The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-07-01
MISS ELIAS LAST SCHOOL.

sCu1AVeA LILO IAc ydIu, SoAu III .. LIZA
con Carpenter to her old maid daughter,
Miss Eliza, who was at that moment
standing by the kitchen cooking table,
deity and energetically moulding bread.
"Hark9 Jane has gone to the door; per-
haps he wants her to take sne Of the,
town schools; he is chairman Of theme
school board, you know. No, he is ask
ing for you. May be he wants y wife,
he Is wldewe1, you are aware, doubt
less" added the mother, with q teazing
laugh, for only the yet fair, las well as
frank, capable Miss Eliza herself could
tell how many widowers had come to her
for consolation, and had been sent pre-
emptorilyson their way. .s5s.
''He won't be likely3to call more than
once responded Miss Eliza, as she pro-
ceeded to wash her hands, take off her
kitchen apron, roll down her sleeves over
her plump arms, and fresh and dainty in
her pretty ruffled wrapper, she entered
the well furnished sitting-room. You
are looking tor teacher. sir? Oh!1t is
my sister you wish to see,'' and Miss Eli
"a turned toward the door.
ssNo, wish to see you; if am not
mistaken, you taught down at the Centre
few years ago.
''Yes,'' reglied Miss Eliza, thoughttully,
"but hardly know what to say to your
proposition. I had given up teaching. I.
may say was hardly driven from the
profession, I will not admit that lam be-
hind the age, however, for I have con-
tinued taking my educational journals,
and in various ways have taken pains to
inform myself as to the advancement in
educational matters, especially IN the
larger communities IN / our Common
wealth. i kept up my attendance upon
the teachers institutes until the pretty,
gay young girls laughed SO much at my
rstreaked grey hair and wrinkles that
thought best to retire from the field,
and SO make way for the younger as !
pirants."
"Thvse young misses have had a try at
the school wish you to take. I carried
the third one to the term home before I
started for you this morning. You see,
Miss Carpenter, tits a hard one, this Gray
Hill district school. You are doubtless
aware of its unsavorY reputation. don't
pretend to say that the school has not been
somewhat neglected; schools in such re-
mote localities generally are. If the com
mlttees. ever visit them they must go on
purpose, and 1t is a hard drive over those
hills. Then, experienced teachers won't
isolate. themselves up there IN the woods
The method has been toilet some young
girl make her debut at teaching at Gray
Hill. For years, suppose, there has
been very little teaching, mixed with less
discipline, generally ending with turning
the teacher out Of doors in that district.
Now, somebody must 60 up there who
will in the first place bring law and order
into vogue, and then teach. want you,
Miss Carpenter old, successful teach
er,--to go out there as missionary.
will arrange itso that you will be brought
home every Friday night, and carried
thlther every Monday morning. Your
salary will be the same that we allow the
village teachers, although it should be
higher 9
This interview ended by Esquire Ma
son carrying Miss Eliza back with him
to Gray ELL that very day. g Itwas an out
of-the-way place,to be sure, but there
were well-tilled productive farms. and
good we'll meaning people in that local..
ty, who had, ever since the old town was
incorporated, been taxed for all improve
ments in the village, such as libraries,
street-hghts, sidewalks, and grading,
which they seldom profit by because the
Gray Hill folks and the villagers were al
ways at swords point, although it was a
common saying in the township that, it
the village folks wanted to borrow money
they resorted to the monntaineers ," ea
Esquire Mason was more and more I'M
pressed with The wisdom Of his choice of
a proper teacher as he chatted with Miss
Eliza during the ride to Gray Hill school
house. They arrived there in the middle
of the afternoon, and found that the schol-
ars had had possession all day, and were
having an appearing time. They set up
derlslve shout as the committee and the
new teacher drove up, but they Quoted
down when they saw that the latter was
not q young girl, and when she proceeded
to take a long stout cord, good sized
rattan, a hammer, and handful OF nails
OF different sizes from the buggy, they
grew quite silents ssl 'a # Mg
''Je-mimmaE" said one of the oldes,
boys, as Esquire Mason drove away with
the teachers trunk to her boarding place
ACd1 ny. IL tuo new CQmmlLlee lallt
been and got that Miss Carpenter from the
South end. She's that odd fashioned
teacher,'-yo know, and she can lick any
boy twice her size, and she'll keep q
great big school so that there daresnt any
one OF lem say their souls their own just
by that air rattan. i've heard about i,
lots err times. Its one her brother
brought up from South Ameriky, and if
it cuts inter a Teller it pizens him. And
she Away has hammer n nails with
her, and if a Teller don't sit still she nails
his trousers right to the seat. And that
air rope-Gosh when things come to
worst, she hangs fellers up with lt!''
Lets go home,''. SAID another large
boy. .53 ,a,sf x, III .8..
mo, les go in; I II .resk but what I car
keep still the rest Of the afternoon. Les
see what she'll do"
Theffrst thing she did do that after.
noon, SO eventful in the lives Of some 81
those boys, who we're fast growing into
the typical, Ignorant country lout, with
strong, vicious tendencies, was to interes,
them. AS she took their names she ques.
toned them kindly ,o,1n their familiaS