The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-02-23
TIE VILLAGE ROMANCE

THE VILLAGE ROMANCE
When Matilda Lnuis frs! took her sea
as mistresa OF the village school she wa
seventeen-:a'l, slim aud bashiul. sh
had been educated at a select boarding
school, and her dreams Of the future hat
included three years on tho Continent t,
finish her=educalion. This dream woul,
now never be realizsd, Misfortune hu,
fallen upon her. Her mother and fathe
were both dead, and the wealth the latte:
had seemed possessed Of had vanished
like q bubble. In tho lace OF this fac
Uncle Ben, who kindly betook himself I,
the town 10 "sec after Matilda" had suc
gested that she had "bstter teach school,
and having some Influence In tho villap,
had procured tho vacant place Tor hi
niece. She, poor girl, had taken 1t thank
fully, the only other alternate being tina
Of becoming n sort CT unpaid upper rervan
in her uncle's family. Aud now, at thu
beginning oil autumn she arose, tall ant
slim in her black dress, upon the little
platform on which the desk stood, ami
looked down upon thegrinning, chatteriug
rampant mob OF boys aud girls with 4
feeling akin to that OF terror. She had
never seen such children as these before,
They wer" no mose like the orderly, no ite
class Q igirls and boys who hadgentiy taken
their PAGES before Madame v. every
morning than so many monkeya would
Lave been.
Vmniy she tried to collect her thoughts,
remember any method Bhe bud heard Of
c ,atrolling unruly youth. Il occurred to
h4r that ~ very lively scholar. Miss
s NTH, having gigg!ed during the French
honr, the teacher. Monsieur L.amoroux,
had brought hin fist down on the table, and
cried, "Siisnce!" aud every girl had trem.
uled. Thcreupon she seized the ruler,
struck with it upon the tanio, and screa,ned,
"Si!enc." aB nearly in Sionsieur's style as
possible.
But, Glas! nc similar effect followed. No.
body heard her. The girls whispered, aud
chewed tatIy, and dropped their books on
the floor. The boys kicked, and whisllsd,
and shouted.
Doc Threw his ball against the wall, and
caught it as it rabounded. Ono little iel-
low cSurht his neighbor BY the hair, and
sarieks followed. And one--ho was a
large boy, taller than she was kerselt-toak
aim at the Ounce Of the sauool, Peter Chi.
gel, with q small pistol, and peappered him
with split peas. Peter, receiving the shat.
licTled, and Matilda brought the ruler
down upon the desk again.
Peter had been placed under her protec-
lion by his Grandmother, who had inform,
ed her that the boys torluented him, She
determined that this at least should not 10
or. ' 49,
She did not know his oppressor's name,
out $40 lifted her voice even above ali
that din. and cried aloud, lyon bad boy
You wicked boy You great cruel creature
with the pistol! Sop tormcu,ing that poor
little fellow, OR leave the school"
liners are moments when wild bows are
utterly bsslGe themselves. This momen,
had come to the young f4ilow OF whom abe
spoke. Ha turned towards the teacher,
aud Stared iull into the youthful, terfif ID,
yet determined face.
MADAM" said be, Initiating the ring.
master in The last ciicus that bad quarter.
ed itself 1T the villsge-"madsm, behold
before you the only gentleman capable Of
peri 'rmlng the wonderful trick OF shooting
The ribbon from the head OF any lady at
the dis.aIce Of a hundred feet. Behold
Ha!", ,as,.i
lie had pointed the pistol towards (.
| le bow Of ribbon pelchtd upon Matilda'i
thick braids, and now he pulled the trigger.
At this bit Of inpudence some Of the
boys set up q chou. Of delight, but it died
eyea as il was uttered, fir on The instau,
the yolpg teacher uttered a fen,iul scream,
and tell forward on the lour. The chsrss
OF the pistol bad entered the eye.
The SCHOLARS were all upon their feet in
an Instant. Some ran out into the omen
air screaming for he'll; soma bFgsn to CIV,
The boy who had done the detd-a sreu,
fellow Of seveoteen, q farmers son sent 10
school egainst bis will by Il father who had
q vast respect for educa,ion-ran forward
and lifted thesensplessgirl irom,hegrnuud
Her face was pale. Tie blood poured
down her cheek. He could not discover
that she brealled.
"She is deaG!" he gasped. "she is dead
Eve killed her! | never meant 10 hu,l
her. l wouldn't hurt Il woman for thu
world. wanted to make her scream,
that's all. How could | think this ttihs
| with peas in it would kill anybody? Oh,
goodneBs! it can't. be. I must be asleep
and dreaming. I. can't be I've killed her!'
"Bnt you have, anu they'll hsng You
And I'm glad, Tor you deserve it," piped
Peter, the Ounce. "a ahoosin' people IS il
they were b%lackbirds!
"Ies THEY'LL hang me ! said the boy
with a'gresn.
Then he laid Matilda softly down in the
arms Of u mo'herly girl, wbo-eat close BY
her on this tllor, and rushed out OF thu
schoolro N. The people who were rushing
in saw b m, but took no heed. They sur.
rounded the PROSTATE form, and listened to
the doct RS verdict.
He, who knew 60 well the tokens oil
death, did not think, as the boy did, that
Maiilta was quite %lileles,, but he saw wh,,
the boy had not thought of-!hat the eye
was utterly destroyed.
"Better that she should be saneeless for
awhile" he said. "At all evente, 1 must
keep her unconscious fer many hours.
She will suffer terrible pain. Poor little
thing! So young and 80 pretty! 1t is
hard p "
Friendly hands lifted Matilda and bora
her 10 her uncie's home. There sas lay for
q long time between lilo and death; and
when at last she awakened from q sort OF
dslitiuu, in which all aorss OF visions Gil.
ed her brain, she iancied it was night.
| Alasi she waited lnrc for tho dur--MaiiIdu