Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-10-01

the last four years filed in the same wav.
and q slate surmounted by an old arith,
metic. The pile of newspapers was in the
| middle, the slate and aimapacs were on
either side.
Lefty, soberly eating her apple, watched
her grandmother getting ont the aritbmetic
and slate. she was a pretty voung Girl !.
her small, innocent face. in spite Of its
youthful roundness and fairness, reminded
people of Mrs. Torry,s.
81 don't think much of Mr.. Painfeld
ANYHOW" said she as tbe ciick of bey
grandmother's pencil ON the slate bepan.
"and he knows / don't. He overheard me
telling Lizzie Bascom so TODAY. He came
| right up behind us on the Street. and
know he heard. You oupht TO have saen
his face."
81 don't see what you've got agin him -
remarked Mrs. Tory abSentIv ,s sb.
dotted down figures.
81 haven't much of ANYTHING that know
of against him. only T don,t tbint RS
much of a teacher. He can't do eYemnIaS
as quickly az Won 7 know and dpn,,
think man has any hnsiDsss 20 aI hs sc hon
teaching if he can't do examples as ouickIv
as an old lady.n
Mrs. TORY stopped her work and fxed
her round, unwinking ewes full ON the GIRLS
face, 0 'A' . -
Lefty TORY, there's some things Won
don't understand. Won navar will nnder-
stand 'em, IL Won live to he as old as Ma
thuseleh as far as that's concernad Rut
you'll get so Won know tho tbings air
Sometimes it don't make anv difference If
anybody's ignorant an, ,,int GOT any
book-learnine: air old an, b,d had,
workin' life There'Il be sometbin, in ,em
that every body else 'ain't got: somethin'
that growed, an didn't have to be learned.
I've got this faculty: | can cipher IT
'ain't nothin' agin Mr.. PIainfield if he
'ain't got it: it's a gift"
Her voice took on n solemn tone and
trembled. Lefty looked at her with child
ish wonder. "Well," said she, with SUBJ
dued manner, she has no right to teach.
ANYHOW, without it. | guess I,Il have
another apple. was real bungry.n
So Lefty ate another apple silently, while
her grandmother worked at the problem
again.
She did not solve it as easily as usual.
She worked till midnight, her little lamp
drawn close to her on the kite hen table:
then she went to bed, with the answer still
in doubt.
1T amt goin' to do for me to set ND any
longer" said she, forlornly, as she replaced
the slate on the bureau ~ shall be sick
if do. But declare | don't see what's
got into me. 1 hope amt losin' nv fac
ulty."
She could not sleep much. The next
morning, as soon as their simple breakfast
was eaten and Lefty had gones to school,
she seated herself with her slate and pencil.
When Lefty came home at noon she
found her grandmother still at work, and
no dinner ready
81 do declare! cried the old woman.
"You don't mean to saw you're home, Let.
ty, 1t amt twelve O'Clock, is it:"
"Course it is; quarter past"
81 'ain't got one mite of dinner ready,
then. I've been so took up with the sum
hadn't no idea how the tina was po;n,
don't know what YOU will do, child.n
"Oh, I'll get some bread and milk, grand
ma; lust as soon have it as ANYTHING else.
Got the problem done?"
s.No. 'aint. I feel real bad about your
dinner, I'll kindle up a fire now and fry
YOU an egg-there be time enough,
"I,d rather have bread and milk.n
After Lefty had gone to school for the
afternoon, and Mrs. TORY had been work
ing fruitlesslv for an hour LONGER She
dropped her pencil.
ii declare" said she, "Im afraid / am
losin' nv facuityn
Tears stood in her ewes 81 won't give
ND that am. anyhow.v said she ard took
the pencil again.
When LEFTY returned, in the latter mart
of the afternoon, she scarcely knew il. with
the full meaning of the word. She saw her.
figures that Letty,s fair face couId only
look i'm at the door.
Lefty ran in bastiIv.a younp girl was
waiting for her outside. con. grandma"
cried LEFTY. "Lizzie's going to EIlswortb |
to do an errand for her mother; she's |
coming back on the last train. Can't I 90 |
with her:'
Her grandmother stared All her for q |
minute and made no answer.
"She's got tickets for both of lis. Can't |
[ go, grandma,
"YeS,,
LEFTY smoothed her hair little and npt |
on her hest hat: then she went.
Good bye.v SAID she. LOOKING hack at
the intent old figure: but she got no an |
swer.
..Grandma,s so taken nm with the ex.
,mnla she's got that sine dossn,t I-now .ny.
hing She tod her friend whe, She was
outside. "She didn't answer when said
rood-bye: She for rot to get dinner today
Zoo
Mrs Tory worked on and on. She
never looked nm nor thought of anvtbiny
Else until it grew so dirk that sha conf |
not see her fie5ures sI,Il have tn Iigbt tho
amp said she, with a si-h.
Aftsr IL was lit she went 70 worl, again
She never thou ght of wanting any snpner'
-bo,gb Che had eaten notbinS, s;Hoa ~,
mo '
The kitchen clock struck sevep-Lettv
,bouia baya baan bone tLanNa;abt "a
nine but she never noticad II few
Minutes afterward some one knocked on
he door. She ciphered on. Then tho
,nocks were repeated. louder and nnickar
..Snmehodv,s knockin, gnasi Sba
and onened tho door Mr.
olainfieId stood there He was hand.
ONE yonnp man with ROSY cbeaks. he Ivas
,lways smiling. He looked past her into
he room inouiringIy.
as Lefty at home!, said he
"Letty:;,
"Yes LEFTY. Il she at boma,,
"Why. YES. she's here. Lsttyu
"Has she zone To bedsn