Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-01-31
EARNING AN EDUCATION.
How Mark Triumphed and Made
His School q Success.

His School q Success.
When Mark Jasper was a sophomore
in New England college he used to
look forward with much pleasant
anticipation to the day of his gxadua-
ton. After that he would be on his
own hook, and he could set to work to
make his fortune. AS long as he
could remember he had always been
anxious to be engaged in that under
taking. But it happened quite unex-
pectedly one day while he was still a
sophomore that Marks father died
and he was left without money. He
sat before the fire with his chum, Joe
Travis, several evenings, wondering
what he could do.
"It's all up with me-" he said, de-
jected, Il can't graduate with the
class"
Borrow money, old fellow" Joe
insisted. Get your life insured and
give the policy as security"
There isn't soul who will lend
me dollar. l have got to give up
and go home"
1t turned out, however, that instead
of going home, Mark set Off one De-
cember morning resolved to teach a
district school during the winter on
one of the islands along the Maine
coast. Probably haven't got muscle
enough to keep order" he admitted;
''but | am going to try it at any rate"
He was small and slender; the school
was reported to be difficult to manage,
and the undertaking he knew was not
a trifling one. While being whirled
along in the cars all of the morning
and part of the afternoon he had plenty
of leisure time to think of it, worry
over it, and wonder what sort of a
place the island would prove to be.
First was the journey in the cars
seventy miles or more, then a long
ride in an old rattlebox stage over a
rough, frozen road, and finally trans
fer to a wheezy little steamboat which
carried him away from the mainland
about dark. When he saw the lights
begin to disappear behind he felt as
though he was taking leave of all the
world, and he fastened down to the
miniature cabin homesick and gloomy
enough.
But there happened to be in this
smoky little place an odd-looking,
jovial. sea-faring old man who before
many minutes put Marks melancholy
to flight
wal. yes. now, you see, that's just
the way it was,'' he was saying in a
sonorous voice to three burly fisher
men when Mark caught sight of him.
''Those pesky crabs climb up the rig
gin, to the cross-tree and sot down for
the rest of the voyage"
''Oh. no. now. you don't mean it,
Uncle Seth" said one of the listeners,
breaking into loud laugh.
''Yes do" the old man declared
Eyes do"
He was sitting under the glimmer of
lantern. and Mark could see that he
had broad, weather-beaten face
fringed with short white beard. He
wore tarpaulin hat, loose pea-jack-
ct, and he had wooden leg which he
rested across stool. The sailors
yarn he had begun to spin he went on
with, protesting now and then that
every word of it was the honest truth;
and Mark was so amused by the nara
tive that he soon joined the fishermen
in laughing heartily. Indeed. the ex-
traordinary adventures of those crabs
were worth remembering. The man
who could tell story so well was q
pleasant one to meet; and Mark was
much pleased. when he arrived at the
island and inquired for the school
agent, to discover that the old man was
the identical person.
"Sure's you live I'm tho man." he
said. '.ROoker-Uncle Seth Hooker,
that's who am; and I'm the keeper
OF the Point Light over yonder. Gath
er up your traps and come right over.
for reckon you'll board along with
me. Most of the teachers has"
Mark swung his heavy carpet-bae
over his shoulder and started OF with
him across rough. stony tield In the
direction OF the lighthouse. which
Vas plainly visible every time it, 10