The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-03-20
He BROKE Up The SCHOOL.


"That is the new schoolhouse, is it ?"
inquired Miss Alice Ray, the new
teacher" as the farmers plodding little
team passed by little white house
standing endwise to the road, inclosed
in rather dilapidated fence.
"Yes, that's where you'll hold forth, {"
remarked Uncle Zeke Woodburn, "but
I'm Altered you won't hold out long,
fur we've got the toughest set of boys
in the State" and Uncle Zeke gave a
kind of cackling little laugh as he
thought of the timid, demure little
damsel at his side controlling the boys
of Bear Greek 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 prospect be-
fore her.
"Expel 'em no, We never expel no
body; if 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 thars been
some pretty good men licked in that
schoolhouse by the boys.
al did not know the school was so
unruly," said poor Alice, wishing heart
lily that she had hired out as a washer
woman instead OF trying to teach the
savages of Bear Creek.
ooh, we'll, mebbe it won't be so bad
this winter; thars Jim Turner, he's
one Of the longest of 'em; he'll be q in
a month, and you'll get rid of him; but
thar's the Brindley boys, they're mighty
nigh as bad.
Poor Alice listened with sinking
heart. The cold, hard duties before
her were dreary enough ut best; but to
go alone and unknown into strange
neighborhood to teach her first school,
and to be met ut the outset by such
dark prophecies, made her feel home
less indeed. She was naturally timid,
shrinking little thing, and if she had
possessed anywhere on the whole broad
earth q roof to shelter her she would
have turned back from Bear Greek
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 alone. Before he died he
advised her to expend the little sum he
would be able to leave her in fitting
herself for teacher, and Alice had full
filed his directions so literally that
when she had completed her course of
study at the normal school she had
hardly so left, and when she paid Uncle
Zeke for hauling her and her little
trunk from the nearest railroad town to
the district where she was to teach, she
had but So left.
On Monday morning rs she started
for the schoolhouse she felt as if she
was going to the scaffold. Her course
OF pedagogics in the normal institute
had included no such problem as this
school promised to be, and if it were
not for very shame she would have
given her single So bill to any one to
take her back to the railroad and pay
her fare to L., the town where she had
attended school.
When she arrived at the schoolhouse
about twenty or thirty pupils were
grouped around talking but spell of
silence fell upon them as she walked up
and saluted them with good morn
ing" which was more like the chirp of q
frightened bird than anything else. As
she unlocked the door and entered what
she had already begun to regard as n
chamber of torture, two or three slowly
followed her into the room, and, depcs-
iting their books upon the whitfield
desks, took seats, and fixed their eyes
upon her with stare that did not help
to strengthen her nerves.
All the rules and regulations Of her
"Theory and Practice of Opening
Schools Upon the First Day" seemed
to vanish and leave her head whirling
in dizzy helplessness. She tried to
think of some cheerful remark, but her
brain refused to form the thought and
her tongue Glove to the roof of her
mouth She could see in the faces of
her pupils, most of whom were now in
the school-room, that they were aware
of her fright and enjoyed it thoroughly.
BY strong effort she partially re-
covered herself and bravely resisted
the temptation TO lean her head on the
desk and have good cry. She felt
that she must do something or faint, so
she rang the bell, though il lacked
fifteen minutes TO 8. She began taking
down the names and ages of her pupils,
and by the time this was completed she
began TO feel more at ease. She then
began examining the pupils in the
different branches in order to assign
them TO their proper classes. She had
finished the examination in all the
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 Of
Moses Brad ey, huge. heavy-set fell