Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-11-09
"CRESSY,"
A Story of W estern Pioneer
Life,
BY
FRANCIS BRET HARTE,
Author of "Luck of Roaring
Camp" "M'lisss" "Tennes-
sees Pardner," Etc.
FRANCIS BRET HARTE,
BY
CHAPTER ].

school emerged IlOlH INC PIhS "oOu9 Iito
the little clearing before the s1hoolhouse
he stopped whi3tling, put his nat less
iauntily on his head, threw away some
wild flowers ne had gathered on his way,
and otherwise assumed the severe de
meanor Of his profession ana his mature
age-which was at least 20. Not that he
usually felt this an assumption; 1t was
firm conviction Of his serious nature that
he impressed others, a. he did himself,
with the blended austerity and ennui of
deep and exhausted experience.
The building which was assigned to him
and his flock by the board Of education OF
Tuolumne county, Cal, had been origi-
nally church 1t still bore q faded odor
of sanctity, mingled, however, with a.
later and slightly alcoholic breath or poll
teal discussion, the result OF its weekly
occupation, under the authority of the
board. as a tribune for the enunciation of
party principles and devotion to the liber-
ties of the people. There were few dog
cared hymn-books on the teachers desk,
and the blackboard but imperfectly hid
An impassioned appeal to the citizens of
Indian Spring to rally" for Stebbins as
supervisor. The master had been struck
with the size OF the black type in which
this placard was printed, and with
shrewd perception of its value to the
round wandering eyes Of his smaller pu-
pills, allowed 1t to remain as pleasing eX-
ample of photography. Unfortunately,
although subdivided and spelt by them in
it's separate letters with painful and per
feet accuracy, it was collectively known
as "Wally," and its general import pro
ductive of vague hilarity
Taking large key from his pocket the
master unlocked the door and threw it
open, stepping back with certain pre-
caution begotten of his experience in once
finding small but sociable rattlesnake
coiled up near the threshold. A slight
disturbance which followed his intrusion
showed the value of that precaution and
the fact that the room had been already
used for various private and peaceful
gatherings of animated nature. An ir-
regular attendance OF yeliow-blrds and
squirrels dismissed themselves hurriedly
through the broken floor and windows,
but golden lizard stffened suddenly
into stony fright on the edge OF an open
arithmetic, touched the heart of the mas
ter SO strongly by its mblance to some
kept.in and forgotten scholar who had
succumbed over the task he could not &C
complsh, that he was seized with COM
Function.
Recovering himself and establishing
as it were the decorous discipline Of the
room by clapping his hands and saying
"Sho !" he passed up the narrow aisle of
benches, replacing the forgotten arithme-
tic. and picking up from the desks here
and there certain fragmentary pieces OF
plaster and crumbling wood that had
fallen from the ceiling, as If this grove of
Academus had been shedding its leaves
overnight When he reached his own
desk he lifted the lid and remained for
some moments motionless, gazing into il.
His apparent meditation, however, was
simply the combined reflection of his
own features in small pocket mirror in
its recesseS and perpleXng doubt in his
mind whether the sacrifice of his budding
mustache was not essential to the profess
sonal austerity Of his countenance. But
he was presently aware of the sound of
small voices, light cries and brief laugh
ter scattered at vague and remote dis
tances from the school-hOuse-not unlike
the birds and squirrels he had just dspos-
sessed. He recognized by these signs that
it was O'Clock, and his scholars We're as
sembling.
They came in their usual desultory
fashion-the fashion Of country school
children the world over irregularly
spasmodically, and always as if accident
ally ; a few hand-in-hand, others driven
ahead of or dropped behind their elders !;
some IN struggling groups more or less Co
herent and at times only connected by far
space of half a mile, but never qui e
alone always preoccupied by something
else than the actual business on hand
appearing suddenly from bitches, behind
trunks and between fence rails cropping
up in unexpected places along the road
after vague and purposeess dCtOurS-
seemingly going anywhere and everywhere
hut TO school So unlooked-for, in fact,
was their final arrival that the master,
who had few moments before failed to
descry single torn straw hat or ruined
sun bonnet above his visible horizon, was
startled TO find them suddenly under his
windows, as il, like the birds, they had
alighted from the trees. Nor was their
moral attitude towards their duty any
he more varied ; they always arrived as
If tired aud reluctant with a doubling
sulkinesS that perhaps afterwards beam ed
Into charming hypocrisy, but invariably
temporziug with their instincts until the
last moment, and only relinquishing pos
Sible trnancy on tie very threshold. Even
after they were marShalled on their usual
benches they gazed at each other every
morning with perfectly fresh astonish
ment and daily recurring enjoyment OF
some hidden joke IN this tremendous rem
contre.
1t had been the habit of the master &c
utilize these preliminary vagrancies Of his
little flock by inviting them on assembling
TO recount any interesting incident OF
their journey hlther, or, falling this from
their not inlrequent shyness in expressing
what had secretly interested them, any
event that had occurred within theiI
knowledge since they last met. He had
done this partly 10 give them time to re
cover themselves in that more formal at
mosphere, and partly, fear, because, not
wlthstanding his conscientious gravity, il
greatly amused him. 1t also diverted then
from their usual round-eyed, breath est
contemplation of himself-a regular morn
ng inspection, which generally embraced
every detail of his dress and appearance
and made every change or deviation tn,
subject of whispered comment or stony
establishment He knew that they knew
him more thoroughly than he did himself
nd shrank from the intuitive vision o
these small clairvoyants
"Well 2' said the master gravely.
There was the usual interval of bashfu
hesitation, verginR on nervous hilarity O
hypocritical attention. For the last sil
months this question by the master hat
been invariably received each morning a
a yelled pleasantly which might lead t
baleful information or conceal some quer.
out of the dreadful books before him
Yet this very element Of danger had it
fascinations. Johnny Filgee, small boy
flushed violently, and, without getting
up, began hurriedly In a high key, "Tig