The Opelousas courier., 1894-01-13
complains again I'll tell him to come
and COO fnr himself

ME as rGWnr,t eltneT iOI Htu'iS ing AoA's
or for not having broken our heads, as
some of the grumblers commended.
For weeks we all looked forward to 1T.
We were proud Of our school and liked
to compare It with others.
Ore afternoon. about q week before
the picnic. Robert Dawson and his
father were brenkin9a young horse. 1t
stopped directly i'll front OF the school
house. One of the boys whispered
that no animal Rob Dawson rode
could pass Miss Hope till his master
had looked Mt her. but the girls would
not listen tc his joke. 1t was recess,
and we were all out upon the grounds.
We had seen colts broken beige and
knew enough to be quiet but Miss
Hope cried out
ooh, what a beauty"
That was true, and the remark
pleased the nawsons, for they were
very proud Of their horses
"les," said Robert, che is a beauty,
and quite gentle, too
Then why do you keep the rope on
it's neck and in it's mouth?'
"Because lie is not quite broken yet
and If he gets frightened q few jerks
on that soon quiets hisl. I'm going
to drive this team and take a load Of
the children to the picnic for you.
May T."
He looked at her entreatingl,y.
Miss Hone blushed q little as she an
swered:
"Are you sure it will be safe?'
"Whv, yes. If you like I'll leave
the rope on, although it won't be nee
essary by that time
ooh, thank you! You are very
kind"
The last day of school-our picnic
day-tinally arrived. The whole dis
trict-mcn, and children
were going. We met at the school
house. How happy we were as we
rode through the beautiful country
Even the voices of the grumblers,
those who found fault with the teacher
and predicted dire results from her
calisthenic drills and ''sich dolns, y
became attuned to nature and helped
complete the harmony of the day.
Oh. what a day that was in the
woods and on the water! But 1t ended
at last. The children were to start
home first, while the older ones, with
Miss Hope, remained to pack up the
things.
How It was no n ever could quite
tell it must have been the horns, l
think, but after the children We're oil
in the wagon that colt, without the
least warming, suddenly jerked itself
loose from the man who was holding
it, and, dragging the rope, spranS
away, and before any n could reach
out a saving hand the horses were dash
ing down the mountain with the
crowded wagon.
We sat still and dumb, with white
faces. afraid to move or scream, al
though some of the little ones hid
their heads and cried. We were help,
less with fear. Barbara Hunter had
taken the reins. but she dared not use
them, for at each pull the colt reared
and kicked. We knew nothing could
save us from being thrown into the IA
vine if the horses speed was not slack
ened before we roundedthe sharp, mar
row curve.
But who was that in the road at
least a dozen rods from the curve?
Miss Hope! Her dress was torn, and
her sweet face and hands all scratched
and bleeding. In n few moments she
had secured the dragging rope, which
we had forgotten, and calling to Bar
bara to pull hard on the reins, the
horses we're brought to q stop just as
Robert Dawson, on horseback, dashed
upon the Gene.
Miss Hope tainted dead away then.
Robert caught her in his arms and
called her wildly by name; but she was
unconscious still when they took her
home. For days she lay tossing in the
delirium of brain fever. She recov-
cred at last, and oon after that we
learned that we were to lose our
teacher; for Robert Dawson never
rested until she promised to be his
wife.
We were all sorry to lose Miss Hope,
but none more so than Mr.. Sawyer.
81 don't care whether she knows
how to teach in the old way or not"
he said to one Of the trustees; but a
girl who could climb down the noun
tain nand over hand, on the wild grape
vines. to save the lives of a lot Of chill
dren, is fit to be trusted with those
children anywhere. I'm afraid we
shall never see her like again"
And we never have, in the school
room; but Mrs. Robert Dawson is a
socisl power in the district, and her
former pupils are her most devoted
friends. -Waverly Magazine.
Caught a Big Alligator OH Their Hook.
Last Sunday Claude Fowler, Alex.
and Henry Stephenson, Irving Wes-
t%ervelt, Willie Lyons and Kimberlin
went out to the pump house to spend
the day on the banks of the Nueces
River. Claude Fowler and Alex.
Stevenson got in a skiff and went troll
ling for alligator gars. Fowler was
at the oars and Stevenson was handl-
ing the line when suddenly the boat
gave a lurch that almost threw them
both out. Something had got fas-
tened on the hook, which they imag-
ined was a sure enough whale, SO, tell
ing Stevenson to "give him line"
Fowler at once pulled for the shore.
The shore being gained, the fishermen
began pulling in the line to see what
was on the other end of it. It proved
to be q monster alligator, the large
hook having in some way become fas-
tened to one of his forelegs.
hg&or ,,1!;, ~, ,1ro4n~ 10 49, cnov,