The Osceola times., 1885-09-19
UNCOMMON PROCEEDINGS.
The Young School Teacher and
Her Eccentric Patron.


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 window -fastenings
of the not over commodious or attract
i've but snug school-room, locked her
desk and carefully shut the damper of
the air-tight 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 shapelv kid boot, she cogitated:
"Oh, dear! Tommy Howe's red toes
sticking so pathetcally through those
old gaping shoes fairly haunt me.
wonder it, in all this properous, busy
village, there is no way of getting that
poor child decently clad. | must think
Il over and see what can do about il"
Twenty-four hours later the leading
man Of the village, and the owner of the
little factory there, who, years before,
when 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 sprightly lad of ten speeding ahead
with that amusing, unconscious, conse-
quential air that a boy carries with his
first bran new pair of boots.
"0ld Sam" Whittier, as this gentle
man was familiarly 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
glance, and called out TO the absorbed
child:
"Hullo, youngster! where dye get
them fellers?"
Teacher gave them to me, sir, and
the lads tattered cap came quickly off,
and he stood with il in his hand.
"Does she buy boots for all the boys
in the school?" was growled out.
Guess not; but she bought Joe Briggs
aspeller and Jane Cass an arithmetic,
and she gives away stacks Of slate-pen-
ellis and paper and ink and such
things"
What made her 60 and buy them
nice boots for you?"
''She said she wanted to, sir; and
when said had no money to pay her
for them, she said she'd rather be paid
in perfect lessons; and will try my best
topay for them in that way, you may be
sure, sir.
Pretty good sort of a teacher, is she,
bub?"
"Oh. yes indeed! | guess she must
be the best teacher that ever lived, sir
she tells us about SO many things that
we never knew before; and she wants us
TO be good and honest and not tell lies,
and she says we will be men and women
by-and-by. and she wants us boys to
know something so we can own factories
our own selves sometime. The other
teachers we've had only heard our les
ions and let us go, but she's so differ
ent.n
"Well, woll, bub. | shall have to
think this business over little. Now
run along, and go TO scratchin' over
them perfect lessons don't suppose
you'll find person in Shattuckville n
better judge Of perfect lessons, or how
much they are worth, both to the teach
.r and to the scholar, than old Sam
Whittier. So bub, look after your ways,
and | shall look after you"
The next morning little note writ
ten in coarse business hand was dis
patched to the teacher by the hand of
one of the children. 1t ran as fol-
lows:
MISS wAIT:-I have heard of some rather
uncommon proceedings on your part as
teacher toward your scholars. i would
IKE 10 inquire of you personally as TO partlc-
ulars. VIII you do me the favor TO run over
10 my house directly after the close OF your
SAMUEL WHITTIER"
what can / have done?" thought
the little teacher, in such perturbed
state of mind that she corrected Johnny
SHOWS mistake in his multiplication by
telling him that seven times nine are
hfty-four. Indeed. she let the mistake
go so long that every little hand belong
lhg to the second primary class was
stretched up in frenzy of excitement.
Let me see; what is it have done the
past weekp | switched Bobbie Baker
pretty smartly, to be sure-and i kept
Sam Woodruff after school and kept
Marion Fisk in from recess for whisper
ing; but must keep order. Well, dear
me, have tried 10 do my duty, and l
won't worry" and Miss Wait resolutely
went back to "seven times nine" and
soproceeded in the usual routine.
But she ate no dinner that noor. and
mad decided headache as she crossed
The big bridge over the hill to the mill
owners residence.
II shall not back down IL anything
where my clear duty and self-respect
are involved" thought she. 81 have
set up certain ideal as TO what a
teacher of these little common schools
ought to be, and I will, God and my
mind, good courage and health not for
saking me, bring myself as near to 1t
as possible. Moreover, ] will not con-
sider in the premises whether the schol-
ars are children Of the rich and learned,
OF OF the poor or ignorant. For the
ame being God has placed In my care
ragged. dirty little wretches OF facto.
tory village, rs well as clean, well
dressed, attractive children"