The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-07-03
PKNcEToN MILE THURSDAY July 8 1890
One day a dreadful thing happened.
Horace Gray, tho tallest and oldest

One day dreadful thing happened.
Horace Gray, tho tallest and Oldest
young man, whom all the other boys
his seniority and mustache, behaved 50
wrote his name on the blackboard as .
mark of disgrace. and commanded him
to remain after school for punishment.
The other pupils looked at her in
amazement, never doubling that the
great fellow would promptly throw her
out of the window if she attempted to
punish him, but loving and admiring
her all the more for the pretty, indig-
nant flash in her blue eyes.
children" she said, II have never
used this ferule as a means OF punish
ment, but mean to try it tonight
An audible gasp broke from twenty
pairs of lips, and Horace Gray, with
hot flush on his face, and his eyes down
cast. looked at the palm Of his large
hand, with queer. little smile lurking
about his mouth.
The school was dismissed. and the
amazed urchins dispersed to their
homes to tell the news:
4oaCuoA guns w WAAP nOAe Co
Gray!"
The silence in the little schooEhouse
grew oppressive. The clock licked
noiselessly on the wall. Berta felt as
though it were her heart beating there.
Her breath came fast as she took her
ferule from her desk. Her voice
trembled.
Horace Gray, come herer'
The great, broad-shouldered fellow
rose obediently and came down the
aisle, standing respectfully before the
little teacher.
Hold out your hand" she COM
manded.
He held it out at once-his strong,
brown, right hand. Berta took it in
her own; then dropped it suddenly.
Her face flushed crimson and the tears
came into her soft eyes.
81 can't strike you, Horace" she
said, you are too big, but I am not
afraid of you. 1t would be shameful
to strike you. It would hunilate me
as much as YOU. What shall do with
you, you great, unruly fellow?"
He raised his eyes and looked at her
his whole heart in his eyes and on his
lips: 3.
Love me-" he said, and be my
wife,"
Berta turned away and put the ferule
in her desk, locked it, and then did
sundry other little things about the
room before she noticed him. Then
she came back to him, and looked
straight into his eyes from the platform
on which she stood-with strange
look in her eyes, culver Of her lips,
2 paling Of her face zen she laughed.
FL hat is the greatest punishment d
could inflict upon you, Horace!' she
said. and / will do it,
When they were walking homeward
in the dusk, he said:
Il was bad purposely, Berta-I,
longed for you to punish ME. I loved
you so could not help wishing to be
kept after school. I have always
made you trouble, haven't II I can,t
tell why, only that could not bear to
be unnoticed by you, and I wanted
you to think of me, even as a bother
and a trouble to you.'
Berta looked up at her tall pupil, her
eyes alight with loving mischief.
It's perfectly ridiculous, isn't it.
Horace-my falling in love with one of
my own bad boys, and Squeedunker
at that! What will Aunt Marie say!''
He did not come to school any more
that term. The children never found
out exactly how he was punished. but
supposed that, being too big to ferule.
the little teacher had expelled him.
At the grand concert which wound
up the singing-school Tryphena and