Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1899-12-13
HER BIGGEST PUPIL.

| cottage III which Miss Mary Brewster
boards.
Mr.. Jim Thrasher nervously await
ing her, his stalwart form perched on
the edge of an easy chair.
AS she enters his eye brlghtens. he
Ismiles, and dropping his broad brim-
med hat on the floor he rises.
Mary-You wished to see me?
Jim-Yes, Miss Mary (He eagerly
puts out his hand. She takes it In n
hesitating manner) You don't know
me. l was afraid you wouldn't. Fif-
teen years. and beard, and any num-
Der of hard knocks do change n man.
But you-why. you've scarcely altered
"a particle. Can't you guess who 1t is?
Mary-You remind me-something in
your voice-in your smile-reminds me
0f--of boy l once knew
Jim, elightedly-I'm the boy.
Mary-Not-not Jim Thrasher?
Jim-The very identical.
Mary-I'm so glad to see you. (She
takes his hand impulsiyely) 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 l hardly supposed you'd cher
ish such pleasant remembrances for
your biggest pupil. What "A gawk |
was! / 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 l?
What an awkward problem | 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 l would have done
with those big boys from down the
creek If it hadn't been for your strong
muscles.
Jim-Do you remember how you talk
ed to me the first day l came to school
| had come with those very creek boys
to make trouble. My mother died when
1 was very young, and no other woman
had ever talked kindly to me. When
lyou 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 mana man whom you
kwould one day be proud to say you
Nnew.
.Mary-You make me very happy. 1t
isaa wonderful pleasure to feel that my
poor efforts were not all wasted. 1t
makes life worth living.
Jfm-Life, then, hasn't always-but
telltme something about yourself.
Mary-There is very little to tell My
mother died the summer after you went
keep house for father. In year or
two his health failed, and after long,
long sickness he died. My brother and
| were alone, and after he found a sit
uation 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.
Jim-And may I ask
Mary-How l support myself? have
Eve little pupils whom l am teaching
the rudiments, and do some fine sew
ing get along very well-only there
! is always the fear of sickness. Now
tell me about yourself
J Jim-One moment. l want to say to
you. Miss Mary, that I've been trying
to find you out for long time. l
wrote to the old neighborhood, asking
for you, buA they answered that nobody
knew where you had gone. l wouldn't
have traced you down here IL 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 a job,
and, one day, in recalling old times, he
said he was sure he saw you in this
! town. That's how | came to be here.
About myself? Well, whatever l am.
It Is you that gave me the start. fancy
I've done pretty we'll I'm something
of mine owner and something of a
capitalist, and I've served term in
/ Congress and could have gone back.
I've got nice house in Helena, and
there's enough idle cash lying around
to> enable me to travel as much and as
far,as / please. You understand Pm
not \blowing my trumpet for the per
sonal qualification there Is in it-and
Jet it is personal qualification to blow
it before you. I'm accounting. as 1t
were. for the use I've made of those
talents you called my attention to ff-
teen years ago.
Mary-pm very glad to hear OF your