Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-01-31

pleased with the expectation of a new
experience
g. suppose you expected me to-day.
I Mr.. Hooker?" he asked, when they
had picked their way along in silence
a few moments.
oval, yes; now I come to think of
| it, we did," the old man answered.
"But I reckoned you be bigger, you
see. and didn't notice you much in
the boat Ever been down in these
parts afore?'
Mark confessed that he had not.
Ever kept school among the fisher
men any wheres?"
| "No."
Mr.. Hooker hobbled on and said
nothing more for some moments. evil
IDENTIFY thinking that Mark was not the
sort of teacher to try his hand in that
region.
1.-The boys 'mongst us here are a
tough SET" he said. ''Takes stocky
sort of a fellow to whollop them.
Mebby you'll do, tho. 'Tisn't always
the biggest toad in the puddle that's
the spryest-"
They had arrived at the door OF the
house attached to the lighthouse. and
Mark did not attempt to reply, but fol-
lowed him in silently.
This is the teacher, Sis" the old
man said, introducing him to an ell
derby woman with thin, sharp face
and faded red hair, who was prepar-
ing the table for supper. My sister
Cynthy, Mr.-Mr.-"
Jasper said Mark.
Eyes Jasper. Wal, hope make
you both acquainted.
| Mark took off his overcoat and sat
down before blazing wood fire in a
large old-fashioned fireplace; and
while the old man was bustling
around and the sister ratified the dishes
in neighboring closet, he had an OPP
portunity to look around.
| What attracted his attention first
was the floor, which was painted to
represent waves dashing here and
there. Next he noticed that every
thing was dashed either to the
floor or to the wall, the same
as in the cabin of ship, and as
if gale might be expected any
moment to upset the house. The
brass door-knobs were polished, and
there was nothing that showed the
slightest hint of dirt. A cleaner room
could not be imagined, and Mark be-
gan to feel comfortable and at home
before he had been seated in it five
minutes. The tall. ancient clock In a
distant corner seemed to have friend
ly tick; the fire was hospitable and the
table looked inviting.
At last the old man. or Uncle Seth,
as it was soon discovered he was
called by every body, announced that
Sis said supper was ready and in
vited Mark to move up and help him
self. Sister Cynthia soon joined them
and then Uncle Seth fell to eating and
talking. He had sailed the seas ever
since his youth and was full of stories,
anecdotes and good nature. Mark
laughed until he was red in the face,
and soon became the best of friends
with him. By the time the meal was
finished Uncle. Seth had become SO
confidential that he began to confide
to him much of his personal history.
Sitting at one corner of the hearth
and resting his wooden leg across a
chair, he smoked and told about a
long cruise in a whaling ship and then
of a voyage to Australia during which
a water cask rolled on him and
crushed his leg. Since then he had
been aground, he said, pulled up high
and dry.
Before Mark was aware of it the
evening had slipped away and the
clock was striking ten. Uncle Seth
then inquired of Sister Cynthia
whether the teacher was to sleep
"for'ard or up aloft." and, learning
her preference, led Mark to a spare
room, opening off the parlor- There
were green paper curtains at the win
dows, a peacock's feather dropping
over small looking-glass, three or
four shells on the mantel-piece, and a
collection of daguerreotypes, framed
in a group, hanging above it. The
room was SO chilly, however, that
Mark did not pass many moments ex-
aiming these details. He looked at
the daguerreotypes long enough to
discover that one of them was a pict-
ure of Uncle Seth, taken when he was
a young man. and that another repre-
sented his sister in the bloom OF
youth. Then. hastily undressing. he
blew out the light jumped into a
plump, old-fashioned bed. and soon
afterward was sound asleep.
| His first thoughts in the morning
were. of course, about the school. He
could see the drab- colored old building
on small hill short distance away.
The smoke was beginning to curl up
from its chimney when he sat down 20
breakfast, signifying that one pupil
| a. 1oos< oil nm bond With