The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-03-04

II amt sneak! What's the matter
with you?" Thad's fist doubled and he
fell back defiant.
mo one but sneak would play a fell
low such a low-down trick as that. I'd
like to know what business you have to
cut off my BUTTON
II never cut off your precious but
TOM
"You he!"
The school uprose with one accord.
Seats clattered and indignant voices
rang: HE did," "He didn't!' II saw
him!" "You never!"
The sharp tap of the teachers bell
struck into the din. The hubub ceased.
The excited children shrank back in
their seats.
'"There, that will do" gasped the
teacher. "You 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 schoolroom 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
to responsive Bible reading in the morn
ing, and to all manner of school con-
tests.
At present Methodists and Baptists
sat in irreproachable order, their hands
c!asped convulsive]y on the desks, their
iaces 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.
1t 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 licked on, and Miss Molly con-
tinued 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. I saw him. It 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.
II shall not call for reports tonight.
Take position. You are dismissed"
Lon strobe across the room, snatched
his hat and flung out of the door. Then
ne sprang back and faced Thad.
''Tll 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 a schoolhouse, and although it's
timbers are rotten, and everybody OBJ
jects to it as an eyesore to the clear
ing, there it 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 sun
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 ill 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 SILVER, and how
the angry flames roared in the heaped
fireplaces! There was no fireplace in
the schoolhouse, but there was a stove
"a very plucky stove, ZOO. 1t stood on
one leg of it's own and three of brick and
pulled 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