The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-09-09

seek interviews with the cold hearte
= local politicians who are generally electe
= school directors. She was q stranger t
. them, and besides that she knew that the
.. were already pestered for places by your
lauies whose families were supposed t
have influence with the directors or scho<
b trustees. While she was thus musing an
cogitating, her father, who was a politician
Y OF some note, came into the room wher
she was sitting and announced TO her tina
he had secured her q position to teach tn
t lowest grade in q primary school in an ad
, joining district. Quickly jumping up from
her seat, and dropping her knitting to tn
: floor, shef airly clapped her hands with JOY
This was merely momentary, for reaction
> set in and her pretty face. which was &
| redolent with glee, suddenly became over
cast with gloom; which bespoke the sad
} ness that enveloped her heart, for sh'
10 realized more keenly than eyer before
the weight Of the responsibilities that sh'
would be compelled to assume. "Oh, dear,
she said, as she heaved a deep sigh, chow
l do wish l had never aspired to be q schoo
teacher" She had, Of course, been trained
as a teacher, but her only experience was
limited TO that of having been required
during the last year of her course in thu
ing the class of girls to which she belonged,
but these were grown girls. How in the
world could she manage TO teach and dis.
cipline the little toddlers comprising the
lowest grade to which she would be as
signed? for these, at the commencement OF
every session, are principally children who
for the first time leave the, sometimes, ten
der care of their mothers.
The summer vacation is over and the time
has arrived for her to enter upon the dis
charge OF her duties. After an early break
fast she starts out, on foot, in company
with her father, to the school house, some
three miles distant in the suburbs of the
city. 1t was a bright September morning
and the atmosphere, after the sultry
months of summer, was cool and bracing.
After they had passed the long rows of city
houses n wended their way along the
road leading to the school house, Edith, for
such was her name, seemed entranced with
the beauty and loneliness of the scenery
which met her eyes in every direction. The
iuttering OF the butterflies, the buzzing OF
the bees, and sweet songs OF the feathered
warblers seemed to fill her heart with a
thrill OF delight, and for a time she forgot
the f~orebodings OF trouble which SO often
had come over her since she graduated,
Hence, she tripped along merrily init the
school house, the goal OF her girlhood's am
bition, abruptly doomed up before her.
Then with a shudder she instinctively nes-
tied closely by her fathers side as her
doubtsa and fears, and hopes and aspira-
tions alternately fitted through her mind.
As they crossed the road and entered the
gate, opening through the pale fence sur
rounding the school, they beheld a large
bevy OF urchins. boys and girls, to the num-
Der OF about one hundred and fifty, of ages
varying from 6 to II, gamboling, skylark-
ing and cutting up all kinds of didos such
"a the Hff1a nnoa oro vrnno fo ;Dl,,lro :.
upon such occasions. A nervous ire
NOR ran all though Edith's system |
at the sight, and her cheeks lost
their wonted crimson tint as adeadly palor
stole over her face. She would probably
have sunk to the ground had not her father
at that moment nave extended his arm
around her waist and thus prevented her
from falling. While in this condition the
children gathered closely around her and
revived her fainting spirits by joyously ex-
claiming: "Oh. here is onr new teacher!"
When she revived the little ones were closely
examining her appearance and critically in
speeding her dress, and seemed to be much
interested in the bugles that adorned her
black velvet sacque, az they glistened in the
sunlight. A few Of the children belonging to
the grade she was to teach, having failed in
being promoted at the last examination.
and having suspected that q new teacher
would be assigned them, for the former one
had married during the vacation, took the
pr%ecaution to bring pretty bouquets of fow-
ers to present to their new teacher, not |
only to manifest their affection for her. but
also to ingratiate themselves into her good
graces. As Edith accepted the flowers,
their variegated colors and sweet fragrance j
to exercise q stimulating influence /.
over her, and as her cheeks resumed their !
natural color and her eyes their former
brilliancy, a genial smile illuminated her
:ountenance as she sweetly thanked each ,
little donor, in turn, for their acceptable !
.
As they passed through the thronp of
merry faces, and entered the school house
ioor, Edith was heartily greeted by q
avorite school mate, Mamie Allen, who
lad been assigned to q grade in the build
ng during the previous term. At this un- .
welcome she was inspired with :
onfidence and passed boldly through the l
'rdeal OF an introduction to Miss Yost, the 1
and Mr.. Murchment, the affable
nd gentlemanly director who had super y
Ter into her room and very briefly, for time =
1as pressing, gave her an outline oil her !.
luties, and then left her to take charge of Il
Ter own grade. She looked around at the n
mpty seats and hastily took a survey of
he other furniture and decorations upon
he walls. She again heaved a deep sigh as
realized that she was firmly INDICTED
nto . teachers position. A Thousand
thoughts as to her present and future PROS s
and her untried and undsveloped
,bilities crowded upon her brain until she o
Dit that her head would burst. Just at
his moment Miss Yost, the principal,
aised the window-sash in her room, and Y
ang the little bell as a signal for her N
cholars to enter the school. Edith, rous-
ng herself from her meditations, hastily V
to the open window, in her room, q
ooking out upon the beautiful green
ward where the children were CT
adhered. and at first she musingly imagined 2
hat the tones OF the little bell Increased in
weetness as they vibrated among the tinv T.,
aces and danced from flower to flower, and y
'as listening intently for the tones to re-
cho with more charming melody, when abe l.:
7as startled by the harsh bleatinp of q -
uge billy-goat who, while enjoying a feast "
N the waste paper that had been swept :.
ut OF the building by the %janitor, became a
rightened at the thinking Of the principals y
ell and rushed headlong among the little
nnocents. This caused q stampede among %
he children and they ran pell-mell towards if
he entrance to the school. Then occurred
scene which beggars description. The ii
assageway became packed with the strug- Fl
ling mass OF little ones in their eagerness
o escape from the enraged goat and seek >,
afety in the school rooms. Then there u
rose such a din and confusion, occasioned !"
y the frightened yells of the larger boys q
nd girls. and the screams of anguish: BY
he little ones, many Of whom had been VI
rampled under foot by the stouter ones N
! the mass, as was calculated to paralyze W
he strongest heart with terror. Under
UGH circumstances, Edith, unaccustomed "
9 she was to any unusual excitement. was g.
ompelled to support herself by ~clinging to a.
no window frame. The principal and Miss NJ
lien speedily ranto the rescue and opened m
heir room doors and commenced dragging
children by the ears, hair, arms or any B
Their parts of them that they could grasp, VI
nd Edith. encouraged by the commanding "'
'nes and self-possession of the principal fr
her first assistant, opened her door ",
heroically assisted in disentangling the o,
wing q until the passageway was th
cared and the children assigned to their gu
spsctive rooms. ey
Order being partially restored, after her ex
had been seated, she tremblinRly te