Griggs courier., 1889-12-13


forgive nor consider calmly. 1t aroused
all the harshness and severity in her
nature, and made her most dangerous
opponent for any unruly spirit to en-
counter. The boys named were wise
enough to recognize this fact, but were
not wise nor manly enough to yield to
Miss Betsey the difference and obedience
towhich she was entitled as a woman and
as their teacher.
Every teacher who had taught the
school for the past six winters had been
locked out at least once, and sometimes
twice during the term. The unsuspect-
ing teacher would arrive at the school
house some bitterly cold morning and
find the door locked and the windows
barricaded, while the jeering pupils
within defied him to enter. The affair
usually ended in his giving up and going
home, while the rebels held high carni-
val in the school-house for several hours,
and then went home for the rest of their
holiday.
Some of the parents, who unwisely
looked upon these performances as
clever, if not quite commendable, were
rather curious to know what Miss Bet
sey Pike would do if the boys barred
her out. The possibility that they
might attempt such thing had been
suggested to Miss Betsey, and she had
simply smiled and said, grimiy: "Let
them try it, that's all!' After mature
deliberation the boys concluded to try it..
| Miss Betsey had now taught the school
two months. Going home from school
one cold evening she overlook little
Bennie Peters, a boy of eight, who had
fallen on the rough road and cut himself
badly. He still sat on the ground cry
ing Justify when Miss Betsey came
along.
"Why, why, Bonnie, what's the mat
ter?" said Miss Betsey, kindly and
cheerily. ''You fell, did you? Well,
we'll, that was too bad, WASH tit, though?
But don't cry any more, my dear. I'll
wash the blood away, and it won't hurt
long,"
She knelt down by his side, and with
her handkerchief wiped away the blood
from Bennie's hand and face, talking all
the time in such a CHEEKY, sympathetic
tone that Bennie quite forgot his pain
and grief.
"I'm so sorry you fell,' she said, 'but
accidents will happen, won't they? fell
fiat in almost this exact spot yesterday.
Don't you think 1 must have looked
funny sprawling in the road? skinned
my elbow and there wasn't any body to
bind it up for me, either. Now I'll take
hold of your hand and walk on home
with you, so you can't fall again."
So they trudged along ever the frozen
country road, Miss Betsey accommoda-
ting her pace to Bennie's short steps.
When they came to Mr.. Peters gate Miss
Betsey did something quite unexpected.
She bent her long, gaunt figure until
her lips met Bennie's face in sounding
kiss.
"Good-bye; run in the house now, and
warm yourself at the fire."
s'Good-bye, ma'am," said Bennie, as
he stood and watched her striding down
the road. His lips began to quiver, and
big tear ran down over his bruised
check. 1t had been long time since
any body had kissed him or cared any
thing about his childish sorrows. There
was fretful overworked mother in the
house who would probably say thai
"he'd no business being so clumsy. Il
was good enough he fell. He'd keep his
eyes open next time" So Bennie's CRATE
full heart was deeply touched by Miss
Betsey's kindness and little show of af
fection. He lay awake thinking about
her for long time that night in his bee
i'll the cheerless little attic over the
family living-room.
Miss Betsey had always been very
kind to him. Once she given him big
crisp, brown doughnut at which she hac
seen him looking wistfully at lunch
time, when there was nothing in hi!
own little tin dinner-pail but two slice:
of corn-bread and molasses and piece
of fat meat.
She always tied his head up snug ane
warm in his wooden comforter on stormy
nights, and she never scolded him. i
did not occur to him that he had beer
kind to Miss Betsey by being as Still
as a mouse in school and by learning
his lessons we'll, so that she had NJ
reason to scold him.
He thought of something else in con
nection with Miss Betsey's kindness tc
him-something that gave him such
deep concern that he slept little that
night. That mysterious something
weighed heavily on him all next day al
school. He seemed strangely restless
and uneasy, and Miss Betsey wondered
why he came up to her desk SO often
and went away again without finishing
what he began to say.
He hurried out as soon as schoo
closed. After all the other scholars hac
gone, Miss Betsey found part of lea
torn from copy-book pinned inside he1
cloak hanging on the wall, and on the
} paper was scrawled:
'.rhe Boys are agoin to lock You Out In th'
morning. hcerd tlem atalkin about it an it il
So an hated to Be mean an tell. But doan
think they awt to do SO to a Lady an amt fer
got how you give me the doanut an wasn't OF thu
blood last mite an kist me.''
There was no signature None was
needed. Miss Betsey read the note
again.
"Well, the dear little soul!'' she said
with. glistening eyes and strange soft
eniug Of the hard lines around hel