Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-12-28
A SCHOOLMARM'S TRIALS.


with ,le numerous parcels CT palcy Of
yOU2g girls whose gay cla-,er mad
made tlsm ssives quite conspicuous dur
-Dg sac journey So Anna had TO make
tWJ trips 10 yle waiting room before
she SCI her own baggage off. She put
her Telescope IN q vacant seat IN the cor
ner by a window while she went for
for A5r bag ana lunch O0X. o. ner -
Jur0 she put .Ie telescope On the floor
and sank down into yle vacant seat de
Jsc,sjly
1Ne journey had not been a pleasant
enc. 1t had seemed 10 Anna that The
dead level Of the Texas plans depressed
1er. The SKY touched the earth at TOO
close a 1or.zon to-day, the dull gray
above melting into the dull gray below,
leaving no v.st3s. The clum2s Of mes
Qul.e and scrub oak lost their green
in the general du,lness, and the sheep
IN the pastures huddled together, cold
and sh.vCr.ng. The whole aspect was
s-comy. The dliu OF the cas-, wind
creD- INTO the badly warmed and Ill
ventilated coach. and 81 had been IN
VAIN for Anna % button her well Worn
c.-8k I'D close about her throat; her
feet AMI limbs were cold, though her
Iacs was l5ver.snly not.
The whole tang had set her head acn-
ing. and She pressed .C asa-ns- The solid
r-la -ow. looking out across the wet
D, us hC9e.essly. Now and then the
door CT the waiting room C1aned. as q
newcomer entered and ,le sharp gus,s
OF WIND That came IN from The drear
Outside made her sl.ver W-.lin, IN
one corner Ci the spacious room. TWO
boys were dealing <CuJ plug tobacco,
h5m s3l.- oles and CO15e 20 an Old OIL
cloth covered lunch counter. Poor, III
i.l women. W--A dirty ch-dren ami cry-
ing t11ies. huiled about the stove.
making frequent -r ps 20 the le2ky Wat
er tank. with It's rusty tin cup. Cow
BOYS. with 1g leeled b0c,s and clink-
.uE SPURS. walked restessly about the
room OF stood and steamed their damp
clothes before the fire. A Mexican
uma,e vender. who occupied tle seat
next Anua's. sat doing, wan MS arms
folded ever his smoking basket.
The c-mmng.9d Od0rs Ct the damp
shucks. greasy meat and steamed meal
was s-ck5n.ng, bU- tle girl felt almost
too tired To- move. and there seemed
small chance OF her getting another
S-q- a n'n-clested wacery eyed
youth sat with a sOiled bandage COW
er.e h4lt o. d IS canker6d m0u-l, crack
'ug Dec3ns between his knuckles and
a.n7ug Inc hUls Into She sawdust box
cCs0 Ior across the aisle. Anna teE q
.a.-ga o. pam every time q nat crack
ed. and now ana then Unconscous.y
pressed her fingers nervous.y- against
her tArobb.ug temples. Outside the
ears were switching back and forth,
changing and wishing and porters
we're -umbEug and tossing trunks no-s-
ilv on the sCgEy p,9HCrm.
Life seemed to Anna utterly and alto
ge-ner q s1.a-e. ana she closed 1er eyes
bv and by 10 shut out The h.de1us, sord-d
deals cf the scene around her. There
are moments. rare enough 70 most OF
u.s. thank esd. when we seem 20 lose
the couuec- ing Ink which binds us In
fra chains ~s Dulsng. breath ng human
inv and ,aavs us stranded upon an .sl-
ana whence we may see only me intr--
cats uecleu SIN Of lies hide0uS real--y.
such q moment had come 20 Anna KIN
Ioch. and when her closed Ids -url q
her gaze inward The -e9~s ,n-ckled Oe-
Meath her thin IDS he.plessly.
T. seemed TO her that though ner IRE
had been one succession Of battles she
had never known many victories after
an and an of -1cm had left her some
dead 20 bury. bur IL ala not make ner
dafelt any easier now % reflect that
there had been eXtenuat.ng c.rcum-
stances tn her favor. She had only
taken the school on O venture. and the
odds had been against her from the
start She had been tCO quiet. too re-
served. too cultured. in fact. for poor,
h7rd-sequrel. narrower nded settlers
whose children she had tried TO teach
i'm the little bare Texas town Than made
scarce a blot on -he spreading pra-r-es.
The children who had been brave
enough 10 come to school TO her sal
and stared at her over their desks, thell
ewes big with fear and wonder; the wo-
men. moor. hard worked, weary things
came 10 their doors 20 look after her az
she passed and the men STONED thel
teams and forgot to lift their hats
when they saw hera wandering alone
about the prairies with her flower press
or her stone hammer in her hand. II
only made the memory of all this hard
or now TO reflect that she might have
mer the chfIdren's awe struck helpless
gaze half way aud satisfied 1t; that shC
could have gone TO the little bare house;
sometimes and sat with the tired wo-
men and held their babies, maybe
which was an they knew, poor things
that she might have spoken word OF
TWO now and then 70 the men 10 show
them she was neither dazed nor daft
These We're the things she might have
done and had not instead. she found
herself driven more and more upon
herself here, and when mid-term came
the burden had grown too greet and she
had shifted IT, She hadtOld the few
few children who were left staring a.
her that they might pack up their books
and go home. and tho poor things haC
been too scard to ask why. There was
nothing else TO do but TO lock up the
school house and give the key to the
old blacksmith next door, from whom
she had obtained il in September.
This here place amt fttin' fur you
Miss. " 10 bad sli3 O 1er t01t first day
and he only repeated it with a little
look of pity when she told him goodby
He was the nearest approach to- friend
she had made during her stay. Old
Mrs Gajdr. with whom She boarded
had shut her lips close. when Anna told
her she was going away. The So which
the cIrl paid "cr weekly was aimo- ~
that lay between the Old woman and
slarv fCu bul deep down iu hep heart
the poor thing felt a sense Of relief.
Miss Kiul0ch's ways ain Our ways,
She had rOld the ueighbOrS when they