The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-05-31
A Missouri SchO0lma'am.

the city teacher
Evolution by that name is unknown to
the Missouri schoolma' am, although she
is an earnest believer in the principle.
She is very practical, too, in her belief.
Her present condition being only the
chrysalis state, she looks to matrimony
a: the perfection of existence-the but
terfy state. Accordingly she is impa-
tientto be a BUTTERFLY married woman.
The Missouri schoolma' am often wears
a semi-sentimental air, and sometimes
carries book in her hand, thereby Civ
ing a literary impression. But if any
poetic youngster thinks to find in her a
chord in unison with his own gush, he
will be certainly and sadly disappointed.
She is sensible. She is practical and
matter of fact, because it is her nature to
be so, and because all her life and sur
roundings have been SO, too.
One might be tempted to question the
real strength of affection of this school
ma am, from her odd, earnest view of
the tenderer side of life; but under the
dross she is pure gold.
On the banks of the Usage River are
more log schoo1-houses than one But
in not more than one did the genuine
gold shine forth as in this truthful mar
rative.
1t was the common log house with
two windows and door. 1t was in
summer and the MONDAY sun scorched
the grass along the roadside. The high
way was long line of feathery dust, so
light that a passing rider or vehicle was
q a
wita an enormous tail of dust.
Great cottonwood trees shaded the
school-house and the bright but not
pretty face of the schoolma am For
when the primitive mail-coach, called
hack, came slowly down the highway,
the lady just named was leaning out of
her school-house window watching the
coming vehicle.
The one solitary passenger in the hack
had been watching curiously the move
ments of the driver for some time past
He was working hard to put on gen
teller air than was to be expected in or
binary from a son of the whip. And he
succeeded very well, only there didn't
seem to be any good reason for it.
Now, when he drove past the school
house, he made his best bow to the young
schoolma am there leaning out the Win
dow. 1t was for her that all this brush
ing and polishing had been DONE And,
poor fellow! had been done in vain.
Instead of returning his bow and
smile, as was to have been expected, she
walked away from the window. 1t was
as plain a cut as could be.
The driver looked down and sighed;
killed a gadfy on his off horses neck
with his whip, and then fell to whistling.
But it was sorry, discordant kind of
whistle. There was no tune to it.
sinister, that thar girl, the school
ma'am, is peart as she can be; but she's
gittin powerful kind of airy. You see,
she don't notice common folks any more
when they speak to her. But, mister"
and he said it sadly, sshe's as nice girl
as thar is goin', if she has gone back on
me.''
perhaps you have not been as attent-
i've to her as you ought to have been,"
suggested the passenger.
"Perhaps | have, mister. When Bar
NUNS show came round, didn't | take
her? and when the Georgia Niger min
strels exhibited, didn't take her again?
And, then, lots O. times to parties and
common doin's? | allowed to marry that
schoolma'a am onct, but hit don't look
like it now, does it?''
"Why don't you go and see her, and
learn just what the trouble isp''
What's the good of going to see her
when she don 'twant me comm round ?n
"Oh, well, if she don't want you, you
had better give her up and get another
one. There must be other school
ma'ams in this Usage country
But, then, never knew nary anoth-
or one like her. And | don't reckon
thar is another one, not in these parts
no, sir. But, you bein' q stranger, |
don't mind telling what's the matter with
that thar girl. You see, spanked her
regular till she found it out on me that
| was like most other drivers-rather
too fond of the rectiied. Then she
scolded, and promised | would quit
and meant to quit-short off,
"And you broke your promise?''
That was when the trouble COM
menced. | was to blame, of course;
but it was the boys done it. [ felt so
mean that allowed she'd never speak
to me again; but she did And what
do you reckon she made me do?-but
you'd never guess it. Mister, she made
me give myself the durn'de cowhidin'
for gittin' tangled that time 1t was
mighty rough, but I done it like little
man, because she told me to. And she
bought the cowhide herself to do it with
Then promised her / never would get
full again-never, as long as l lived
And | meant it-honest Ingin, 1t was
the boys made me do it again
"And what did she say then?''
81 She said she want a teachin' school
to spend her money on cnWhides ANY