Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-11-30
HER BIGGEST PUPIL.

II
puts out his hand. She takes 1t In a
hesitating manner) You don't know
me. was afraid you wouldn't FIJI
| teen years, and beard, and any num-
| Der of hard knocks do change a man.
| But you-why, you've scarcely altered
a particle. Can't you guess who 1t Is!
| Mary-You remind me-sOmething In
your yoice-in your smile-reminds me
| of-of boy I once knew.
Jim, delightedly-fm the boy.
| Mary-Not-not Jim Thrasher!
| Jim-The very identical.
Mary-I'm so glad to see you. (She
takes his hand impulsively.) Sit down,
| please. 1t Is SO kind of you to hunt
me up. I've thought about you many
times and tried to wonder what you
were doing and what you had become.
Jim-That's very good Of you, Miss
| Mary. hardly supposed you'd cher
ish such pleasant remembrances for
your biggest pupil What gawk l
was! l can't imagine how you had any
patience with me. Let me see.
| was just 20 that last winter in the old
| red school house and head taller than
| you-and two years older, wasn't /?
What an awkward problem l must
have been for you! Too old to learn
and too big to whip.
Mary-Ah, but you never needed
| whipping. You were my right hand
man, my prop, my encouragement.
don't know what ] would have done
with those big boys from down the
creek IL 1t hadn't been for your strong
muscles.
| Jim-Do you remember how you talk
ed to me the first day came to school?
| had come with those very creek boys
to make trouble. My mother died when
was very young, and no other woman
had ever talked kindly to me. When
you appealed to my honor, and putting
! your hand on my shoulder begged me
not to bury the good that was in me,
something seemed to swell in my
| breast, and from that moment l re-
solved to be a mana man whom you
would one day be proud to say you
knew.
Mary-YOu make me very happy. 1t
is a wonderful pleasure to feel that my
poor efforts were not all wasted. 1t
makes life worth living.
Jim-Life, then, hasn't always-bnt
tell me something about yourself.
Mary-There is very little to tell. My
mother died the summer after you went
West, and i had to return home and
keep house for father. In a year or
two his health failed, and after a long,
long sickness he died. Ny brother and
l were alone, and after he found a sit
uatiou on the railroad we moved here.
When the war broke out brother en-
listed, and died at Tampa Of fever.
Jim, after a pause-And SO you have
no ties to keep you here?
| Mary-None.
| finland may l ask
| Mary-How l support myself? have
FIVE little pupils whom l am teaching
the rudiments, and do some fine sew
ing. l get along very well-only there
is always the fear Of sickness. Now
tell me about yourself.
Jim-One moment. l want to say to
you, Miss Mary, that I've been trying
to find you out for a long time. /
wrote to the old neighborhood, asking
for you, but they answered that nobody
knew where you had gone. l wouldn't
have traced you down here If it hadn't
been for Joe Slater. You remember
little red-headed Joe, the scamp Of the
school? Well. he came out to Montana,
looking for work, and gave him job,
and, one day. i'm recalling old times, he
said he was sure he saw you In this
iowa. That's how l came to be here.
About myself! Well. whatever | am,
it Is you that gave me the start. fancy
I've done pretty well. I'm something
of a mine owner and something of a
capitalist, and I've served term in
Congress and could have gone back.
I've got a nice house I'm Helena, and
there's enough idle cash lying around
to enable me to travel as much and as
far as / please. You understand I'm
not blowing my trumpet for the per-
sonal qualification there is i'm it--and
yet 1t rs personal qualification to blow
il before you. I'm accounting, as IL
were, for the use I've made Of those
talents you called my attention to fif-
teen years ago.
Mary-I'm very glad to hear of your
success. ! knew you had it In you.
You have made the day very bright
for me.
JIM am not yet quite sure whether
ii will be bright day for me or not
The fact Is, IL want to ask you a
favor, Miss Mary.
Maya favor. Jim?
Jim-Yes. a great favor. IL want
to be your biggest pupil again.
Mary-I-I don't understand
Jim-And | want to be your only pupil
need your help. They're talking OF
making me governor next fall and III
require lots of polishing up oh. 1t
will be hard work. but you'll find me
"a willing pupil. l.
/ Nary don't know what you mean.
Jim (rising and coming closer)--I'll
explain. They say. you know. that a
well-ordered boy usually falls in love
with his teacher. That's his very first
loye. And most well ordered boys get
over IL. But this boy Is different. He
doesn't get over ii. That teacher has
been to him the one ideal of sweet
Il ~