The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-01-10
AN UNCOMMON PROCEED
ING.

INC.
''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 Notwithstanding 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- |
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 | 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 aIong the street and
net bright-eyed and sprightiy lad of
ten speeding ahead with that amusing,
unconscious, consequential air that q
boy carries with his first bran new pair
of boots.
"OId Sam Whittier, as 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 i'll
the hamlet, took in the situation at q
glance, and called out to the absorbed
child:
'Hullo, youngster! where dye get
them fellers?"
Teacher gave them TO me, sir, and
the lads tattered cap came quickly of,
and he stood with it in his hand.
Does she buy boots for all the boys
in the school?'' was growled OFT.
Guess not; but she bought Joe
Briggs :: speiler and Jane Cass an
arithmetic. and she gives away stacks
of slate-pencils and paper and ink, and
such.
''What made her so and buy them
boots for yom?''
''She said she wanted to, sir; and
when | SAID | had no money to pay her
for them. she said she'd 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 Il teacher, is she,
bub?"
''Oh, yes, indccd guess 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 cur own selves
some time. The other teachers we've
had only heard our lessons@and let us
90; but she's so ditferent?'
'sWell, well, bub, [ shall have to
think this business over Il little. Now
run along, and 90 to scratchin' over
them perfect lessons. | don't sup
pose you'll find q 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
odd Sam Whittier. So, bub, look
after your ways, and l shall look after
yoa.'
The next morning a little note writ
ten in a coarse business hand was
despatched to the teacher by the hand
of one of the children. 1t ran as fol-
lows:
"M1ss WA1T:-I have heard of some
rather uncommon proceedings on your part
as Il teacher toward your scholars. would
like to inquire of you personally as to par
ticuars. Viii you do me the favor to run
over to my house directly after the close OF
your school this afternoon.
SAMUEL WHITTIER.
s.What can I have done?" thought
the little teacher in such a perturbed
state of mind that she corrected John
nv Shows mistake in his multi &ica-
ton by telling him seven times nine
was fifty-four. Indeed, she let the mis-
take go SO long that every little hand
belonging to the second primary class
was stretched up in Il frenzy of excite
ment. Let me see; what is it | have
done the past week? | switched Bob
bic Baker pretty smartly, to be sure
and kept Sam Woodruff after school
and | kept Marion Fisk in from re-
cess for whispering; but | must keep
order Well, dear me, | have tried to
do my duty, and / won't worry; and
! Miss Wait resolutely went back to
''seven times nine,n and 50 proceeded
| in the usual routine. But she ate no
| dinner that noon, and had a decided
headache as she crossed the big bridge
| over the mill-stream and over the hill
| to the mill-owner's residence.
81 shall not back down in anything
where my clear duty and seii~respect
are involved, thought she. q have
set ND Il certain ideal as to what Il
| teacher of these little common schools
| ouoi,t to be, and | will, God and my
mind, good courage and health not for
sakinr me, bring myself rs near to it as
possibie. Moreover, | will not consld-
1 er in the premises, whether the schol-
| ars are children of the rich or learned,
| or of the poor or ignorant. For the
| time being God has placed in my care
ragged, dirty little wretches OF tacto'
nv village, as well as clean, Weli-dress
I ed, attractive children.
.-Good evening, good evening
ma'am." said 'HOld Sam Whittier, il
his grutf way, meeting the teacher n
the door. LAS | said i'll my note tt
YOU. | heard to-day of some rathel
Uncommon proceedings on your part
I saw, ma'am, little Tommy Howe il
a new uair of boots this morning. d.
YOU know how he came by them?
II bought them for him, MI Whit