Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1885-09-04
An Uncommon Proceeding,

An Uncommon Proceeding,
"How cold it is growing" said Miss
Wait, the teacher of the common
school in the then brisk little manu-
featuring village of Shattuckvilie, as
she tied on her soft blue hood, button
ed her warm flannel cloak, looked at
the MISUNDERSTANDING Of the not over
commOdious or attractive but snug
schoolroom, locked her desk, and care
fully shut the damper of the alright
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:
ooh, dearl Tommy Howe's red
toes sticking so pathetically through
those old gaping shoes fairly haunt
me. 1 wonder if, in all this prosper
GUS, busy village, there is no way Of
getting that poor child decently clad.
l must think it over and see what I
can do about it."
Twenty-four hours later the leading
man of the village, and the owner Of
the little factory there, who, years be-
fore, when a poor boy, had stranded
down from Vermont to this little
hamlet, eccentric and brusque, but
kind-hearted, keen-eyed, and observ-
ant of all that was going on within
his domain, was walking along the
street and met a bright-eyed and
sprightly lad of 10 speeding ahead
with that amusing, unconscious, con-
sequential air that a boy carries with
his first brand-new pair of boots.
"Old Sam" Whittier, as this gentle
man was familiarly called, not by
reason of advanced age by any means,
but because of his supremacy as the
mill-owner and employer of all the
help in the hamlet, took in the situa-
ton at a glance, and called out to the
absorbed child,
"Hullo. youngster! where dye get
them fellersY
Teacher gave them to me, sir" 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?" he growled out.
"Guess not; but she bought Joe
Briggs a speller and Jane Cass an
arithmetic, and she gives away stacks
of slate-pencils and paper and ink, and
such things"
"What made her go and buy them
nice boots for you?"
"she said she wanted to, sir; and
when said 1 had no money to pay
her for them, she said she'd rather be
paid in perfect lessons; and viii try
my best to pay for them in that way,
you may be sure, sir"
pretty good sort Of a teacher, is
she, bub?"
ooh, yes, indeedl I 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 shall be
men and women by and by, and she
wants us boys to know something so
we can own factories our own selves
some time. The other teachers we've
had only heard our lessons and let us
20, but she's so differentP
"WeI, well, bub. 1 shall have to
think this business over a little. Now
run along, and go to scratchin' over
them perfect lessons I don't sup
pose you'll find a person in Shattuck-
vile better Judge of perfect lessons,
or how much they are worth, both to
the teacher and to the scholar. than
old Sam Whittier. So, bub. look
after your ways, and I shall look after
you"
The next morning a little note writ
ten in a coarse business hand was
dispatched to the teacher by the hand
of one of the children. It ran as fol
lows:
miss WAIT: / have heard of some
rather uncommon proceedings on your
part as teacher toward your scholars.
would like to inquire Of you person
ally as to particulars VIII you do
me the favor to run over to my house
directly after the close of your school
this afternoon.
SAMUEL WHITTIER"
"What can have doneY thought
that little teacher, in such a peturbed
state of mind that she corrected john
ny Shows mistake in his multiplica-
ton by telling him seven times nine
was dfty-four Indeed. she let the
mistake go so long that every little
hand belonging to the second primary
class was stretched up in a frenzy of
excitement Let me see; what is it
have done the past week9 1 switch
cd Bobbie Baker pretty smartly. to be
- - l.e,,t Can, VVoodruH after