The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1883-04-07
HOW JIM TURNER BROKE UP THE
SCHOOL.

SaJLaih IT.ifor. Chicayo, M.
"rhat is the school-house, is it ?" in.
quired Miss Alice Ray, the "new teach.
err" as the farmers plodding team
passed by little white house, standing
endwise to the road and inclosed in a
rather dilapidated fence.
eyes, that's where you'll hold forth, "
remarked Uncle Zekc Woodburn, "bul
Pm afecrd you won't hold out long,
fur we've got the toughest set OF boys in
the State" and Uncle Zeke gave a
kind ofcackling little laugh as he thought
Of the timid, demurc little damsel a,
his side controlling the boys of Bear
Creek School. "But don't the dircc.
tors expcl them when they are beyond
the control ofthe teacher ?" asked Alice,
her heart beginning to sink at the pros.
pect before her.
"Expel 'em no, we never expel
nobody; il a teacher can't boss the
school we just let it boss him; it ain,
our fight, an the school here generally
bosses the teacher, and thar's been some
purity good men licked in that school.
house by the boys" al did no, know
the school was so unruly," said poor
Alice wishing heartily that she had
hired out as 4 washcrwoman instead OF
trying to teach the savages OF Bear
Creek.
"Oh, well, mebbe it won't be so
bad this winter; thar's Jim Turner, he's
one of the thoughest of 'em; he'll be
twcnty-one in a month, and You'll &c,
rid Of him but thar's the Bradley boys,
&ey're mighty nigh as bad"
= Poor Alice listened with 4 sinking
heart. The cold, hard duties before
her were dreary enough at best bu, to
60 alone and unknown into a strange
neighborhood TO teach her first school
and to be met at the outset by such
dark prophecies made her feel homeless
indeed.
She was naturally 4 timid, shrinking
little thing, and il she had possessed
anywhere on the whole broad earth a
roof to shelter her she would have turned
back from the Bear Creek school even
then.
But she had no home. Her mother
had died when she was but fourteen,
and she had kept house for her father
two years, when he died, leaving Alice
all alone. Before his death he advised
her to expend the little sum he would
be able to leave her in fitting herselffor
a teacher, and Alice had fulfilled his
request so literally that when she had
completed her course OF study at the
Normal School she had barely ten dol.
lars left, and when she paid Uncle ZckC
for hauling her and her littlc,runk from
the nearest railroad town to the district
where she was to teach she had but five
dollars left.
On Monday morning rs she started
for the school-house, she felt as il she
was going to the scalfold; her course oi
pedagogics in the Normal Institute had
included no such problem rs this school
promised to be, and, If it were not for
very shame, she would have given her
single five-dollar bill to any one to take
her back to the railroad and pay her
fare TO L., the town where she had
attended school.
When she arrived at the school. house
about twenty or thirty pupils were
grouped around talking, but spell oi
silence fell upon them as she walked up
and greeted them with a "good.morn.
ing" which was more like the chirp OF
a frightened bird than anything else
As she unlocked the door and entered
what she had already begun to regard
as a chamber Of torture. three or four
slowly followed her into the room and
deposited their books upon the whitfield
desks, took seats and fixed their eyes
upon her with stare that did not help
to strengthen her nerves.
All the rules and regulations Of her
Theory and Practice for "Opening
School upon the First Day" seemed to
vanish and leave her brain whirring in
dizzy helplessness. She tried to think
OF some cheerful remark, but her brain
refused to form the thought and her
tongue Glove to the roof of her mouth.
She could see in the face OF the pupils,
most OF whom were now in the school.
room, that they were aware Of her
fright and enjoyed it thoroughly. BY
a strong effort she partially recovered
herself and bravely resisted the tempta-
ton to lean her head on the desk and
have a good cry. She felt that she
must do something OF faint, so she rang
the bell, although il lacked fifteen
minutes of nine. She then began tax
ing down the names and ages Of the
pupils, and by the time thiswas compile
ted she began to feel more at ease. She
then began examining the pupils in the
different branches in order to assign them
to their proper classes. She had finish
cd the examination in all the branches
except the advanced reading class, which
was principally composed Of grown
girls and young men, among whom was
the terrible Jim Turner, Of whom she
had been warned.
Several Of the members Of the class
had read, and il was now the turn of
Moses Bradley, huge, heavy.sct fellow,
with small, malicious eyes, and general
air Of ruffianism.