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

y
person, stiff and proper to the last
degree, company for his mother, and
bringing an addition to their income,
therefore TO be endured. So with a
shrug OF his shoulders he started to
the barn to harness and drive to the
station, three miles distant. Let US
look At him as he holds the prauciDg
colt with firm hand as tie I o'clock
express puffs slowly in. Tall and
well built, with clear, dark eyes and
hair on which q cap was carelessly
placed. His cheap clothes, on the
whole, fitted him we'll, and the collar
Of tho cotton shirt, guiltless of tie,
rolled back from throat whose clear
skin was Redeemed by exposure to
sun and wind. The hand placed
lightly on the horses name, Drowned
and roughened as it was, was still
well formed and full of character.
Scanning the passengers with in
curing gaze, he never forgot the
picture that met his eye. A girl
with waves of blonde hair stood on
the platform anxiousiy grasping
number of checks and looking with
questioning eyes at the surroundings.
Fred Maynard has always remem-
bered that vision of lovely girlhood,
whose every motion showed grace
be had never before witnessed and
the cut Of whose severely plain
travelling dress spoke OF style en-
tirely unknown and at that time
wholly unrealized. He wondered
who she was as one by one the pas
seDgers left the depot and she was
left alone, and it was not until low
voice with the unmistakable timbre
OF good breeding "begged his par
don, but was there any conveyance
TO the East School district" that he
connected her with the teacher he
came to meet Somehow the glance
Of her laughing eyes puzzled him as
he explained he had come for her,
and when she had given the baggage
man her checks he stared in surprise
at the pile of luggage left on the
platform. "I'll come for them to-
morrow with the cart, be said, as he
helped her into the carriage and
lifted in the case of russell leather
with its silver tag. He vaguely
wondered at his lack of words in re.
| plying to the inquiries of the clear
voice and why he felt so queer when
he once glanced into those merry
eyes. He little dreamed how much
this self-possessed young person was
enjoying the situation, or how the
whole Interview was that night to be
written upon the daiHtiest of note
paper for the benefit of the city
friend.
But gyradually as they neared
home, 8 6azy, dlssasisned fee1fng
stole over him, nothing definite as
yet, except, perhaps a wish that he
had worn a collar. Often in the
same carriage be had ridden over
the same road with country maiden
bedecked with bright ribbons and
iower.trimmed hat, and was it sig
nificaDt that be made the COMPARE
son with the plain dress and jaunty
sailor of the girl at his side. He
had known how to say soft nothings
to those girls, he had bodily repulsed
the pushes and shoves when his arm
was thrown across the back of the
seat, but now he could only talk in
monosyllables, and as for ever touch.
ing the small, gloved hand spring.
ing from the immaculate, gold linked
cuff, why, he positively could not.
| He looked on, dazzled at the smile
which lit up the whole face as she
extended her hand to his mother who
met them at the door with, 81 am
Miss Atwood, the new teacher" Alb!
Fred Maynard, little as you suspect
it, the first seed has been sown which
Is to spring up and bear fruit, dis
content, ambition and fame.
Supper, on the whole, was pleas.
ant meal, for Muriel Atwood had a
wonderfully winning way and readily
set Mr.. and Mrs. Maynard at ease.
She had removed her jacket and in
the simple grace of her shirt waist
talked SO simply and yet so pleas
ingly that she completely won the
hearts OF the three listeners. They
learned she was fresh from a normal
college yet and knew nothing of
farm life. She excused herself at
once when the meal was over, seem
ingly pleased with everything. In
the privacy OF the room assigned her
she addressed herself thus, in the
small mirrow: NOW, young lady,
you are In for it, and don't you dare
once even make sign that it isn't
just to your mind" She looked
shout the room, clean and stiff, as
only "spare chambers" can be, but
she knew the transformation the con-
| tents of her trunks would work, and
she went to bed, as she wrote her
mother, actually without shedding
q tear"
For Eve months Muriel Atwood
taught, that district school and in
those Eve months a transformation
| took place in the school lives of the