The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-03-20
hE BROKE Up THE SCHOOL,

"That is the new schoolhouse, is it ?"
inquired Miss Alice Ray, tho new
teacher" as the farmers plodding little
team passed by little white house
standing endwise to the road, inclosed
in rather dilap:dated fence.
"Yes, that's where you'll hold forth, "
remarked Uncle Zeke Woodburn, "but
Tn Altered you won't hold out long,
fur we've got the toughest set of boys
in the State and Uncle Zeke gave a
kind of cackling little laugh as he
thought of the timid, demure little
damsel at his side controlling the boys
of Bear Greek School.
"But don't the directors expcl them
when they are beyond tho control OF
the teacher?" asked Alice, her heart
beginning to sink at the prospect be-
fore her.
"Expel 'em! no, We never expel no.
body; if a teacher can't boss the school
We just let it boss him; it amt our
fight, an the school here generally
bosses the teacher, and thar's been
some pretty good men licked in that
schoolhouse by the boys.
II did not know the school was sc
unruly," said poor Alice, wishing heart
lily that she had hired out as washer.
woman instead of TRYING to teach the
sa,ages Of Bear Greek.
"Oh, we'll, mebbe it won't be so bad
this winter: thar's Jim Turner, he's
one of the tougest of 'em; he'll be 81 in
q month, and you'll get rid of him; but
thar's the Brindley boys, they're might,
nigh rs bad
Poor Alice listened with a sinking
heart. The cold, hard duties before
her were dreary enough at best; but te
60 alone and unknown into strange
neighborhood to teach her first school,
and to be met ut the outset by such
dark prophecies, made her feel home
less indeed. She was naturally timid
shrinking little thing. and If she had
possessed anywhere on the whole broad
earth roof to shelter her she would
have turned back from Bear Greek
school even then. But she had nc
home. Her mother had died when she
was but IA, and she had kept house TO,
her father two years, when he died
leaving her alone. Before lac died hs
advised her to expend the little sum he
| would be able to leave her in fitting
herself for teacher, and Alice had ful
filled his directions so literally tha,
when she had completed her course o.
study at the normal school she had
hardly Sl0 left, and when she paid Uncl,
Zeke for hauling her and her littl.
trunk from the nearest railroad town K
the district where she was to teach, sh.
had but s5 left.
On Monday morning as she started
for the schoolhouse she felt as if sh.
was going to the scaffold. Her cours,
of pedagogies in the normal inst:tut,
had included no such problem as thi.
school promised to be, and if it wer,
not for very shame she would hav,
given her single So bill to any one t.
take her back to the railroad and pa,
her fare to L., the town where she hat
attended school.
When she arrived at the schoolhous.
about twenty or thirty pupils wer,
grouped around talking, but q spell o
silence fell upon them rs she walked NJ
and saluted them with good morn
ing" which was more like the clairp of !,
frightened bird than ANYTHING else. A.
she unlocked the door and entered wha
she had already begun to regard rs /.
chamber of torture. two or three slowl,
followed her into the room, and, depas
iting their books upon the white,
desks, took seats, ana fixed their eye
upon her with stare that did not helr
to strengthen her nerves.
/ II Ah., r,1n, ,,,l ,yoSs s>,,, >f l.,
"Theory and Practice OF Openin.
Schools Upon the First Day" SCENE.
to vanish and leave her head whirlin;
in dizzy hclplessness. She tried I,
think of some cheerful remark, but he
brain refused to form the thought mn,
her tongue Glove to the roof of he
mouth. She could see in the faces O
her pupils, most Of whom We're now i,
the school-room, tia. they Were awar,
of her fright and on.oycd it thoroughly
BY strong effort she partially se
covered herself and hravely lesists,
the temptation to lean her head on til,
desk and have good cry She fel
that she must do something o. faint, IS,
she rang the bell, though it lacke,
fifteen minutes to y. She began tak:n:
down the names and ages of ker p@psis
and by the time this WAS completed s,l,
began to feel more ut cas-. She thel
began examining the pupils in til,
different branches in order to assign
them to their proper classes, She h,
finished the examination in all til,
branches except the advanced reading
class, which Was principally compose,
Of grown girls and young mea, among
whom was the terrible Jim Turner, O
whom she had been warned.
Several of the members Of the clas
had read, and it was now tie tura O
Moses Brad ey, huge, heayy-set fel
low, with small, malicious eyes aud
general mir of ruilianis,n. When h
was called upon to read he did not ris
from his seat, but began to read in
thick, indistinct voice frcm book hi.
den in his lap.
"Mr, Bradley, will you please stan,
up when you reaa?' asked Alice.
II can read just as well settin' down,
replied the fellow with dogged a.r.
"But it is one of the rules III a read
ing class to stand up to read" sai
Alice, her heart quaking with iear n