Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-01-22

in her wrath, but sne was withal a good
teacher, and would have been a kind
one had her pupils treated her with
proper consideration. She treated the
small and obedient children with a
kindness and gentleness one would not
suspect in a woman of her severe and
forbidding exterior.
But wilful dIsobedience was some
thing she could not forgive nor cons der
calmly. 1t aroused all the harshness
and severity in her nature, and made
her most dangerous opponent for any
unruly spirit to encounter.
The boys named were wise enough
to recognize this fact, but were not
wise nor manly enough to yield TO NJ IS
Betsey the Difference and obedience to
which she was entitled as a woman and
as Sheir teacher.
Every te Icher who had taught the
school for the past SIX winters had been
locked out at least once, and sometimes
twice, during the term.
The unsuspecting teacher would ar
rlve ut the school-house some bitterly
cold morning, and find the door locked
and the windows bauricaded, while the
jeering pupils within defied him to en-
ter. The affair usually ended in his
giving up and going home, while the
rebels held high carnival 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, II not quite commendahle, were
rather curious TO know what Miss Bet
sey Pike would do If the boys barred
her out.
The possibility that they might at
tempt such a thing had been suggested
to Miss Betsey, and she had simply
smiled and said, grimly, Let them try
it, that's allI''
After mature deliberation, the boys
concluded to try it.
Miss Betsey had now taught school
two months. Going home from school
one cold evening she overlook little
Bennie Peters, boy of eight, who had
fallen on the rough road and cut him.
self badly. He still sat on the ground
crying Justify when Miss Betsey came
along.
"Why, why, Bennie, what's the mat
ter?' said Miss Betsey, kindly and
cheerily. "You fell, did you? Well.
well, that was too bad, wasn't it,
though? But don't cry any more, my
dear. I'll wash the blood away. and 1t
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, sympa.
thetic tone that BenDie quite forgot his
pain and grief.
"I'm so sorry you fell" she said,
''but accidents will happen, won't they
1 fell fat in almost this exact spot yes
4
looked funny sprawling in the road?
| skinned my elbow, and there wasn't
anybody to bind it up for me, either
/ Now, l'll take hold of your hand and
walk on home with you, SO you can't
| fall again"
So they trudged along over the fro
! zen country road, Miss Betsey accom-
mndating her pace to Bennis's shor
| steps. When they came to Mr.. Peter ;,
gate Miss Betsey did something quit,
! unexpected. She bent her long, gaunt
| figure until her lips met Bennie's face
in sounding kiss.
Goodbye; run IN the house now,
and warm yourself at the fire."
Goodbye, ma'am," said Bennie, as
| he stood and watched her striding dowr
/ the road. His lips began to quIver
and a big tear ran down over his
bruised cheek. 1t had been a long time
since anybody had kissed him or cared
anything about his childish sorrows.
There was a fretful, over-worked
mother in the house who would PROT
ably say that ''he'd no business being
so clumsy. 1t was good enough he fell.
He'd keep his eyes open next time.
So Bennie's grateful heart was deeply
! touched by Miss Brtsey's kindness and
/ little show of affection. He lay awake
/ thinking about her for long time that
night IN his bed i'll the cherries little
attic over the family living-room.
Miss Betsey had always been very
kind TO him. Once she lad given him
Il big, crisp, brown doughnut at which
she had seen him looking wlstfully "a
! lunch time, when there was nothing in
his own little tin dinner-pail but two
slices of corn-bred and molasses and a
p.ece of fat meat.
She always t ed his head up snug and
warn in his wOolen comforter on stormy
nights, and she never scolded him. Ii
Id not occur to him he had been kind
to Miss Betsey by being as still as a
mouse in school and by learning his les
sons well, so that she had no reason To
scold him.
.
nection with Miss Betsey's kindness to
him-something that gave him such
| deep concern that he slept Little that
night. That mysterious something
weighed heavily on him all next day at
school. He seemed strangely restless
and uneasy, and Miss BeJsey wonder
cred why he came up to her desk SC
often, and went away again each time
without finishing what he began to say.
He hurried out as soon as school
closed. After all the other scholars had
gone, Miss Bstsey found part of lea
torn from a copy-book pinned inside h+I
cloak hanging on the wall. and on the
paper was scrawled:
The Boys are agoin to lock You Out
| In the morning. heerd them talkin'
about il an it is So and hated to Il
mean an tell. But l doant think they
awt to do so 10 Lady and aint fer
got how you give me the doenut an
wasn't off the blool last mite an kist
Inc.
There was no signature. None was
needed, Mss Bstsey read the note
again.
Well, the dear little soull'' she said,
with gliStening eyes anda strange soften
ing of the hard lines around her mouth;
but the next moment the hard lines ap-
| peared again, an angry flash came into
her eyes, and she brought one hard
! hand down upon the other as she said:
'w ell, if | don't surprise them my
name amt Pike"
The insurgents had followed their
usual course when barring a teacher
out. Only the older boys, six in num-
Der, were to know anything about the
affair. They had planned It all the
Saturday before while out hunting rab.
hits together in Mr.. Peters wood past
ure.