Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-01-18
SWEET VIOLET.


SWEET VIOLET.
When the school trustees of the town of
Cornalbin received from New York an ap-
plication signed "Violet Mathisen,' for
the position of head teacher of the town
schools intermediate department, which
had been advertised as vacant, they formal
ly replied by post that the applicant could
appear before them at q specified time, if
she could do so at her own expense. But
the trustees wrote. further, that it was
only fair to Miss Mathisen to inform her
that there were sixty applicants for the
position, some of them being we'll and
favorably known at Cornalbln, and that
the advertisement had not been published
because the board lacked material from
which to select, but merely in accord
ance with one of the bylaws governing
The board.
Yet Miss Violet Nathisen went from
New York to Cornalbin; and within five
tA1uuuCo VI uCl ClCMUllu8 ClOlduC6 llbO
the presence of the board, her success was
assured. AS she had travelled 200 miles
to present herself for examination, each
one of the five trustees thought it would
be simply courteous to ask her question
or two by way of formality, particularly
as she looked like sweet, helpless little
thing. and thus she was enabled to cap
ture each member in turn. She pickle
apart squire Bloker's test problem in the
rule of three-and it was very knotty
one-so quickly that the squire forgot
where be was, and admirihgly mprmured.
well, I'll be darned - She answered
correctly question or two in chemistry :,
put by DR.. Pestle, the village apothecary :;
who never forgot the shop on such occa-
sions. She wound the editor of the Senti-
mel around her finger during draw battle
over grammatical puzzle, and when
asked by Shof1er, who sold beer and rep
resented the German population, whether
she knew any language but her own, she
repeated Plat Duetsch couplet that
caused Schoff1er's eyes to twinkle. The
most obdurate member of the board was
young Falls. rector Of the fashionable
church at Cornalbin; he regarded all witch
ing women, as this creature seemed to be,
as emissaries Of Satan; so to bring the
other trustees to their senses he put few
questions Of serious and personal nature;
but when Miss Mathisen changed the
cheerful yet appealing look of her large
eyes to one Of deep solennity, dropped her
curly brown head, crossed her breast and
began to repeat the Nicene Greed as an
answer, the young clergyman caught his
breath quickly and removed his glasses as
if to get better view Of this unfamiliar
character.
Before Miss Mathsen left the room, she
had in her possession an appointment as
head teacher of the intermediate depart
ment; it was in writing, and duly signed
by the chairman and secretary of the
board. After she had thanked the men,
bers for their kindress and assured them
that she should be obliged to depend upon
them, collectively and Individually, for
counsel. she departed to look for board
ing place. The members of the board look
ed at each other sheepishly for moment,
and then Squire Bloker said:
II shouldn't wonder If we d find we'd
made fools of ourselves"
Don't mention it," said thu druggist,
'for know we have.''
Perhaps said the clerical member,
selling his hat in some haste, "if the gen.
tlemen will excuse me, may be able to
assist her in finding Christian home.'
The young rector found Miss Mathisen
in the ante-room among the other candi-
dates; she had not been there five minutes,
but she had already succeeded in becom-
ing acquainted with nearly everyone; she
had said that she believed she had succeed.
ed. She could hardly understand why
she would never have come had she mag
ined there were so many applicants
hoped none Of them would hate her-and
SO on, until each of the disappointed ones
felt it was better to be def 4ated by this
sweet little thing from the city than by
any of their life long acquaintances. Aud
before the young clergyman had an oppor-
tunity to breach the subject of boarding
place. one of the unsuccessful competitors
for the leadership, but nevertheless a
girl smart enough to know that young men
would congregate wherever Violet Mathi-
sen might live, had secured the new teach
or as an inmate Of her own home.
The maiden who had thus obtained Miss
Mathisen as a fellow-lodger found that
she had been entirely right in her conjec-
lures, for the little boarding-h house of
which the two were inmates soon had the
liveliest pailor In the town. Miss M. g
faculty for finding friends was simply un-
equaled; she seemed to have no prefer
ences, she certainly was not forward or in
any way indicate, yet her manner was SO
full of appeal and trustfulness that every
man she met adored her as soon as she
&c.