The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-09-30

making light of our task-ifs gall and
wormwood to you, Mr.. Steele"
"Hush, Mimel" 1 said, for I could see
that he was getting more and more ex-
cited, and l didn't know but what he'd
| fling the lamp at her head or something.
But he mastered himself, and up he got
and went away without another word, and
pretty soon Sam Riley came in.
thought WEI d have nice evening, for
Mime was in high fsather; and sitting
down to the table she caught upa pencil
and made the schoolmaster take every ridi-
culous shape that she could. Her eyes
shone and her cheeks glowed, and didn't
wonder Sam couldn't take his eyes off her
face.
''say the word, Mime" said Sam" "and
I'll punch the idiots head"
who are you calling an idiot ?" said
Mime, turning straight upon Sam. 'If you
had the hundredth part of his intelligence
you might be glad"
81 thought you called him SO yourself"
said Sam, meekly, for he was head.
over-ears in love with the young ter1na-
CANT.
'If did," said Mime, "it was absurd,
and III never do it again. No, Sam, I'll
beat him with his own weapons I'll go to
the trustees myself. If he can wheel and
coax them SO can L and if he can bully
them, perhaps can do that too."
"You can do anything" said poor
Sam.
And soon after that Mime said she was
tired and sleepy, aud sent Sam off as cold
as you please. Then she got upon her
feet and walked about the floor, and
1 could see she was terribly put out
and excited by the schoolmaster's visit.
"You'll wear yourself out for nothing, I
said, for it vexed me to see her oil in a
fret that way from pure spite. "Hell
break you health and spirits like he did
that other poor little body that was here
before you."
oI don't believe all those stories about
that woman, aunty. I've found out she
had heavier troubles than those put upon
her by the schoolnaster. You mustn't be-
lieve all that you hear"
That WAS the way with gMime--she was
that contrary when she was vexed that
she'd swear black was white, and take the
part of the Evil One himself. She began
from that time to fight hard for her own
way, aud it got to be pretty well known
that she was winning over the trusteees
The children had never liked nybody 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 regu.
lar as clock-work now, and began to mark
out horses and dogs with a stump of a
pencil himself; and Mr.. Prtchard was one
of the trustees and thought the world and
all of niece Jemima.
But somehow or other, just as I said, the
continual worriment of it fretted Mime,
and she got thin and lost her pretty color;
and the night she came home and said she
had got tn. 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 il
some way, for Mime was more fdgety and
, contrary than ever, and don't believe
r everything would have turned out as it die
if Mime had been in her sober senses. The
, girl was about half wild, and don't be
D leve she knew what she was about; fo
I it stands to reason she must have hated tht
q schoolmaster, and yet when I began tt
, glory over his defeat, and say how gla(
, Sam Riley would be, she shut me in
S minute.
. "Sam Riley and Mr.. Steele, " she said
"are two very different men,"
81 should hope 80, said.
b "Sam is made of different stuff" sht
. FWSub OH W Buy. Lhc Alpllo Pil0hs ai'
d torments that sting the soul of Mr.. Steel
@ to madness would be utterly unfelt b.
l. Sam. Sam is good fellow"
J, ''Thank you for SAM" I said, for sh
/ was enough to provoke saint.
/ 'FBut he has not the capacity for suffer
II ing that Mr. Steele has, and OH aunty, h
J does suffer !"
l. "Serve him right, the monster" I said
and had scarce got the words out of m
mouth when there was rap at til
u door.
q went over, thinking it was Sam Riley
3 when there was the thin, gaunt face of til
L schoolmaster again. He came in an
% bowed as grave as an. owl, and sat down O.
u chair by the door; his cane rolled dow
beside him on the floor, and for flu
IT minute or so he couldn't find n word or