Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-05-14
THE TEACHERS AT FARWELL
tThe Californian.

The SUM- onneted children across the street
had no hesitation In shaping their comments
on the unknown lady In grey linen according
to the theory that she was the new teacher:
Miss Bruce was always recognized as teacher
at the first glance. She had the worn face, the
anxious expression, the constrained manners
Of an experienced lady teacher. She mad taught
school. however. but three years. and was ONLY
twenty years Old; but since she had spent
those three years In abject terror of school
Children, parents, trustees and principals. she
passed for twenty-five. Miss Bruce never
could keep school In decent order and was
hheipiess before any ordinary boy; nevertheless
by one OF those complete divorces between fact
ana tnecTy not uncommon In the public mind
sDe had somehow stumbled into the reputa-
ton OF being most efficient dlsciplinarian,
ana. so much more potent Is reputation than
reality, she had kept 1t. sect name for riS-
lDg early, and you may lie abed till noon"
When she came to Farwen, some one who had
known her before had summed her up by say
Ing to Mr.. Farwell:
"a regular old maid-no acquisition to your
society. But she can manage any scnooL"
The schoOl-yard gate yawned open, and Miss
Bruce entered It In full sympathy With the
spirit OF the DaDtean inscription, and walked
across the white, hard trOdden yard. A group
OF boys, falling back little from her path,
greeted her with chorus of perfectly gratuit-
GUS yelling and jeering.
She had not taught school three years with
out learning what such salutation meant.
She looked at the implsh group With dlsmay
that amounted to q positive sense of physical
illness, and thought. "a bad principal I'm In
for IL now" She even conceived the poSjfbil-
1ty OF retreat1Dg and throwing up her position:
out, with consciousness or necessity upon
her, she walked on across the barren yard.
Tine DEAD ana seedy mallOW5 in the corners
looked very dead indeed; the whitish August
sky stopped over stretch of dusty cottages,
and mown fields, and road edged with blue
gums In the CHASTITY color of their second years
growth; the school house. new painted. with a
main building for the principal and little
wing for the assistant. confronted her as unln-
v1tiIgly as dentists chair.
She found Mr.. FarWell In the entry before
her. standing against background OF tin pals
and girls straw hats Mr.. Farwell was the
leading trustee. There was stranger with
h1m-a good looking, younglsh man, with
pleasant brown eyes.
This is rather surprise toyou, Miss Bruce"
Mr.. Farwell said.
He used the bland tone that Miss Bruce asso-
tees were polite spiders, ushering her into their
paIlors.
y had a telegram this very morning. after
breakfast, saying that Mr.. Drake, whom you
have met, and whom we liked so much, isn't
coming back. l see by the paper that the
stock he's been In is up, and l presume he's
us. L went TO hunt up the other trustees, and
ar Martins found his w1fe's cousin, just out
from the East, and thinks OF teaching year or
two. SO we engaged hun on the spot, and here
he is. Mr.. Graham, this is Miss Bruce He's
new to the business, Miss Bruce; SO you, being
veteran must put him up to the tricks Of the
tIade."
Miss Bruce took 1t entirely as a matter of
course that she should be the one presented
She acknowledged the Introduction with her
usual still shy ness and Mr.. FarWell departed
TO preside over special meeting OF his Grange,
which was, at that time, acting under deep
sense of responsibility about the affairs of the
State University. After the function of the
higher education had been settled satisfactorily
and the meeting dissolved, he reverted to the
lower education, and remarked Informally TO
his neighborS:
We've got a teacher now that's going to
manage those boys. You should have seen the
look she gave the Riley and Carter boys, and
the rest OF that set, when they hollored at her
as she came into the yard"
But when Miss Bruce and her principal had
walked into the little, tll-ligEted assistants
room, where the crowded desks. the table aud
blaCkboardS, and charts, had a Familiarity de-
pressing effect, Mr.. Graham said:
WAS the regretted Mr.. Drake a friend of
yours, Miss Bruce,"
Miss Bruce had taken Off her hat and hung It
on ehalky nan by the blackboard. She sat
Webster, and the bell. that were ranged on the
table.
mo, STR, she said, respectfully; 81 didn't
know him."
