Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-07-05
SPEAKING TOO SOON.

SPEAKING TOO SOON.
1t was a sunshiny May day, with an i'm
mense bee booming among the lilacs and
peonies in the school garden, an intense
glow of golden light on the grass, and a
dreamy languor in the air that made Alice
Hopkins sleepy in spite of herself, as she
sat with the little clildren's copy-books in
pile before her, inscribing the months
marks upon their covers, according to their
respective merits.
Alice was scarcely more than q child her.
self. Barely nineteen, with slight, young
figure, a color that came and went at the
slightest variation of her pulse, and plead
ing hazel eyes, it was the hardest work in
the world to assume the dignity that was
necessary for her position as assistant
teacher.
81 never saw such babyishness in my
lifen' said Miss Negley, the principal "and
I shall not put up with it, Miss Hopkins
don't you think it, Dignity, in the educa-
tionalline. is everything. And do not call
it fitting to the position of assistant principal
to the racing around with the children IN
their monday games, and dressing corn
cob-doll on the sly for little Priscilla Jones,
to say nothing about bursting out crying
like a great baby, when Billy Smith killed
the robin-redbreast with stone. Dignity,
Miss Hopkins- should ever be the
watchwOrd of our profession"
Miss Negley was tall and grim, with
heavy black hair, salloW complexion,
several missing front teeth, and something
very like moustache.
Alice Hopkins covered before her severe
glance.
"I'm very sorry!" faltered she. "pll
try to be good"
"More like a child than everw said Miss
Negley, despairingly.
"I-I mean," Alice fastened to correct
herself-''I will endeavor to set a guard
upon my rash impulses
''That sounds more like it" said Miss
Negley. "And now, Alice, see here! L
expect some of the school trustees here to-
morrow"
"Oh, dear!n said Alice, remembering the
signal failure Of her class upon similar
occasion, not so very long ago, "It ism an
other examination, [ hope ?"
"Worse than that" said Miss Negley-
"far worse"
Alice lifted her hazel eyes in amazement.
What could possibly be worse than Fanny
Dow spelling cat with a k, and Lucy Malley
asserting that Baltimore was situated on
the left bank of the river Nile.
''There is a proposition on foot to reduce
our salaries" said Miss Negley. "Actually,
to reduce our salaries"
"Oh," said Alice. "But mine is very
small already. Only one hundred dollars a
year. l dont't think they can reduce it
much"
'They can reduce it to fifty, can't they?"
said Miss Negleey, shortly; ,, ,,
"In that case," ventured Alice, 81 could
Nd hn oh ri in M 1nRIa)S Sfnrp
the city. One must live J"
"Yotl've no proper pride," said Miss Neg
lev. "a shop girl, indeed! ButI don't in
tend they shall carry out their nefarious
plans. If My good gracious me! there
comes Mr.. Barthorne now, jogging along on
his old gray horse Just as if he wasn't on an
errand Of evil. They do say that old Bar
thorne is the head and front of the whole
business. I'll show him! A reduction OF
salaries, indeed! / dare say he means to
Wheedle a consent out Of us beforehand, SO
that everything shall seem smooth to-mor-
row when the committee meets. But he
will find that he has mistaken his customer
this time.
Little Alice began to tremble all over,
and to grow pink and white by turns, after
her usual fashion when she was disturbed.
"I-I am so frightened!' hesitated she.
"Please may go home?"
eyes, you little coward" impatiently re-
sponded Miss Negley; "that is, if you hav-,
emit the courage to stand up for yourself and
your rights"
"But Mr.. Barthorne has always been SO
kind to me-" faltered Alice Hopkins, sand
if he should tell me that it was best, | al
most know that I should consent to having
nv salary reduced. You know, dear Miss
Negley, that if it hadn't been for him, l
never should have received the appointment
at ALL"
81 don't wonder" said Miss Negey apos-
trophizing the ceiling, that they aren't will
ing to allow women the privilege of suf-
frage in this benighted country. And you,
Alice Hopkins, you may go home! You
certainly will be of no use at all to me IN
fighting this battle.
And Alice, heartily thankful for this
grudgingly accorded reprieve, put the copy
books into the desk-draWer, piled up the
dictionary and deiner, caught her little pink
lawn sun-bonnet from it's nail, and vanished
like a flying shadow into the nearest patch
of cedar woods.
Miss Negley sat very upright, with fold
ed arms and prominent elbows, her nose
slightly tinctured with the rosy hue of the
coming battle, her lips slightly compressed /;
while Mr.. Barthorne, n pleasent-taced gen
tleman of tive-and-forty or thereabouts, trot-
ted up to the school house door, leisurely
dismounted, tied his horse to the hitching
post, and, totally unconscious that he was
observed, alike by Miss Negley from her
post of authority on the school room dais,
and little Alice Hopkins by the spring IN
the woods, paused to dust his boots with his
yellow silk pocket handkerchief and to adj
Just his thick, dark locks before ne raped
on the door.
"I'm glad Pm not there" said Alice
Hopkins, with a long sigh Of relief.
And, then, having cooled her face and
hands in the transparent spring, she sat
down to think.
TO her, reduction of her scanty salary
meant nothing less than starvation. AZ
things were she could scarcely pay he1
board and other expenses.
And sitting there in the shifting shadows
of the wind-blown branches, she cried a
little, to think how solitary and friendless
she was in the world.
Miss Negley, however, was in very diff
ferent mood.
"Come in she had answered, brusquely
to the knock at the door, without taking
the trouble to move from her seat.
And when Mr.. BarthOrne entered, nc
espied her sitting stiff, silent, straight.
s'Good afternoon, Miss Negley" said the
trustee, depositing his hat on the nearest
desk and venturing on an apologetjc bow
"Good afternoon, Mr.. BarthOrne" Mis-
Negley answered, with just about as much
warmth as an icicle in her address.
"Ihope do not intrude," said the trus
tee, ciVilly.
ooh, not at all !" said Miss Negley.
"A-hemr ~ said the trustee, evidently i'll
at ease. ''It amt easy to broach the busi
81 should think not" said the lady.
"Rut | called lust at this hour when