Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-08-04
THE NEW SCH0OLMA'AM.
Naomi's Unworthy jealousy and
Her Reparation.
SIS supper ready, Naomi9"

DoNAh bAN huh biOhkhb WIN y
breath Of the cold outside air into the
room where his sister was ironing. The
young people were aliLe--tall, we'll
shaped, swarthy complexioned. with
regular features and large gypsy-black
eyes, where the jetty lights seemed TO
swim at every breath.
A very old woman covering over
the stove had tho same strange eyes,
although her hair, under It's close
frillcd cap, was bleached snow-white,
and her skin was the color OF old parch-
ment
"What yc got2" tho crone demanded,
as young Pole flung bunch of birds on
tho table.
Something for breakfast, granny"
said he. 1--WE been hunting in Callet
woods. Not much luck, though. |
say, Noami, wish'd you'd hurry up
supper"
"What for? IL amt supper time
yet, and I've got all the towels 10 do
yet"
ooh, bother the towelsl want to go
over to Skene's Corners tonight and see
Miss Stuart's new piano"
"llumph!" Naomi ironed away with
redoubled zeal. "Aliss Stuart's new
piano, indecdl wish Miss Stuart was
further, and her new piano, tool But
you're like all the rest, Dave-a new
face turns your head. lIessie Holt and
her poor little parlor organ amt much
account now"
"Eh? What ye taIlsin' 'bout2 Who's
Miss Stuart2 Is lIcssie Hollis organ out
o. tune Ag'in?" crooned out the old
woman by the fire.
Granny don't know" said Naomi.
81 guess she's the only one that don't.
Miss Stuart, granny? Why, she's tho
latest fashion at Skene's Corners. She's
the new schoolmn'nm. Ask our Dave
II you want TO know all about her. Ask
any OF the young fellers!"
ASK John Classon" added David, an
grily "Naomi's jealous-that's what
ails Naomi"
Naomi compressed her full red lips
and ironcd resolutely on. The old
grandmother fell into sort Of doze and
nodded over the stove. David Pole took
the lantern down from its nail against
the chimney piece.
III can't get my supper here" said
he, "Ill get 1t over TO Classon's. III
look after the cattle first"
And in n moment David was gone.
"lle can do as he pleases," thought
Naomi, vindictively. There's nothing
but cold pork and picked bcets for
supper, anyhow. Perhaps they'll have
something better Mt Classon's. Miriam
| dys good cook"
Tho clock had Just struck six, and
| granny was stirring the hOmcly brown
sugar into her first cup of tea, when
| gentle knock sounded on the warped
panel of the outside door. Naomi rose
| TO answer the summons
A beautiful young woman, with rcd
gold hair, large light-blue eyes and II
complexion as delicate as rosclcaf,
stood there, wrapped in u scarlet and
dark plaid shawl
"Nliss Polc?' she said, hcsitatingly.
Naomi inclined her head stiflly.
Yes" she said, that Is my name"
81 am Eda Stuart"
Again Naomi bowed frigidly.
"And," hcsitated the new school
teacher, with u smile that might have
melted the earthcnware Cinnamon on
the lid OF granny's teapot. but which
| produced no sort of effect on Naomi
Pole, "l'vc started out to visit II sick
| pupil-Louisa Ledyard-and I'm afraid
I've lost my way. | hadn't any idea it
would grow dark so soon, and | must
| be back by seven o'clock, for | expect
some friends to try new piano that
have had sent me from Boston. Your
brother has half promised to come,
Miss Pole. Won't You accompany
himp"
David isn't at home" said Naomi,
with II sidewise glance at the road down
which her brother had strobe some time
ago. And don't care nothin' about
pianos"
Miss Stuart colored and shranlS back
She felt as II this hard, handsome bru-
nette had slapped her in the face.
perhaps, them" said she, "you can
tell me the nearest way home. It's
quite dark, you see, and" brushing
some white, needle-like particles out
of her face, otis beginning to snow"
keep right along the path till you
come to the old stone tavern" said
Naomi, indiffcrcntly, "Thcn turn to
the right, and it amt morc'n half a
mile, or maybe three-quarters."
iNN W hN7AlNooSu bhi ohitA lIhBtltI
ON the doorstep.
81 am not very well acquainted with
the roads around here" said she, "If
you could send n boy to show me?"
1--WE don't keep no boy" said Naomi
"And we've no one TO send"
Again Miss Stuart recoiled.
Good evening" she said, gently.
Good EVENING""
And Naomi banged the door shut.
As she sat eating her supper and
helping granny to fresh supplies of
homemade bread and butter n sudden
thought dartcd into her mind.
In giving Miss Stuart. the directions
for finding her way back to SSene's
Corners, she had forgotten the young
strangers ignorance of the neighbor-
hood characteristics.
II was true that the regular road
branchcd of to the right of the ruined
pile which had once been an old stone
tavern, but there was also n disused
thoroughfare which led through dis
NAL swamp towards long abandoned
stone quarry, across rotten corduroy
road which had nearly sunk into one
OF those frightful quaking boys which
sometimes appear in dense and swampy
woods.
To one unaccustomed TO the local to-
biography II might be perilously easy Ia
stray off into the weed-grown and de-
serted track, especially when every
thing was whitened with fast falling