Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1884-02-23

Hopkins, you may go nome. lou
certainly viii be of no use to noe In
fighting this battle..''
And Alice, heartily thankful for
this grudgingly- accorded privilege,
put the copy books into the desk
drawer, piled up the dictionary and
defner, caught her little pink lawn
sunbonnet from its nail and vanished
like a shadow into the nearest patch
of green woods.
Miss Negley setvery upright, with
folded arms and prominent elbows,
her nose slightly tinctured with the
rosy hue of coming battle, her lips
compressed while Mr.. BARITONE, a
pleasant. faced gentleman of five-and
forty or thereabouts, trotted up to
the school-house door, leisurely dis
mounted, tied his horse to the hitch
ing post and totally unconscious that
he was observed alike by Miss Neg
ley from her post of authority on the
school-room 1ais, and little Alice
Hopkins by the spring in the woods,
paused to dust his boots with his
yellow silk pocket handkerchief, and
to adjust his thick, dark locks before
he raped on the door.
"I'm glad Pm not there" said
Alice Hopkins with long sigh Of
relief.
And then having cooled her face
and hands in the transparent spring
she sat down to think. To her, a
reduction of salary meant nothing
less than starvation. AS things were
she could scarcely pay her expenses.
And sitting there in the shifting
shadows of the wind. blown branches
she cried little to think how sad
and friendless she was in the world.
''Miss Negley, however, was in
very different mood. "Come in !"
she had answered brusquely to his
knock at the door, without taking
the trouble to move from her seat.
And when Mr.. BARITONE entered
he espied her sitting stiff, silent and
straight.
"Good afternoon, Miss Negley,n
said the trustee, depositing his hat
on the nearest desk, and adventur-
ing on an apologetic bow.
"Good afternoon, Mr.. Barthone,"
Miss Negley answered, with just
about as much warmth as an icicle
in her address.
II hope I do not intrude," said
the trustee civilly.
ooh, not at all ~ said Miss Neg
ley.
"A-heml" said the trustee, evil
IDENTIFY ill at ease. "It amt easy to
breach the business I've come on,
Miss Negley."
81 should think not," said the
lady.
'Bnt Icalled just at this hour
when thought to find you alone"
"Oh, yes, 1 haven't any doubt that
you did" Miss Negley interrupted
him in accents of fine sarcasm.
"Even you, Squire BARITONE, would
be ashamed to hint at such a thing
before the dear, poor children"
"Eh ?" said Mr.. BARITONE, in
stinctively retreating pace or two,
for there was something Pythoness-
like in Miss Negley's attitude as she
rose and darted her head forward at
him, to emphasize her words. :!
81 know what you're going to
say" said Miss Negley; land 1 will
not listen to word of it--not one
word No one but a set of narrow
minded misses would have thought
of 1t. I'll leave Wyndale School
first ~ gTs "A
swell, we'll, no harm done," said
Mr.. BARITONE, clutching at his hat:
"if I'd have known that you'd taken
things as hard as this
"How did you suppose was going
to take 'em ?" said Miss Negley with
q scornful laugh; did you mistake
me for the dust under you feet ?"
II assure you, ma am, that moth
ing Of the sort was in my mind, -
humbly uttered Mr.. BARITONE. ST
wish you good afternoon"
He hurried out, remounted his
grey steed, which, poor beast, was
just composing itself for a comfort
able doze in the sunshine. and rode
off, making to Alice Hopkins intense
dismay, straight for the shady woods.