Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1898-10-01
ONE TEACHER.
BY JUANITA.

Far up among New England hills,
little town stretches its two white
spires skyward, typical country
town whose farm products are sent
to the distant city. Day by day the
same routine of life goes on and
those who worked steadily all day
neither knew nor cared for different
kind of life. The number OF milk
cans carried each day TO the railroad
station, the price of eggs, the loca-
ton of portable saw mill these
were the Questions of tho day."
Each week at the little postoffice
various weekly papers were dis
tributed, which let light from the
outside world upon current matters.
Every Sunday large portion OF the
women and children and smaller
part of the men gathered to hear the
preacher speak. In the evening the
young men and girls are noticeably
present. Here, pair timidly shar-.
ing the same hymn book, for the irst
time, perhaps. There, two others
boldly holding each others hands,
while across the hall complacent
"ma" watches the daughter SO soon
to leave her, and is proud of the lad
who has gone with her stwo years
come Christmas Wednesday night
is grange night, and a good atten-
dance is nearly always found, for
this is the only social function. save
perhaps an occasional supper, or
"entertainment.n
In this town Fred Maynard was
born and had lived for 30 years.
The only son of farmer, his inheri-
lance, like his fathers before him.
was tract OF land, buildings con-
stantly needing repair, and all the
paraphernalia connected with q farm,
From this he was sure of gaining by
constant, never ceasing toll, bare
livelihood. In school he had mas
tered the common branches and had
only felt an occasional desire to 90
farther. True, in his trips TO the
nearest city he had often wished that
it might have been his fate to collect
fares on an electric car or to hold
a clerkship in mercantile house
but from the noise and hustle Of the
huge factories where so many men
where employed be shrank instinc--
lively. But at home he was content.
subject only to an occasional vague
unrest, satisfied when enough was
saved to buy carriage and harness
for the lively colt he had raised him.
self.
No disturbing element had as yet
entered his life. He dimly felt that
some day he should marry, just who
or when he didn't care, and that his
life would go on as his fathers had
done, growing neither richer nor
poorer, but in the same routine
which was the only life he knew.
You think him wholly without am
bition? Indeed he was not! He
was simply without food for thought.
"Food for thought you exclaim
with tue glorious possibilities Of
natural science about him ~ All
that is true, and 10 his own way
Fred Maynard was as ardent lover
of nature as ever Thorean was In his.
But he simply needed to be aroused,
as so many more OF him needed
arousisg, for you will find Fred
Maynards, beneath whose rough ex-
terror no slumbering genius lies,
whose environment is the architect
OF their character and in whose hon.
est souls is plenty of true manhood.
And SO up to the fall of his goth
year he had lived his uneventful life,
little dreaming what change was
soon to come.
1t had happened that for the past
eight years, the district school, near
the Maynards'h home, had been taught
by an elderly maiden who had at
last given her hand to sutton of
many years. standing, thus neess-
stating the selection OF another to
gil her place. That this selection
was left to the superintendent who
counted ton in with his district
was matter of rejoicing to the chill.
dren who had SO eagerly sought the
change.
Rather curiously, but on the whole
indifferently. Fred listened to his
mothers plan of boarding the new
teacher, and when word came of the
train On which she was expected, it
required deciding urging on his
mothers part to pursuade him to