San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-30
NAN

A snow ball whizzed through the air, and
away over the fence sailed the professors hat.
battered and dishonored.
A ripple of girlish laughter floated up from
some one behind him, and looking around
angrily, the professor caught a glimpse of
pair of dark, roguish eyes peeping at him out
of a pretty hood, which did not hide the
saucy face of the maiden who had thrown the
TALL.
She watched the professor as he climbed
over the fence and regained his disfgured
tile, and tried, rather ruefully, to smooth its
battered sides; then she scampered toward
the schoolhouse.
Joel Sherwood had just emerged from the
university at W, with considerable honor
and the degree of good opinion most men of
his age entertain for themselves. He really
was entitled to great deal of credit for the
courage and steadfa.stness Of purpose with
which he had toiled to make his way through
the tedious university course. He had done
it alone, and at the same time managed to
help his widowed mother in keeping what
had proved to be very gaunt and persistent
wolf from the door. But the world, as is its
custom, had been somewhat slow in recog
nizing his genius; so that when the winter
he was only too glad to accept it, hoping that
meantime something better would come to
him.
He picked up his hat, with some sense of
disgrace, and strobe on to the schoolhouse.
1t was the eventful first day" and it must
be confessed that Joels heart for a minute
sank very low as he saw the roguish face
disappear through the door of the building
which was to be his castle for the next few
months. He had a dim foreboding that
trouble was in store for him. But shortly
his courage rallied, and with lips closed lit
tie more firmly than usual, he stepped to his
desk.
Nan, with many a girlish CYCLE, was relat-
ing her adventure to a circle of admirers
1.-THE idea of youngtfellow like him bring
ing tall hat down here. My! how mad he
looked when the thing went over the fence
Well, it was rather mean after all but I'll
never see him again. don't know who he
is. Some city chap, s'pose, down to look at
the nativesr"
Just then the door opened and the profess
sor walked in.
II Joel could have seen the glorious GRIM
son which swept Mans face, he might have
known how poorly priced was her victory
But he was busy and had almost forgotten
the episode moment later.
1t was brought back again, however when
he CHANGED to glance at Nan. Once more
the food of crimson dyed her cheeks, but she
buried her face in a book and waited until it
had vanished.
That winter Joel Sherwood learned MANY
valuable lessons. 1t was good school for
Ha k1p al f,xyha h.
term was over than he ever had before He
put away the silk hat, and wondered why he
ever should have worn it down to Weston.
By this time he did not feel himself so
very much superior to the people there as he
had felt. They proved to be kind hearted
and intelligent, and he liked them better the
more he knew them.
He had found Nan a disturbing element
in his little dominion. Not that she meant to
do anything wrong; but she had too much
mischief in her nature not to be at the bot
tom of many project which brought the
new teacher into diSrepute. She never pre-
tended that she had no hand in these plots.
There was no deceit in Nan. Whatever she
did was SO frank that Joel's reproof was tenn
pered by a strange feeling which caused him
to forgive the spirit which prompted Mans
action-a feeling he knew not how to anal
we.
Once, when she perpetrated some especial.
ly annoying trick on him, and he had met
her out of school hours on the way home, her
pretty smile and look Of respect had driven
every spark Of anger from his heart and he
broke out:
"Oh, Nan! Why will you"-
But she had pulled her hand out of his,
and fled before the words were out Of his
mouth
And Nau-she was the same thoughtless
girl, as far as Joel could see, as the weeks
sped quickly by and brought them nearer
the end of the term. She led the boys and
girls in every game. She could outskate
them; not boy dared to challenge her to
race on the ice for fear Of the defeat be knew
would await him. Her happy laugh rippled
everywhere. Not a boy but would have
risked his life for her. Not girl but fled to
her in time of trouble, for she was ever to
them a champion equal to every emergency.
To all she was simply "Nan"-kind, loving,
mirthful MAN"
About the time Joel's school closed, the
river, which had been frozen all winter, be-
gan to break up, and the ice gave signs of GO
ing out. Here and there great seams ap-
peared, and a warning roar sounded through
the valley.
Some Of the older boys who had explored