Mr. Graham looked down into her face with
the gentleneSs Of manner acquired In q society
Where women are protected and peJted and
deferred TO. Miss Bruce's sir" and her appa-
rent CONSCIOUSNESS OF subOrdinatiOn, struck MIN
as rather pathetic. and somewhat emphasized
Then l may say what / think about his
look it Tor few days, you shanT be annoyed
by any more 1mpert1nence In q school-yard
where l have authority. I should be sorry not
TO protect lacy who teaches with me better
than our predecessor seems to have done.n
Protection was quite cut OF the line OF Kate
Bruce'S experience. she looked up quickly
and met reinforcing kindness OF eyes and
everyday experience OF some women; but it
was actually the first time Kate Bruce had been
looked at or spoken to In just that way and
there sprung TO her face In response through
all her nxed expression OF anxious reserve. a
quick appeal-aS If she had cried, 'sAh. yes. DO
be good to me,' MIR. Graham continued to look
at her, with deepening sense OF pathos. His
mental comment on this seif-reliant and eff
Gent assistant OF his was "POor ch1ld'"-and
his intentions for the coming term responded
exactly TO her unspoken appeal
School-teachiDg was no such dreadful matter
after all, Miss Bruce found, when there is an
authoritative Kindness between one and all the
bugbears. Week after week, and month after
month. In the intimate Intercourse OF work
that Isolated them tOgether-there could be but
ole result Kate Bruce wanted from the bot
tom OF her heart to be taken care of, and Mr.
Graham took care OF her. She had all her life
known none but people who were neither wise
nor witty, nor Wei bred, and Mr.. Graham was
all three. IL was as inevitable as that two and
two should come TO four that she should ind In
him the Lords intention In making mankind
Illustrated. In time. his unyarying gentleneSs
and sympathy won her out OF her frightened
stiffness into pretty opennesl When The last
boy had recited his deficient lesson and gon
shame-facedly away, or the last Decrimped girl
had exhausted her excuses for lingering, ate
would slip into Mr.. Graham's schoOi-ro0m and
ne would come and ~ on one OF the desks and
she IN the pupils vacant seat behind lt; ana as
she laughed, aid colored, and cnarted, at once
Shyly ana c0nhdiDgly, admired his 1oxes i'm
mensely, and accepted his advice i'm --licitly,
The i've extra years dropped away from her
and she locked ooJn young and pretty. But iC
was Ior Graham alone. Except with him she
was faded, dull and twenty-five.
To Geoffrey Graham 1t was a very different
matter. He had not come 10 his thirty Seconu
year without knowing many women pretCier
wittier, AID In every way more charming than
Kate Bruce. Nevertheless 10 hold the power
10 create for yourself out OF an unintere3tlng
laGtng schooLmiStreS5 pretty, bright young
girl, and to be tie one person In the world who
does hold it, is fascinating; and GTaham5 In
tentlOn TO be very kind 10 his assistant kept his
carry him pretty ,ar-so far, indeed that the
ready village gossip decided, before the end OF
the year, that III was match"
Funny taste" Mr.. Far%ell said. "MiSS
Bruce was cut cUt>for an old maid. Pity for a
likely young man like Graham TO pick that sort
Of woman. can't make out what he sees In
her"
But Mrs. Farwell liked the match. She re.
sponded rather warmly:
.'She's dear, good girl, If she is Old ma.dish
and not pretty. 1hope she icH get god hus-
band, and know she'll make good wife, she
isn't exactly bright company, but Pm real fond
OF her,"
Middle aged and Old women always liked
Kate On close acquaintance; and. as sue
boarded with Mrs. Farweli, there had been 90.
portunity enough FOR such acquaintance.