The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-01-02
AN UNCOMMON PROCEED
ING.

"How cold it is growing" said Miss
Wait, the teacher of the common school
in the then brisk little manufacturing
village of Shattuckville, Franklin Co..
Mass, as she tied on her soft blue
hood, buttoned her warm flannel cloak,
looked at the MISUNDERSTANDING of the
not over-commodious or attractive but
snug school-room, locked her desk,
and carefully shut the damper Of the
air-tight wood stove. preparatory to
quitting her domain Of labor for the
night.
As she picked up her rubber over
shoes and stopped to draw them over
her shapely kid boot, she cogitated,
''Oh, dear! Tommy Howe's red toes
sticking so pathetically through those
old gaping shoes fairly haunt me. l
wonder if, in all this prosperous, busy
village, there is no way of getting that
poor child decently clad. | must
think it over and see what l can do
about it.
Twenty-four hours later the leading
man of the village, and the owner OF
the little factory there, who, years be-
fore, when a poor boy, had stranded
down from Vermont to this little ham,
let. eccentric and brusque, but kind
hearted. keen-eyed, and observant OF
all that was going on within his do.
main, was walking along the street and
met bright-eyed and sprightly lad of
ten speeding ahead with that amusing,
unconscious, consequential air that a
boy carries with his first bran new pair
of boots.
''Old Sam Whittier, rs this gentle
man was familiarly called, not by reas-
on of advanced age BY any means, but
because of his supremacy as the mill
owner and employer of all the help in
the hamlet, took in the situation at a
glance, and called out to the absorbed
child:
"Hullo, youngster! where dye get
them fellersp"
Teacher gave them to me, sir, v and
the lads tattered cap came quickly off,
and he stood with it in his hand.
'Does she buy boots for all the boys
in the schoolp' was growled out.
''Guess not; but she bought Joe
Briggs speller and Jane Cass an
arithmetic, and she gives away stacks
of slate-pencils and paper and ink, and
such"
what made her 60 and buy them
boots for you?
''She said she wanted to, sir; and
when I said had no money to pay her
for them, she said she rather be paid
in perfect lessons; and will try to pay
for them in that way, you may be sure,
sir"
pretty good sort of teacher, is she,
bubp"
''Oh, yes, indeed. Iguess she must
be the best teacher that ever lived, sir
she tells us about so many things
that we never knew before; and she
wants us to be good and honest and
not tell lies, and she says we shall be
men and women by-and-by, and she
wants us boys to know something so
we can own factories our own selves
some time. The other teachers we've
had only heard our lessons and let us
go but she's so Different
"Well, well, bub, l shall have to
think this business over little. Now
run along, and 60 to scratohin' over
them perfect lessons l don't sup
pose you'll find person in Shattuck-
vile a better Judge of perfect lessons,
or how much they are worth, both to
the teacher and to the scholar, than
Old Sam Whittier. So, bub, look
after your ways, and I shall look after
yOu."
The next morning little note writ
ten in coarse business hand was
despatched to the teacher by the hand
OF one OF the children. It ran as fol-
lows:
MISS WAIT:--I have heard of some
rainier uncommon proceedings on your part
as teacher toward your scholars. / would
ike to inquire OF you personally as to par
tlculars. wan you do me the favor to run
over to my house directly after the close of
your school this afternoon.
SAMUEL WHIrrIER."
What can have donep" thought
the little teacher in such q perturbed
state Of mind that she corrected John