Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-05-13
81 never cut off your precious but

You ueI
The school uprose with one accord.
Seats clattered and indignant voices
rang: "He didI" "He didn't" II saw
himi" "You neyerl"
The sharp tap of the teachers bell
struck into the din. The hubub ceased.
The excited children shrank back in
their seats.
'sThere, that will dol" gasped the
teacher. ssYou may take your seats,
boys, Ordelia; the class is dismissed.
The school may come to order. Now
we will have season of quiet"
Miss Molly clasped her hands upon
her desk, and looked coldly down one
side of the room and up the other.
In proportion to the number of pu-
pills, the schooifoom was very large. AT
the suggestion of Miss Molly, who de
sired space for calisthenics, the chill
dren had ranged their desks on opposite
sides of the room, and behold! the Bap-
lists all on one side, the Methodists on
the other. And there they sat fact to
face-an arrangement that added zest
20 responsive Bible reading in the morn
ng. and to all manner of school con-
tests.
At presenA Methodists and Baptists
sat in irreproachable order, their hands
clasped convulsively on the desks, their
faces averted or lowered, lest they
should either laugh or cry. Two bright
spots burned on Ordelia's cheeks, but
she sat perfectly still, her eyes down.
Thad, opposite, was casting anxious
glances toward her. Lon, on the same
side of the room as Ordelia, but several
seats removed, was staring straight be-
fore him. his gray eyes swapping with
anger, his lips closely pressed.
It was already past time for school to
close. The younger children looked sly
ly at the solemn clock, and softly
sighed.
The geese came waddling past from
the pond, screaming in shrillest deri-
sion. Mr.. Oscars mules thrust their
noses through broken window, flung
up their heels and dashed away. But
the clock ticked on, and Miss Molly con-
tinu.d to look out of the window. Sud-
denly the season of quiet was broken
by a shrill announcement.
"He didn't cut it off He done jerked
it off. / saw him." 1t was the voice of
the first reader class-of Pouley, who
sat alone in the shadow of Miss Molly's
desk, carefully showed back until all
but his wriggly toes were out of sight
of Miss Molly's eyes.
At this audacious outburst from the
youngest class, Guy and Gistee. the sec
ond class, turned their backs and
clapped their hands over their mouths;
but in spite of their desperate efforts
at self-control, little squeaks of merri-
ment escaped between their fingers.
Miss Molly opened her report book,
looked at the convulsed school, and
quietly replaced the book in the desk.
81 shall not call for reports tonight.
Take position. You are dismissed"
Lon strode across the room, snatched
his hat and flung out of the door. Then
he sprang back and faced Thad.
''I'I get even with you for that dirty
mean trick, and don't you forget it!"
Thad shrugged his shoulders, turned
on his heel, and walked over to Ordelia.
She held the lost button in her hand,
and took a step toward the door, but
Lon was gone.
Miss Molly's school-room was the old
Methodist church. When the fine new
church was completed, the old building
became schoolhouse, and although it's
timbers are rotten, and everybody OBJ
jects to it as an eyesore to the clear
ing, there II still stands to this day-one
corner in the old graveyard, one corner
in Mr.. Oscars cane patch, one corner in
the public road, and the other corner
it has never been determined just where.
Fortunately for the school, the line of
Mr.. Oscars cane patch runs just through
the crack of the double front door, so
that sufficient length of the steps re-
manned unfenced, to afford to Miss Molly
and the children unobstructed entrance
and exit.
One day-a February day in that sum
ny south-when the class in denominate
numbers was required to estimate the
area of the whole interior of the house,
with view to putting in ceiling with
out knotholes and floor that would not
wobble, an i'll wind from Miss Molly's
cold home away up north swooped down
into the piny woods and came nigh to
sweeping the steadfast old Methodist
church quite beyond the possibilities of
reconstruction.
How everybody did shiver, and how
the angry flames roared in the heaped
f1replacesi There was no fireplace in
the schoolhouse, but there was stove
"a very plucky stove, TOO. 1t stood on
one leg of it's own and three of brick and
puffed away until it was red all over,
reckless of the fact that at any moment
the stovepipe might topple or telescope
down and set fire to the schoolhouse.
1t was Ions day to provide fuel, and
great pile of lightwood and pine knots
oyerhowed the wood box.
The children had gathered in a close
circle about the stove, screening their
faces as best they could from the scorch-
ing heat of the fire, and forgetting the
shivers behind in complacent contem-
plation of Miss Molly's red nose and
purple chin Thad, with his usual as
surance, had placed himself beside Or
della. Ordelia perused her book, coolly
Indifferent to his presence. Lon sat
apart from everyone and deigned to
look neither to the right nor to the left
Of his history book.
Lon had been in the dumps ever since
the loss of his button, and it was under
stood by the school that he was likely
to remain in that unhappy state of mind
until he had thought out some ade-
quate revenge for Thad's meanness.
Accordingly, since the morning when he
had shortly refused to permit Ordelia
to sew on the button, the school had
let him respectfully alone.
The door of the schoolhouse had been
closed, even locked. against theweather.
The windows had been stuffed with
bats and bonnets. But the boisterous
norther secuted such frail defenses.
It seized the sides Of the house and
shooh them till they swayed. 1t
screamed through cracks and whistled
through lnot-holes; it swept under the
rotten sills and sifted up through the
floor. Above, below, and on every side
1t entered, cold and gusty, pressing