The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-09-19
UNCOMMON PROCEEDINGS.
The Young School Teacher and
Her Eccentric Patron.


"How cold it is growing" said Miss
Wait, the teacher of the common school
in the then brisk little manufacturing
village of Shattuckville, Franklin
County, Mass, as she tied on her soft
blue hood, buttoned her warm flannel
cloak, looked at the MISUNDERSTANDING
of the not over commodious or attract
i've but snug school-room, locked her
desk and carefully shut the damper of
the air-tght wood stove, preparatory to
quitting her domain of labor for the
night.
As she picked up her rubber over
shoes and stopped to draw them over
her shapely kid boot, she cOgitated:
"Oh, dear! Tommy Howe's red toes
sticking so pathetically through those
old gaping Shoes fairly haunt me. 1
wonder if, in all this prosperous, busy
village, there is no way Of getting that
poor child decently clad. / must think
it over and see what can do about it. "
Twenty-four hours later the leading
man of the village, and the owner of the
little factory there, who, years before,
when a poor boy, had stranded down
from Vermont to this little hamlet, &C.
centric and brusque, but kind-hearted,
keen-eyed. and observant of all that was
going on his domain, was walking
along the street and met bright-eyed
and sprfghtly lad of ten speeding ahead
with that amusing, unconscious, conse-
quential air that boy carries with his
first bran new pair of boots.
"Old Sam Whittier, as this gentle
, man was Familiarity called, not by reason
of advanced age by any means, but be-
cause of his supremacy as the mill
owner and employer of all the help in
the hamlet, took in the situation at a
glance, and called out to the absorbed
child:
"Hullo, youngster! where dye get
them fellers?"
"Teacher gave them to me, sir, b" and
the lads tattered cap came quickly off,
and he stood with it in his hand.
"Does she buy boots for all the boys
in the school?' was growled out
"Guess not; but she bought Joe Brigg;
a speller and Jane Cass an arithmetic
and she gives away stacks of slate-pen-
ellis and paper and ink and suct
things"
What made her go and buy them
nice boots for you?"
''She said she wanted to, sir; anC
when l said had no money to pay hel
for them, she said she d rather be paid
in perfect lessons; and | will try my bes
to- pay for them in that way, you may be
sure, sill"
Pretty good sort of teacher, is she,
bub?n
"Oh, yes indeed! [ guess she mus
be the best teacher that ever lived, sir
she tells us about so many things tina
we never knew before; and she wants u
to be good and honest and not tell lies
and she says we will be men and womel
by-and-by, and she wants us boys t.
know something so we can own factorie
our own selves sometime. The Othe
teachers we've had only heard our les
sons and let us 90, but she's so differ
ent!n
"Well. well, bub. l shall have t,
think this business over little. Nov
run along, and 90 to scratchin' owe
them perfect lessons. don't suppos
you'll find a person in Shattuckville
better Judge of perfect lessons, or hoy
much they are worth, both to the teach
er end to the scholar, than old Sam
Whittier. So bub, look after your ways
and l shall look after YOU"
The next morning little note writ
ten in coarse business hand was dis
patched to the teacher by the hand G
one of the children. 1t ran as TO
lows:
MISS wAIT:--I have heard of some rattle
uncommon proceedings on your part a
teacher toward your scholars. / woul
like TO inquire of you personally as to parti
ulars. Will you do me the favor to run ov,
to my house directly after the close of you
school this afteruoony
SAMUEL WHITTIER"
'What can | have done?n though
the little teacher, in such perturbe
stated of mind that she corrected john
Shows mistake in his multiplication
telling him that seven times nine al