long ago
but as for me, dear, I'm glad to say
that | never could make it out-never.''
-Harper's Weekly.