McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-05-15
JENNIE'S MISSION

JENNIE'S MISSION u
eco, this small round of small duties,
how tired am of them all, how wish
some grand mission in life would come
to mel"
Jennie Orson, the pretty little school
mistress, leaned her chin upon her
hand as she unused in the above man.
ner, and gazed out over the gray
spring fields, whose dreary plowed
faces were thrusting their ragged faces
up through the rapidly disappearing
snowdrifts.
"Why, how the snow has gone, to-
day." she added mentally, as the
changed appearance of the fields struck
her eye. 1t was the last day of March,
and all winter long the snow had been
heaped in miniature mountain ranges
by the roadside, and on the fields and
meadows. During The last week, warm
weather had set in, making rapid in
roads ON snow and ice. nf
The children came running under the
window where Jennie stood, playing at
<'Round the House!'' Then they
a1ocked off together toward the brook
that rippled by the school house, few
rods distant. Jennie watched them alb
sently. 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.
eff could do some one great act,
heroic and noble,'' she said to herself,
81 would be willing to die then. What
is life worth if we must plod ON forever
d like thisP l am no more than an ant,
or a spider, or squirrel, with the life
4. 1 live! How gladly would I 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 its nineteen uneyent-
ful years. She had always lived in
this dull country place, ever since she
was wee child and her parents had
emigrated to the west. She had re-
ceived her education in this same little
school house, attended divine service
there also-as the place boosted no
church edifce-and her only knowl-
edge of'the world beyond was obtained
by yearly visit to the city, fifty miles
distant, where the family supplies were
purchased, and few books and news
papers Now she was very tired of it
all-tired of her dull past, her duller
present, her doubtlessly dull future.
Even the thought of her fond, true
lover, Jack kellogg, who was building
the house where she was to reign mis-
tress, 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 dreary fash
ion. 1t was very romantic girl who
stood there in the little school room
dreaming her discontinued dreams, YOU
see.
Suddenly she saw by the noon mark
that it was time to call in her scholars.
She had no bell-for that was in the
early days of Wisconsin history, before
the railroads had spread their great
iron spider webs all over the state, and
Jennie's school was conducted on a
very primitive plan. She took the
great ruler, with which she inflicted
punishment on the palms of unruly
boys, and raped loudly on the win
dow. Then she sat down and waited
for the pupils to come trooping in; not
with the regulation and order which
governs school rooms in these days,
but helter-skelter, hurry-skurry, laugh
ing, pushing each other and playing
l'tag'' to their very benches.
so, teacher, the creek is getting
awful high" said Tommy Smith, as he
plunged into his seat. And Jennie did
not correct him for the improper use of
ssawful," which proved to be more ap-
propriate in this case than teacher or
pupil supposed.
81 suppose the SHOWS are all melting
and running into it," she answered alb
sently, as she took her place at her
desk, and by another tap of the ruler
indicated that the afternoon session of
the school was now in order.
Then she ran her eye over the room
to see that no pupils were missing.
"Where is Tod Brown" she asked !;
sI do not see him here"
Tod wss. the smallest child in the
school; a little boy scarcely five years
old, who was placed in her charge not
so much to learn his primer as to keep
him out of his mothers way. She was
burdened with him, besides babe in
the cradle.
81 left Tod down by the creek" an
swered Tommy Smith, "throwin' peb-