The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-08-24
THEY NET BY CHANCE.
But Remained Together
Intentionally.

'tSo3u hiSAt t1uu WS1I w uo"u lily
road. She stood at the gate watching
his retreattng figure. The walk home
had not been lively, for how could
Olive chat cheerily as usual, with her
cheeks burning and her heart beating
Indignantly at the recollection Of the
scrap of gossip? She was standing In
the veStibule waiting for him at his re-
quest when the words reached her
ears.
$50 schoofmarm's after the minister
nowY
LA, yes, and she's got the inside
track Goes home from meeting with
him regular, and they do say he's
down there ev'ry week"
That was all, but it meant that she
was being watched and talked about,
and so she stood there thinking. The
moonlight seemed to mock her. Every
object in the landscape was visible in
Its brilliant rays, yet there was nothing
in4it of warmth or vitality. It struck
her that her sense of duty illufhinated
her path In life with similar cold pale
rays. She shiyered in. the fresh spring
scented air and s1rned togo in, but the
chill and sting,ofsher newzresolSe went
with hef and-dEo4e sleep away.
She had been SO innGcentiy happy.
Why could not pry1ng eyes and
gossiping tongues have turned else
where fol- employment?
OF course he came home with her.
ANY gentleman would. He went her
way and knew that Mr.. and Mrs. Hop
per never came out nights. AS for the
weekly visits, they were nothing but
psychology lessons. A progressive
schoolma'am, of course, must know it,
and he had offered to assist And she
must give it all up when she needed it
so? She set her lips firmly. She must
keep her position and couldn't afford
to be talked about 1t made no differ
ence if neither had ever had q thought
beyond the lessons, and no matter how
hard it WIS to give them up.
tits always well to stop before one
gets fond Of anything" she reasoned,
~and I'll give 1t all up and never speak
10 him again."
She had no idea how she had depend
Cd on the lessons until there were mo
more 10 which to look forward. well
talk it over at the psychology lesson"
had grown to be her habit Of meeting
schoolroom puzzles, and now that there
was to be no such way Of solving them
there were more puzzles to meet. The
following day was a hard one. Her
own sad and distraught manner was
not without its effect upon the chill
dren. A fun half hour Of the noon re-
cess the school spent as prisoners, be-
cause It was found that some one had
broken OF the knob Of the door, and II
could only be opened from the outside.
And they were compelled to wait until
some one passing released them
Feur O'Clock brought welcome relief.
sIfs the embarrassment of writing TO
the minister that ails me-" she told
herself. IF I get that off my mind,
I'll be all right and forget about il"
And diligently she set to work, but
each attempt was more unsatisfactory
than the last. The old folks had re-
tired, and the clock struck $50 just as
she signed and sealed the letter, and
then suddenly she remembered that
the school report must be made to the
Commissioners on the morrow, and the
roll books were at school.
"Pn have to get them tonight" she
said to herself. '1ate as it is. Serves
me right for being so careless"
Going to the kitchen shed, she took
down the lantern only to find it empty.
Supplying herself with matches, she
peered cautiously out upon the moonlit
road and then ran swiftly the short
distance to the schoolhouse, not seeing
the gathering clouds behind her. By
the light of the moon she unlocked the
outer door, and, in order not to repeat
the experience Of the morning, she took
up block Of wood and carefully plac-
ed It in front of the inner door to keep
It from shutting.
The dingy lamp above her desk gave
scanty light. and the task heightened
itself out until q muttering Of thunder
and dash Of rain upon the roof startled
her. Olive was not timid, as her trip
to an empty schoolhouse In the dark
would prove, but to be alone in thun-
derstorm was the one thing that I'M
nerved her. Hastily rising, she looked
UP at the lamp. 1t was nearly empty.
It would be safe to leave 1t to burn out
Of itself, and she could more easily find
her way to the door, but as she reach
ed it she came into violent collision
with the minister. He had come In
hurriedly. tripped upon the block In
the doorway, kicking it out Of his way,
and the door slammed shut behind
him.
Olive stepped back and stood trem-
bling. She was astonished, glad and
sorry at his appearance, but more than
all was she dismayed at the predica-
ment in which he had placed her, and
under the impulse Of these conflicting
emotions she burst forth angrfly:
There, now, you've shut the door.
What brought you here, anyway? !
said / would never speak to you
again."