Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1898-04-01
JUPITER JENKINS:
SGHO0LnASTER.
The hove Story Of Red-Headed Girl.
BY STANLEY EDWARD JOHNSON.

"Jovi non placet" wrote the red-headed
girl In the back sent of the wide, oblong
schooroom. Mr.. Harrison Jenkins, the
presiding genius of the place, stood
scowling behind his desk struggling with
the class in Latin. These young boys
and girls, who looked pityingly up to
his dark face, were struggling with the
verb sum"
The lesson had been poorly prepared.
and the issue of thunderbolts were soon
expected to shower from this pedagogi-
cal Olympus. At last 1t came.
Mr.. Jenkins brought his fist down upon
the plain deal board with thump that
awoke every languid mind in the room.
rs this what you come to school for?'
he began, as If addressing jury. rs
this the way you use one of the most
precious gifts that God has given to you?
Here you are, a whole class of bright
boys and girls, with brains enough to do
anything you desire in this great world.
throwing away the greatest opportunity
of your lives. If this was an institution
for weak-minded children l would have
some compassion for you. But your
faces are all bright. and your eyes all
clear and yet you will come to me with
such a lesson as this!" Mr.. Jenkins
punctured every sentence with that echo
ing thump on the desk which carried
conviction and modification to the minds
of each boy and girl before him.
1t was then that the red-headed girl
on the back seat wrote "Jovi non placet."
at Is not pleasing to Jupiter"
Geraldine Coffin was Mr.. Jenkins
pride. He had no favorites, at least,
such never appeared in the little common
wealth. which he held in the hollow
of his hand. But in Geraldine he was
intensely interested, and he often found
A.. Ii t14 A..
Jenkins held the whole of his fifty odd
young spirits in the hollow of his hand,
the red-headed girl was the one person
he was not quite sure of. Geraldine had
given him the name of Jupiter" and
1t fitted so we'll, that 1t was at once
adopted by all his subjects.
when he pounds his desk, and that
great shaggy head shakes so, and his
blue eyes flash, all can think OF is Ju-
piter sending thunderbolts to earth
and in this remark Geraldine had chris
tened him. Many times he had thought
he had heard the name Jupiter JENKINS
but he had never ben able to capture
one of these elring mortais. OF course
he knew he was called "Jupiter;" he had
been told so by admiring parents, who
knew he would be pleased, and he was
But 1t is with the red-headed girl that
this story Is chiefly concerned. She was
the only human problem that Jupiter
jenkins could not solve. Geraldine Cot
I'm had been an inmate of the school
room only a few days when Mr.. jenkins
discovered that she possessed an unusual
mind. He laid his plans to make the
most he could of her. He was accus-
toned to the use of the parable of the
talents in the schoolroom. and to say
that to whom much was given much
would be require. The getting of lessons
was an easy matter to Geraldine Coffin.
She not only learned them, but the truths
: and principles were digested and sank
into her mind, clearly understood and
stored away, until the day which would
call them into use
Jupiter Jenkins was accustomed to say
that hardly more than one child in twen-
ty really digested knowledge.
| III.
He had come to complain to Geraldine's
mother that her daughter sometimes
failed in her lessons, and that II was in
eXcusable in one who had such mind.
81 have come to tell you this, Mrs. Cof-
| fin, when / would not take the trouble
| to inform another mother, for the rea-
son, and this alone: Geraldine has an
| unusual mind, and she can make any
thing she pleases of herself. If she
| knows you and l are one in this matter
| she will not care to trouble us by neg
lecting to get her lessons"
| Geraldine's mother was as much fat
|
| of course, Jupiter Jenkins was upheld.
| Thus he dealt with Geraldine, conscious
of his power He endeavored to make
her fail, and whenever she did she was
compelled to remain after school and get
| her lessons.
a somew hat hayward nature, in the tex
ture of Geraldine Coff'r's personality
She was often rough and hoyden!sh, and
she caused no end of trouble. With the
deep interest the young mast er took ir
! her a sense of power developed. Wher
| Mr. Jenkins supposed ne had her solidls
in his control, there would burst forth 6
fit of don't care in her. which aston.
ished and alarmed him.
Then the thunderbolts flew to punctu,
ate the masters fluent words of indigna'
ton. when one has the mighty gift OF
brains, he Numbered. land lifes road
lies before to choose what is best anc
highest, to be lazy and languid, and moi
to reach the arm to grasp the COLDER
apple of the intellectual Hesperides, IL
the greatest wrong"
1t was then that Geraldine, her color
slightly brighter and her head triht
higher, would return to her seat and
write "Jovi non placet'-"It is not pleas
| irg to Jupiter"
There were certain rare facts abou
Geraldine that Jupiter Jenkins. in hi:
teachers enthusiasm, had not noticed
!
pretty girl But IL he had been imper
vious to this fact, there were others whC
had not, and among those were some o.
the big boys in the school.
Geraldine was growing, and she wal
now tall and 1.-THE of figure. with he
big blue eyes clearer, and more express
sive, as she looked at people. The tru'
soul of a rather designing maiden wal
ST owing forth from them. She was glaC
to receive attentions, and it smote Jupite
hard, when he observed that she walked
with one and then with another in tn
still and balmy spring evenings. Jus
why it smote him as it did, Mr., jenkins
never knew, until a few years later.
But 1t did, and Geraldine's face seemed
to have framed itself into the center o
fis thoughts She required to his con
seriousness, constantly. and when h,
thought of these Zig boys. he was trul!
uncomfortable.
He had another conference with Mrs
Coffin, in which he suggested that Ger
aldiDe had better be kept in the house
and made to give closer attention TO he
lessons. When he called her in recita
tiol he was also doing his best to maxi
the girl fail Ard when she did fail h
did his best to make it uncomfortable fo
Der ba had 10 raYnain fta.- SchnaI onf