The Red Cloud chief., 1880-11-18

G she came IN again, ner 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 tn
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 China-asters.
Here in our own dcestrict. Teach
er's sick, an they can't seem to find no
one 10 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.
"How many scholars are there?" she
asked. a sudden impulse taking possess
sion Of her.
mot more'n twenty. / reckon. It's
a summer school, SO faint never very
large"
"Uncle, would they let me take it?"
You, darter!!"
..Yes, | believe / should enjoy it, and
1t would do me good, besides giving the
teacher a little help. She looks as if
she needed it,
So il 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, wen
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 school-house
to which they went, one of the primi-
tive sort. From all the windows were
magnificent views of the mountains,
but Mildred improved even On that al
vantage, by occasionally having rccita-
tons 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 Wethcrbee, her oldest
pupil. she formed almost an intimacy,
listening with interest to the long con-
fidences twanged through a very pretty
nose, of her trials in tending baby.
picking "garden-sass," and laying
down pickles.
Dnar Nr cha lr o,-
the victim of an ardent attachment,
severely disapproved at home, for "a
hand employed during having on her
fathers farm. Between these two ex-
tremes in 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 u very comical nc
count of her experiment, laughing
aloud as she pictured the disgust of her
lady mother, INDUCED in the widest
dreams of an independent career, and.
in n few weeks, had become convinced
that there waS-really 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 w successive days at the cluster of
flowers which she found on her desk.
The great double g~eraniums seemed TO
flash their scarlet glory all over the
room; and heliotrope too. her favorite
flower. in masses of purple beauty,
filled the air with its fragrance. A spray
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
board n morning, as she came in lust
in time to see the last few words as he
erased them. The writing struck her
peculiarly.
What did You rub out, Harley?'
she asked. hanging up her hat in the
"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
slips in his speech.
You mean something, Harley, and
you should say l wrote ii. Can you re-
member"
"He jest done it hisself," piped ND a
voice behind them. 81 seen him when
l come in"
"Oh, Johnnie Mack was the teach
er's exclamation, latter l have told
you SO many times" Yet no possible
of verbs seemed to affect her
love for the offenders, or to diminish
her patience with them. and in the
of the day she noticed that Har-
ley Jones had really made vast improve
ment in his %copybook. But she had oc-
casion to reprove Maggie Wetherbee as
they walked home together that night.
81 saw you talking with q man this
morning. Maggie, when l came across
the lot. Is it possible you meet any
one in that way outside your fathers
h~ouse?"
"But 'twasn't him." stammered
Maggie, growing red.
Him! who?"
"Why, Bill, that 1 told you about. l
didn't expect to meet him." she added,
growing redder with the consciousness :
of how easily the stranger could make
her false to Bill. Hes boarding
somewhere round, and Just asked me
how soon school would be out. He's
q picture of our school house
and that's all. He had lots of pictures
a big fiat book" |.
A strolling artist, Mildred thought.
She knew nothing about artists, but
had an idea they were rather inoffens-
i've people. Still she determined to
watch Maggie. She must not drift into
any danger. /
Mildred went earlier to school The
next morning, earlier even than Harley