The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-09-18
UNCOMMON PROCEEDINGS.
The Young School Teacher and
Her Eccentric Patron.

slow cold it is growing" said Miss
Wait. the teacher of the common school
in the then brisk little manufacturing
village of Sha,tuckville, Franklin
County. Mass. as she tied on her soft
blue hood. buttoned her warm flannel
cloak, looked at the notwithstanding
of the not over commodious or attract
i've but sang school-room, locked her
desk and carefully shut the damper of
the air-tigh; 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 cogitatei:
..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 6ecently clad. l 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 poor boy. had stranded down
from Vermont to this little hamlet. &C.
centric and brusIue, but kind -hearted.
teen-eyed. and observant of all that was
going on his domain. was walking
along the street and met a frightened
and sprightly lad OF ten speeding ahead
with that amusing. unconscious. cOnse-
quential air that boy carries with his
FIRST hiram now pair of hoOfS
.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 rs the mill
owner and employer Of all the help in
the hamlet. took in the situation ut a
glance, and called out to the absorbed
child:
.'Hullo. youngster! where dye get
them feilers?'
Teacher gave them to me, sir. and
the lads tattered cap came quickly off.
aad he stood with it in his hand.
docs she buy boots for all the boys
in the school?" was growled out.
.'Guess not: bu, she bought Joe Briggs
speller 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 you9"
s..She said sh-. 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 l will try my best
topay for them in that way, YOU May ;,e
sure. sir.
Pretty good sort OF a teacher. is she.
bubo"
.-Oh. yes indeed. 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 will be men and women
. by-aud-by. ard 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
sons and let us go, but she's so differ
ent,''
well. well. bub. 1 shall have to
think this business over little. Now
run along. and go to scratchin' over
them perfect lessons don't suppose
YOU II find a person in ShattuckviIle
DSttSt Va ptitCSt iSSsouSs va ~"
much they are worth, both TO the teach
er and to the scholar, than Old Sam
Whittier. So bub. look after your WAYS,
and shall look after you."
The next morning q 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 WATT have heard Of some rather
uncommon proceedings on your part
a teacher toward your scholars l would
like to inquire of You personally as to partic-
ulars. Will you do me :he favor TO run over
10 my house directly after the close OF your
SAMUEL WHITTIER"
what can l have doae?" thought
the little teacher. in such \ perturbed
of mind that she corrected Johnny
Shows mistake in his multiplication BY
telling him that seven times nine are
fifty-four. Indeed. she let the mistake
go so long that every little hand belong
iHg to the second primary class was
stretched up in frenzy of excitement.
''Let me see: what is il I have done the
past week? l switched Bobbie Baker
pretty smartly, to be sure-and KEEP.
Sam Woodruff after school and l 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 r.solutely
went back 10 ..seven times nine.'' and
so proceeded in the usual routine
But she ate no dinner that Moor, and
had decided headache as she crossed
the big bridge over the hill to the mill
owner residence
Il shall not back down in ANYTHING
where my clear duty and self-respec:
are involved" thought she. Il have
set up q certain ideal as to what 3
teacher of these little common schools
ought to be, and 1 will. God and nv
mind, good courage and health not for
saking me, bring myself as near to it
as possible. Moreover, will not con-
slider in the premises whether the schoi-
ars are children Of the rich and learned,
or of the poor or ignorant. For the
time being God has placed in my care
ragged. dirty little wretches of facto-
tory village. as well as clean. well
dressed. attractive children