Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1883-01-06
HOW JIM TURNER BROKE Up
TIkR; SCHOOL.


TnE SCHOOL.
"That is the school house, is it?' IN
CURED Miss Alice Ray, the new teacher,
rs the farmers plodding team passed by
a little white house, standing endwise to
the rcad and inclused in rather dilapi-
dated fence.
eyes, that's where you'll hold forth"
replied Uncle Zeke Woodburn, "bnt I'm
afeerd YOU won't hold out long, for we've
got the toughest Sc. of boys in the State,
and Uncle Zeke gave kind of cackling
little laugh as he thought of the timid,
demure little damsel at his side cOntroll-
ing the boys OF Bear Creek School. "But
don't the directors expel them when they
are beyond the control Of the teacher?"
asked Alice, her heait beginning to sink
ut the prospect before her.
"Expcl 'em! no, we never eXpel no.
body; if Il teacher can't boss the school
we Just let it boss him, it ain't our fight,
an the school here generally bosses the
teacher, and thar's been some purity good
men licked in that schOol-house by ,he
boys" 81 did not know the school was
so unruly," said poor Alice, wishing
heartily she had hired out Is washwo-
man instead of trying to teach the savages
of Bear Greek.
ooh, well, maybe it won't be so bad
this winter; thar's Jim Turner, he's one
of the toughest of 'em; he'll he twenty
one in month. and you'll git red of him.
But thar's the Bradley boys, they're
mighty nigh as bad"
Poor Alice listened with sinking heart.
The cold, hard duties before her were
dreary enough at best; but to 20 alone
and unknown into strange neghborhood
to teach her first school, and to be met ut
the outset with such dark prophecies
made her feel homeless indeed.
She was naturally n timid, shrinking
little thing, and if she had possessed any
where on the whole broad earth II roof 10
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 herself for 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 dollars left, aud when she paid
Uncle Zeke for hauling her aud her little
trunk from the nearest railroad town 10
the district where she was to teach she
had but five dollars left.
On Monday morning as she started for
the school house she felt rs If she was
going to the scaffCld; her course Of pcda-
gogics in the normal institute had includ-
ed no such problem as this school prom
ised to be, and, if it were not for very
shame, she would have given her single
five dollar bill to any Que 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 group
ed around talking, but Il spell OF silence
fell upon them as she walked up and
greeted them with a "GoOd morning."
which was more like the chirp of Il fright
ened bird than anything else. AS she un-
locked the door and entered what she had
already begun to regard rs chamber Of
torture, three or four slowly followed her
into the room and depositing their books
upon the Whitfield desks, took seats and
fixed their eyes upon her with steady
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 10 vanish
and leave her brain whirring in dizzy
helplessness She tried TO think Of some
cheerful remarks, but her brain refused
10 10TH TIC tuOuS w anu bci tOhoeS NiOfS
to the roof Of her mouth. She could see
in the faces of tile pupils, most Of whom
were now in the school room, that they
were aware Of her fright and enjoyed ii
thoroughly. By strong effort she par
TALLY recovered herself and bravely re-
sisted the temptation to lean her head on
:he desk and have a good cry. She felt
that she must do something or faint, so
she rang the bell, although it lacked fif-
teen minItes Of nine. She then began
taking down the names and ages Uf the
pupils, and by the time this was complet-
ed she began to feel more at ease. She
then began examining the pupils ia the
different branches in order to assign them
to their proper classes. She had finished
the examination in all the branches except
the advanced reading class, which was
principally composed Of grown girls and
young men, among whom WIS the terrible
Jim Turner, Of whom she had been
warned o. .. -. :. .,s. \
Several OF the members Of the class had