The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-08-30

that night l made up my mind it was
about time it was settled in some way,
for Mime was more fdgety 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 about;
for it stands to reason that 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.
"Sam Riley and Mr.. Steele" she said,
are two very different men,"
81 should hope so,'' l 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 un-
felt by Sam. Sam is good fellow"
Thank you for SAM said, for she
was enough to provoke saint.
"But he has not the capacity for suf-
fering that Mr.. Steele has; and oh,
aunty, he does suffer-"
"Serve him right, the monster" I
said; and had scarce got the words out
of my mouth when there was a rap at
the door. I 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 the chair by the
door; his cane rolled down beside him
on the floor, and for a full minute or SO
he couldn't find a 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 holly.
| hook.
"My errand here, Miss Jemima," he
began, {" is altogether friendly one
You have so much spirit and determine
tion that l think your present subor
dinate position is unfit for you. l know
of one that will shortly be vacant, which
you can fill with great credit to your
self and all concerned"
"Pm much obliged toyou," said Mime
her lips beginning to curl, and the colo
in her cheeks deepening to fame
"but Pm quite satisfied where l am.
can well understand that you'd be glaC
to be rid of me, but I must beg to de
cline. I'm not going away from here.
"But l am going away from here,
said the school-master, getting upon hi
feet. alt is my place that will b
vacant, and that think you may hav
if you choose"
You-you!" said Mime and / dom
wonder the child was astounded at tn
news. I was quite fustered myself.
"Yes," said the school-master; " yo
hox nd
went out the door, bowling Awkward
as he went, queer miserable smil
struggling into his face.
Dear! dear! the contrariness of We
man! No sooner was the door we
shut on him than Mime put her hea
down on the table and began to cry
Her hair got loose and fell about he
and, to make the matter worse, [ hear
! footstep outside, and this time
thought it must be Sam Riley.
r For goodness sake, Mime" I salt
"don't let Sam Riley see you in tn
, wayw
= But the door opened, and there stoo
t the school-master again. He said he ha
f come back for his cane; but he new,
: even stopped to pick it up, but stoc
staring at Mime as if she was a gho
e instead of the fresh, pretty, wholeson
t creature that she was. She raised h
I head, and though her face was half hi
+ den by her hair, her eyelashes were we
and the tears not dried yet on h
q cheeks.
r The school-master not minding II
v any more than if was block of woo
or something, walked straight over
Mime.
$ You know very WE'LL" he sal
d that am only going away from he
n because love you. Because it was n
o. the class that was distracted by yo7
!. pretty ways and devices; it was [. "
n know all this very well, and can tell L
\ whether l had better go or not. Nc
tell me, shall I stay?'
p You might have knocked me doy
. with feather when saw Mime put h
~ hand out timidly to the schoolmastt
+ and he turn pale and catch it in his ow
~ "Of course not" broke in, for / W
! near distracted by the way things we
i going. If you're an honorable ma
% and got any sense left, and an eye
" your head, you'd see that my niece is
y good as engaged to Sam Riley"
70 70 "Sam Riley" said Mime, as scorni
as DIS IL pour Cdu Was COdu VI sOLlctull
and holding on to the school-maste
so horny hands as if she was drowni1
4 Like enough he'll beat her some de
~ ~ and if so she'll like him all the better
~ 70. it, for before I'd got out of the room
~ heard her tell him she'd teach any W
nr that suited him best; and my only he
:, is that he's got little money laid
- for he said he didn't intend she shol
90 teach at all. But dear! dear! whe1
y. heard the crack of Sam Riley's wi
"a outside, and knew the evening stage V
o in, and poor Sam not knowing what v
ct in store for him, I had to 60 up-sta
4. and have a cry all to myself. And a
- can say is, if Mime marries the sche
r master, it's mighty queer courtship