The Red Cloud chief., 1880-11-18

Despair at nineteen is a very hopeless
sort Of despair. Mildred laid her head
on the ground with n great tearing sob.
"Oh how can l bear it?"
She went back to the house present.
~. She would conquer this foolish
ness, so she told herself, as she kept
saying owe and over again the whole
summer long. She would conquer her
temper, too; grow humble, and docile.
and patient. II she tried hard. per-
haps, before she grew to be a very old
woman-and forty TO her was an i'm
mense age-she might be amiable. too
serene, self-poised and lovable. She
was quite charmed with the ideal she
imagined OF herself. As for the great
grief that had so worn upon her. it was
righteous punishment for her pride and
wilfulness. There was no one but her.
self to blame, and her sense of justice
was keen. She must do her best TO
bear what she had brought upon her.
self.
Supper was nearly ready when she
came in; a beautiful appeal TO an ar
tistic eye, with its heap of snow-white
| biscuits, deep, golden buttera and purple
grape Jelly; but the flowers with which
she always decked the table. she had
forgotten that afternoon. She went al
once into the garden, meeting her I'M
Gle as he passed by with the foaming
milk-pails. Don't forget my holly
hook, darter," he called out as he
passed along. Hollyhocks were a stand
ing joke between them. She nodded
brightly. She had really a very sweet
and sound nature, for all her faults and
shortcomings. and in the peaceful twi-
light time, she fought a good fight, IN
which she was helped by every outward
condition.
When she came IN again, her uncle
was carrying on a spasmodic converse
ton with his wife, who, out of sight in
the buttery. was straining the milk,
AN if they can't find some one to
take the school," he was saying, It'll
hev to be shet up awhile"
"What school?" Mildred asked, car
ING less for the answer than for the
effect of a great pansy she was settling
among the C~hina-asters.
Here in our WI dcestrict. Teach
er's sick, an they can't seem to find no
one TO take her place"
Mildred had seen the teacher, a pale
young girl, who went home every night
by her uncle's house. with several little
ones beside her. They were barefoot
ed, to be sure, but bright-eyed and
rosy-cheeked.
s.How many scholars are there?" she
asked. a sudden impulse taking posses
sion of her.
mot more'n twenty. | reckon. It's
a summpr school. SO faint never very
large"
"Uncle, would they let me take it?"
"You, darter!!"
eyes. | believe / should enjoy it, and
it would do me good. besides giving the
teacher a little help. She looks as if
she needed IT,"
So it came about that Mildred Par
menter, meeting the children in the
road the next morning, introduced her
self to them as the lady who would take
care of them till their teacher got well;
and, with the big key in her hand. went
across the field with them with n more
positive feeling of content and happi-
ness than she had known for months.
Ii was a queer little log s~chool-house
To which they went, n of the print
tive sort. From all the windows were
magnificent views of the mountains,
but Mildred improved even on that al
vantage, bv occasionally having rccita-
tions out of doors. a departure from
the orthodox fashion very gratifying TO
the Youthful mind. She had had little
contact with the country people, and
the peculiar dialect. the homely sim
plicity of life, and marked characters
ties of her pupils. continually amused
her. Bobby Whitman, her youngest
scholar, had a strong propensity for
chewing gum. n habit which seriously
interfered with a naturally defective
articulation, but one which he sacrificed
for the good graceS of his teacher.
With Maggie Wetherbee, her oldest
pupil, she formed almost an intimacy,
listening with interest to the long con
nose. of her trials in tending baby,
I picking "garden-sass," and laying
; down pickles.
Poor Maggie, she learned, was also
the victim of an ardent attachment,
severely disapproved at home, for "a
hand employed during having on her
/ fathers farm. Between these two ex-
! tremcs i'm age, she found almost every
, variety of taste and disposition. realiz-
ing that she had entered on a fertile
field of usefulness and enjoyment. She
: wrote TO her sister n very comical ac-
| count of her experiment, laughing
+ aloud rs she pictured the disgust of her
. lady mother, INDUCED in the widest
} dreams of an independent career, and.
/ in a few weeks, had become convinced
that there was-rcally a great deal in life
; worth living for.
1t was little Harley Jones' turn that
week to .'rid up" the school-house. as
he termed it, and Mildred wondered
/ for two successive DAYS ut the cluster of
flowers which she found on her desk.
/, The great double geraniums seemed to
: flash their scarlet glory all over the
room; and heliotrope too, her favorite
t flower. in masses of purple beauty,
t filled the air with its fragrance. Aspray
of it, with a few delicate ferns. another
, of her delights. was laid upon the Bible
!. opened at the chapter with which she
| began the days exercises. Harley
Jones had certainly a taste and appre-
: citation for which she had never given
him credit.
He was vigorously cleaning the black
, ooaru one WornlnS, as sue came IN Just
: in time to see the last few words as he
: erased them. The writing struck her
7 peculiarly.
t What did you rub out, Harley?"
t she asked, hanging up her hat in the
corner.
"Somethink YOU writ yesterday, Miss
: Carpenter. L was writin' it over" She
| smiled at the name. He never could
get it right, but she corrected the other
5 slips in his speech.
You mean something, Harley, and
!. you should say l wrote it. Can YOU re-
/ member?"
t He jest done it hisself." piped up a
voice behind them. 81 seen him when
: / come in"
''Oh, Johnnie Mack was the teach
: er's exclamation, latter l have told
| you so many times" Yet no possible
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