La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1898-07-06

ly matters that unoOnsctously to him.
self, his Sunday school voice had ac-
Quired peculiar intonation which was
wholly absent ON weekdays He began
after this fashion: 49,, -
Now. children. want ycn all to sit
mp Just ~ straight and pretty as you
can aud give me all your attention for
minute or two. There-that is the way
good little boys and girls should do.
see one little girl who Ia looking out Of
the window. am afraid she thinks
am out there somewh here. perhaps up in
one Of the trees making o speech to the
little birds. (Applausive titters.)
want to tell you how good it makes me
feel to see 20 many bright. clean little
faces assembled in place like this.
learning TO do right and be good" and
% forth and 30 ON. 1t is not necessary
to set down the rest of the Oration. 1t
was of q pattern which does not vary,
and 10 it is familiar to us all. The lat
ter third Of the speech was marred by
the resumption Of fights and other rec
reations among certain Of the bad boys,
and by fidgetings and whisperings that
extended far and wide, washing even to
the bases Of isolated and incorruptible
rocks like Sid and Mary. But now every
sound ceases suddenly with the subsi-
dence of Mr.. Walters voice, and the con-
clusion Of the speech was received with
. burst of silent gratitude.
A good part of the whispering had
been occasioned by an event which was
more or less rare, the entrance Of visit
ors-Lawyer Thatcher. accompanied by
. very feeble aud aged man; fine,
portly, middle aged gentleman with
iron gray hair and dignified lady who
was doubtless the latter's wife, The
lady was leading child Tom had been
restless and full Of chaings anu repin-
ingR Conscious smitten, too, he could
not meet Amy Laurence's eye. he could
not brook her loving gaze. But when he
saw this small newcomer his Sou! was
ablaze with bliss in q moment The next
moment he was ''showinR on with all
his might-cufiing boys. pulling hair,
making faces-in o word, using every
art that seemed likely to fascinate n
girl and win her applause. His exalta-
tion had but one alloy-the memory Of
his humiliation in this angels garden
and that record in sand wns fast wash
ing out under the waves Of happiness
that were sweeping over it now.
The visitors were given the highest
seat Of honor, and as soon US Mr., Wal
ters' speech was finished he introduced
them to the school. The middle aged
man turned out to be u prodigious per-
sonage-no less a one than the county
Judge, altogether the most august crea-
tion these children had ever looked upon.
and they wondered what kind of mate
rial he was made of, and they half
wanted to bear him roar aud Were half
afraid he might too. He was from Con-
stantinople, ~ miles away. so he had
Travelled and seen the world. These very
eyes had looked upon the county court
house. which was said TO have tin
roof. The awe W hich these reflections
inspired was aitested by the impressive
silence and the ranks Of staring eyes.
This was the great Judge Thatcher.
brother Of their own lawyer JEFF
Thatcher Immediately went forward, to
be familiar with the great man and be
envied by the school. 1t would have been
music to his soul TO hear the whisper
ings. LOOK at him, Jim! He's a-going
mp there. Say-Iook! He's agoing to
shake hands with him-he is shaking
hands with himi By jings. don't you
wiab you was Jeff?"
Mr.. Walters fell to "sbowing of.
with all sorts Of official bustiug and ac-
tivities. giving orderr. delivering judg-
ments. discharging directions here.
there, everywhere that he could find .
target. The librarian "showed of. :"
running hither and thither with his
arms full Of books and making deal
Of the splutter and fuss that delights in
sect authority. The young lady teachers
showed off." bending sweetly over
pupils that were lately being boxed,
lifting pretty warning fingers At bad
little boys and patting good ones low
inRly. The young gentlemen teachers
.'sbowed on" with small seedlings and
other little displays of authority and
6ne attention to discipline, and most OF
the teachers Of both sexes found busi-
meas mp at the library by the pulpit, and
1t was busi ness that frequently had to
be done over again two or thice times
with much seeming vexation. The little
girls 'sshowed on in various ways,
and the little boys ''showed of" with
such diligence that the air was thick
- dI..szs