Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-02-17

What has hnppened| said Mr..
Slade; and / was ashamed when saw Il
look OF alarm in his face.
"It is very sad" said, "to burn the
crust of nice pie all to crisp"
"Do you think so? said Mr.. Slade.
Now for me it is most excellent mis-
chance. Of all things in the world re-
we're the burned crust of pie. have hes
itated to declare this prediction, because
know it is n remarkable one, and not at
all likely to be shared by the majority of
people but fortune has favored me to-
day. Mrs. Sweet, let us have the pie by
all means !"
And he actually lifted the horrible
black thing to the table, and ate it-yes
he did, he ate it-which was the most
perfect and graceful piece OF martyrdom
l ever saw in man. And then got
courage to tell him how / burned it !;
that Mrs. Chapel must have that dress,
and the machine had begun to squeak in
the most terrible way that I'd oiled it
and fused with it, all to no purpose, and
how I was to finish that dress of Mrs.
Chappel's, with that dreadful noise dis
tracting my poor brain, / didn't know.
"Well look at it, he said, in that
iSbtihS, Solilolt Spttt-CIlttllllR WHY
of his and as I followed him into the
sitting-room, I knew i'll my heart he
would exercise that squeaking demon from
the machine. And he did.
It's the ball, he said cit becomes
smooth from friction, and if you'll bring
me n little -four or meal, Mrs. Sweet
stay here is piece of chalk, which is
better than all )" and with that little
white lump that he took from his waist
coat pocket, he made the machine per-
feet in five-in two minutes.
Now how could 1 help watching him
from the door again, rs he walked away
to school and let his coat tails flap as
they may, or he be knockkneed to eter-
nifty, how could help sending after him
my heartiest benediction and blessing?
! And can it be wondered at that when,
only two or three months after, he told
me he was going away, was like one
stunned and bewildered We were sit
ting i'll the little front-room, and I was
finishing off that diagonal overskirt for
Mrs. Chapel. Charley had gone hunt
ing to the woods, for it was already
autumn, and an early frost had set the
leaves ahame. A breeze from the west
blew my hair into my eyes, and / put it
back with trembling hand. The soft
warm day of golden light suddenly seemed
to cloud over, and become one of moody .
sadness.
"I have an opportunity for advance
ment in my profession, " he said, (which
it would i'll behoove me to put by. In
my native town is offered me u position
Of trust and contidence-no less, 1 may
say to you, dear madam, than profess
sor's chair"
hadn't the least idea what he meant
l knew that one chair differed very much
from another, and whereas one was COM
Portable, easy and enjoyable, another
might be for the time being a seat of
torture, but wherein n professors chair
excellad L could not ut that time i'm
agine. L sat quite still, and the rutlle
fell from my hand; my foot rested upon
the treadle OF the machine, and [ sat
and stared at Mr. Slade like one de-
mented.
"And it has occurred to me- he
went on, that the position l have held ,
here, which is an exceedingly easy and
pleasant one, might profitably and suit
ably be filled by one of the other sex;
the duties are not at all arduous, and
could be performed more readily, it ap-
pears to me, than those pertaining to
the needle. / have spoken to the COM
mittee i'll your behalf, and with little ,
attention upon your part to the simple ,
mechanical requirements necessary, and =
a little help upon mine, you will be
ready to fill the position at once p
"Who? !, Mr.. Slade? Why, you c
must be crazy ~ Then feeling that This
was not a respectful way to speak, add ,
ed that his kindness for me had led him :
to overrate my capabilities.
"Wby, Mr.. Slade," said |, Il never
got beyond the four first rules in arith- t
mctic." t
"And upon these depend everything" d
he replied. "Come, put 10y your work, +
and let us see what we can do in a first
attempt" V
1t was of no use to refuse His was u
one Of those masterful natures that al a
ways conquer. Half an hour after, .
was sitting close by his sido at the table, s
with Charley's slate under my blurred ,
eyes and Charley's pencil in my trem-
bling fingers. The rosy evening light
bringing resinous odors through the
Hiiuo" lIoHl lue WoouS "Here Cualley II
yet fingered :.
"Now, my dear Mrs. Sweet" said Mr.. .'S
5lade--and the very gentleness of his 6
one, the tender rendering of my name, "
made me shiver and shake for I could c,
lot get the thought from my head that i,
ghen he was gone there was nobody left l.
o deal tenderly with me or mine-"now N
'ray try and give your thoughts to the n 4
ubject in hand. II is the simplest thing A
n the world ; and these rudiments once h
conquered, the rest will follow Now, a,
nan sold his farm for SO, 730, and four NJ
of this is seven-ninths of g
he cost of his house, and the house cost II
hree times as much as the store now d
'hat was the cost of the house and the L
tore 7" II
His voice was so persuasive, so distinct, til
must have been pleasant voice to W
sten to at the school, even if the poor to
tile blockheads could make neither nv
cad nor tail of his meaning. I looked
t Mr.. Slade, and then out of the win ac
ow, where the mellow light of the sum fe
IT shone, and away over at the wooded to
Ills beyond, and L thought how, such a ad
tile while ago, it was spring landscape ne
u bathed i'll tenderest green, and now it :.
as autumn, the grass was sere and :. :.
rOwn, the leaves falling, the branches llt
Ike skeletons against the evening sky. pl
" Madan' my dear Mrs. Sweet" said wi
he voice q the schoolmaster, "I beg fl,
our attention to these few first rules. It 80
distasteful to me to leave you prey to =
le coarse habits of these village women, pe
hO haunt their finery in an obtrusive We
Id unbecoming manner, and grudCe
,u the poor reward for your labor"
"She said the seams were crooked. ,
I'd perhaps they were," L said for l -
lew he meant Mrs. Chapel. "Tm DE
1t very good at sewing, or-anything." ella
hen two big tears rolled ont of my eyes wi
bon Charley's slate, and blurred the mi
hoolmaster's pretty figures, which 80 he
stressed him that he got up and took &C.
turn about the room. Then he came
lck to the table again.
Dear Mrs. Sweet" he said, quite
lploringly, " if you would only make In,