Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-08-30

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 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 a 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 schoolmaster 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 fidgety
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 schooEmaster.
and yet when l began to glory over his
defeat, and say how glad Sam Riley
I" Sam Riley and Mr.. Steele" she
said, "are two very different men,"
" should hope so" | 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.
But he has not the capacity for suf-
fering that Mr.. Steele has; and oh, aunty,
he does suffer p
"Serve him right, the monster
said and had scarce got the words out
of my mouth when there was rap ut
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 a chair by the
door his cane rolled down beside him
on the floor, and for full minute or 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 a hOl-
lyhock.
My errand 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"
"Tm much obliged to you," said
Mime, her lips beginning to curl, and the
color in her cheeks deepening to flame,
"but I'm quite satisfied where l am. [
can well understand that you'd be glad
to be rid of me, but [ must beg to de-
cline. I'm not going away from here
" But I am going away from here"
said the schoOl-master, getting upon his
feet. at is my place that will be va
cant, and that | think you may have if
you choose"
" You-you p said Mime and [
don't wonder the child was astounded
at the news. [ was quite fiustered my
self.
eyes" 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
woman! No sooner was the door well
shut on him than Mime put her head
down on the table and began to cry. Her
hair got loose and fell all about her. and,
to make the matter worse, [ heard a
footstep outside, and this time | thought
it must be Sam Riley.
q For goodness sake, Mime" [ said,
don't let Sam Riley see you in this
way !"
But the door opened and there stood
| the schOol-maSter again. He said he
had come back for his cane but he
never even stopped to pick it up, but
| SIOOu Starring ttG hllllc tS IL Sl1G vas IL
ghost instead of the fresh, pretty whole
some creature that she was. She raised
her head, and though her face was half
| hidden by her hair, her eyelashes were
wet, and the tears not dried yet on her
cheeks.
| The schOol-master, not minding me
any more than if [ was a block of wood
or something, walked straight over to
Mime
"You know very we'll, he said, 'Fthat
[ am only going away from here because
[ love you. Because it was not the class
that was distracted by your pretty ways
and devices it was [. You know all
this very we'll, and can tell me whether
| had better go or not. Now tell me,
shall | stay?"
You might have knocked me down
with feather when [ saw Mime put
her hand out timidly to the schoolmas-
ter, and he turn pale and catch it in
both his own.
"Of course not" broke in, for / was
near distracted by the way things were
going. If you're an honorable man,
and have got any sense left, and an eye in
your head, you'd see that my niece is as
good as engaged to Sam Riley"
Sam Rileyl" said Mime, as scornful
as if poor Sam was toad or something,
and holding on to the school-master's
horny hands as if she was drowning.
Like enough they'll beat her some day,
and if so she'll like him all the better
for it, for before I'd got out of the room
/ [ heard her tell him she'd teach any