Connecticut western news., 1884-05-21
Jennie'S Mission.
BY ELLA WHEELER.


 BY ELLA WHEELER
 "Oh, this dull round of small duties, how tired am of them all, how I wish some grand mission in life would come to me F
 Jennie Orson, the pretty little school mistress, leaned her chin upon her hand as she unused in the above manner, and gazed out over the gray fields, whose dreary plowed furrows were thrusting their ragged faces up through the rapid ly-disappearing snow-drifts.
 s'Why, how the snow has gone to- day." she added mentally, as the changed appearance of the fields struck her eye. It was the last day of March, and all winter long the snow had been heaped in miniature mountain ranges by the roadsides, and on the fields and meadows. During the last week warm weather had set in, making rapid inroads upon snow and ice.
 The children came running under the window where Jennie stood, playing at ''Round the House" Then they. y,.focked off together toward the brook that rip pied by the sehool-h few rods dis tant. Jennie watched them absently. Her mind was not upon her duties that day. Her plodding round in country school room seemed very dull and mean to her. She sighed for some great and lofty mission.
 "If I could do some one great act, heroic and noble," she said to herself, 'I would be willing to die then. What is life worth if we must plod on forever like this I am no more than an ant, or a spider, or squirrel with the life live! How gladly would give up the monotony of years of this routine for one hour of sacrifice. heroism, and then welcome death.
 How she hated her homely life as she looked back over his nineteen unevent- ful years. She had always lived in this dull country place, ever since she was a wee child and her parents had emigrated to the West. She had received her edu- cation in this same little school house, attended divine service there also--as the place boasted no church edifce-- and her only knowledge of the world beyond was obtained by yearly visit to the city, fifty miles distant, where the family supplies were purchased, and from few books and newspapers. Now she was very tired of it all-tired of her dull past, her duller present, her doubt lessly dull future. Even the thought of her fond, true lover, Jack Kellogg, who was building the house where she was to reign mistress, annoyed her to- day. How poor and monotonous life stretched before her. How much better to perform some one grand act and die, than to live on to old age in this dreamy fashion. It was a very romantic girl who stood there in the little school-room dreaming Der discontented dreams, you see.
 Suddenly she saw by the moon mark that it was time to call in her scholars. She had no bell-for this was in the early days of Wisconsin history, before the railroads had spread their great iron spider webs all over the State, and Jen- nie's school was conducted on very primitive plan. She took the great ruler, with which she inflicted punish ment on the palms of unruly boys, and rapped loudly on the window. Then she sat down and waited for the pupils tc come dropping in-not with the regula tion and order which governs school rooms in these days. but helter skelter hurry skurry, laughing, pushing eact other and playing "tag" to. theil benches.
 "Oh, teacher, the creek is getting aw. ful high," said Tommy Smith, as he plunged into his seat And Jennie die not correct him for the improper use O lawful" which proved to be more ap propriate ill this case than teacher O pupil supposed.
 "I suppose the snows are all melting and running into it, ," she answered, ab sently, as she look her place at her desk and by another tap of her ruler indicate, that the afternoon session of school wa now in order.
 Then she ran her eye over the room see that no pupils were missing.
 'tWhere is Tod Brown ?" she asked ''I do not see him here.."
 Tod was the smallest child in tn school, little boy scarcely five year oli, who was pla"ed in her charge. nc so much to learn his primer, as to kee him out of his mothers way. She wa burdened with two smaller than he bt sides babe in the cradle.
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