The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-05-16
SELECT STORY.
HE BROKE UP THE SCHOOL,

teacher" as the farmers plodding little
team passed by little white house
standing endwise to the road, inclosed
in a rather dilapidated fence. n
"Yes, there's where You'll hold
FORTH remarked Uncle Zeke Wood
burn, "but I'm afeerd you won't hold
out long, for we've got the toughest
set of boys in the State" and Uncle
Ieke gave a kind of cracking little
laugh as he thought of the timid, de,
mure little danlsel at his side control
ling 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
heart beginning to sink at the pros
pect before 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
school house by the boys
81 did not know the school was so
unruly," said poor Alice, wishing
heartily that she had hired out as a
washerwomsn instead of trying to
teach the savages of Bear creek.
"Oh, well, mebbe it won't be 80 bad
this winter thar's Jim Turner, he's
one of the toughest of EN-; he'll be 81
in month, and you'll get rid of him !;
but thar's the Brindley boys, they're
mighty nigh as bad"
Poor Alice listened with a sinking
heart. The cold, hard duties before
her were dreary enough at best; but
to go alone and unknown into strange
neighborhood to teach her first school,
and to be met at the outset by such
dark prophesies, made her feel home
less indeed. She was naturally tim
id, shrinking little thing, and if she
had possessed anywhere on the whole
broad earth roof to shelter her she
would have turned back from her Bear
creek school even then. But she had
no home. Her mother had died when
she was but IA, and she had kept house
for her father two years, when he died,
leaving her all alone. Before he died
he advised her to expend the little sum
he would be able to leave her in fitting
herself for a teacher, and Alice had
fultilled his directions so literally that
when she had completed her course at
normal school she had hardly $40 left,
and when she paid Uncle Zeke for
hauling her and her little trunk from
the nearest railroad town to the dis
trict where she was to teach she had
bu, So left.
On Monday morning when she start
ed for the school house she felt as if
she was going to the scaffold Her
course of pedagogics in the normal
Institute had included no such prob
lem as this school promised to be, and
if it were not for the very shame she
would have given her single SIS bill to
any one 10 take her back to the rail
road and pay her fare to L., the town
where she had attenGed school.
| When she arrived at The schoo
house about twenty or thirty pupils
were grouped around talking, but 6
spell of silence fell upon them as she
walked up and saluted them with q
"good morning" which was more like
the chirp of frightened bird thar
anything else. AS she unlocked the
door and entered what she had already
begun to regard as chamber of tor
ture, two or three slowly followed heJ
into the room, and depositing thei
books upon the whitfield desks, tool
seats, and fixed their eyes upon hel
with a stare that did not help t,
strengthen her nerves.
| All the rules and regulations of hel
Theory and Practice of Opening
School on the First Day" seemed tt
vanish and leave her head whirling it
dizzy helplessuess. She tried to thinl
of some cheerful remark, but her brair
refused to form the thought and hel
tongue Glove to the roof of her mouth
She could see in the faces of her pu
pills, Most of whom were now in thu
schoolroom, that they were aware O.
her fright and enjoyed it thoroughly
| By strong effort she partly recovered
herself and bravely resisted the tempta
tion to lean her head on the desk ant
have good cry. She felt that She
must do something or faint, so che
rang the bell, though it lacked fifteer
minutes of 9. She began taking dowr
the names and ages of her pupils, ant
by the time this was completed sh'
began to feel more at ease. She ther
began examining the pupils in thei
different branches in order to assign
them to their proper classes. She haC
finished the examination in all thu
branches except the advanced reading
class, which was principally composed
of grown girls and young men. among
whom was the terrible Jim Turner, Of
whom she had been warned.
Several of the members of the class
had read, and it was now the turn o.
Moses Bradley, a huge, heavy-set fel
low, with small, malicious eyes and 6
general air of ruffianism. When HI
was called upon to read he did no
rise from his seat, but began to read il
a thick, indistinct voice from a bool
hidden in his lap. ...
"Mr. Bradley, will you please stant
up when you read p asked Alice.
| II can read just as we'll sittin
down." replied the fellow, with dog
ged air.
"But it is one of the rules in reading
class to stand up to read, said Alice
her heart quaking with fear as sh'
foresaw the incipient rebellion.
81 reckon you will have to make
new rule for me then," impudently an
swered Nose, glancing sideways at hi
companions with grin of triumph.
"If you do not obey me l shall b.
obliged to punish you," said Alic'
bravely, though she could scarcely
stand up.
81 guess all the Furnishing you coul'
do wouldn't break any of my bones,
replied the rutlian, leering at her i'm
pudently.
"But can break your bones TO
you in half minute, and I'll do it i
you don't stand and read as the teach
er asked you TO-" said voice at tn