Wichita eagle., 1889-03-13
HIS NOTIFICATION,
How Thornton Executed His Com
mission.

mission.
''She'n have to go; amt no way out o.
0lat. She'll have to skip" said Dave Kin
ney. He squinted in cross-eyed manner at
the cracker-crumb on his tawny, scraggy
beard, ard transferred it carefully to his
mouth. There was a wedge of cheese on
his left knee. When the Fence Corners
School Board-originally Fennetts Cor
ners, but thus aptly abbreviated a
meeting, it was, by general agreement, in
old Hanks grocery, where crackers and
cheese, and maybap herring, might re-
tieve its tedium. But to-night there was an
alleviating interest.
About the size of it." said Sias Saun-
ders. He preferred tobacco and rolled
quid under his tongue. This amt no place
fer her here. Why, / wouldn't answer for
the consequences IL she staid there amt
no tellin' what might happen, ner what
devlltry them boys might be up to. Look
at Corny Rourke, SIX foot two or three if
he's an inch, and chuck full, chuck full,
chuck full He's always BEN the one to
put the teachers out, and there amt no
doubt but what it's bis idee this time. Bar
ricadin' the school-houS right out bold
first day o. school; now, who but Corny'd
"a thought o. thots'
There was something of contemplative
admiration in his tone.
"Goin' TO be done, whoever's don' it,n
said Kinney, exploring his cracker-bag.
Coin to git in at eight O'Clock tomorrow
mornin' an shut up the door and fasten the
windows, and any teacher that gifts in III
have to git in through the key-hole er
crack: what they saidn
He had told it before; He had called the
meeting tor the purpose of telling it But
it was interesting TO dwell upon.
There was an impressive silence.
"Wal, We'll have TO give her notice.
You're jest the one to do it, Thornton-eh!"
Saunders observed TO the third member
of the board. He was himself uneasy
"She got along fust-rate, summer term,' be
added He appeared TO feel vague and
wholly impotent regret. ''NeedS the money,
should jedge-"
''She need't "a made no calculations to
teach no winter term here-not TO Fence
Corners" Kinney responded, with some
contempt "If there h'ain't BEN a winter
fer five years but what there's ben rum
pus, and gener'ly school shut up, wy, she
needn't "a looked fer there 0ott' to be-"
1t was unanswerable, but the store-keeper
entered a weak suggestion over his motley
counter.
II should think that gang ought to be
broke up,'' he said.
He expected no rejoinder, and got none.
The School Boards attention centered upon
10 such whimsical irrelevancy.
s'Recl1on you're the one to notify her,
Thornton" said Saunders, again.
He wriggled unquietly on his STOOL
Thornton sat motionless. Whether in fact
Or by a trick of the ill-burring lamp on the
counter, his good-looking face with its heavy,
light moustache, appeared pale. He sat
with his arms crossed on his knees and his
eyes on the floor, silent.
"Jest So" said Kinney, with an AIR of i'm
partial decision. You can git it off better
n Saunders or me, Thornton. You're q
better lookin' man, anyhow, and you're bet
ter rugged up" he concluded, with polite
amiableness.
They made an attempt at a careless dis
missal of the subject Kinney got up and
threw his cheese rind in the stove. Thorn
ton passed his hand over his mouth and
swallowed hard.
You can jest put it easy" said Kinney,
encouraglngly. "You can tell her Jest how
tits, and how It's fer her own good, and
amt 10 be put of ner avoided. You can
tell her she done frst-clnss, SUNNI term.
Wy you can tell her jest what you're a
mine to-" cried Kinney, magnanimously.
Their colleague arose. He was a tall and
powerful young fellow, but there was an
odd laxity in his movements now as he went
toward the door. He held his hat-brim TO
his lips, too, and turned his face away from
the light. Hanks stared after him till the
door closed.
II s'spose you've found out that Jim
Thornton's about the bashfulest feller in
town, amt your he Queried
There was no response.
"And you've prob'ly suspcioned, same as
other folks, that he's kind O. sweet on the
school-ma' am, er would be if he dasta" pur.
sued the store-keeper
The School Board was silent
"Wal," he concluded, with grin. half of
disgust, half of admiration, you couldn't
o. hired me TO ben that mean to yeller
3og-not to ye4ler dogw
Thornton made his way up the road
through warm and lightly falling early
snow that whiteued and softened and beau
led 1t, dark as it was from the infreouency
If buildings and hubby with the frozen .
nUd. de forgot 10 put has hat on tlIi he met .
man in a wagon, who stared at him. His
lace and hair were damp with melted flakes
BE went slowly, almost creepingly, for .
here was in his heart terrible. sinking /
Tread of what he must do. 1t was almost
more than he could master.
Where was shei Bissel's; he knew she .
boarded at Bissers and it was not far: he .
Gould see its light through the snow laden
,rees. The pain at his heart was all but
physical; he WINGED, and KEEP. his hand on
his nervous mouth; there was a mist Bi his
ayes, and It grew in to tears. He was not
at them. nor ashamed of them; ne
wiped them on mechanically with his rough.
strong hand. He cid not know whether
they We're from pity of her or of himself;
ne know not which WAS the stronger with
u MN; he was not clearly conscious OF
Nth er, but of dull unhappiness such as he
had never known.
he looked down at his clothes with faint
shame; they were not his best ones. He
had ready-made suit at home but these
ais mother had made. He wished they