The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-04
No CRIME ID LOVE-
Case Against Miss Decker,
Who Loved Joe Squires
AND WAS LOVED BY HIM
Decided in Her Favor--How
Her Pupils Ratified.

New York. April s-The Journal says
There is still hope for Good Ground. The
School Trustee Seymour L. Squires &c
| frown down Cupid just because one Of the
small bowman's darts had lodged hard and
| fast in his overgrown and comely son
! joe has come 10 naught.
| School commissioner Charles H. Howell
! Of Riverhead, yesterday proved himself a
! Solomon. He demonstrated that ne, like
| most folk along Shinnecock Bay and else
| where, loves lover. He decided all in
! due form, that Leah Maud Decker, the
| pretty school ma'am for hsart-breaking
love of whom Joe" Squires tried to kill
! himself, should not be deprived Of her
| teachers certificate.
When the Good Ground heard the news
it laughed and cried and huggeditself for
joy; for never mind If Seymour Squires
IS king of Good Ground and head of
the Squlres family, which IS as old as
Suffolk County and older. the denizeneS
of Good Ground. young and old, are with
Miss Decker.
conduct in Good Ground, its creed, its
| philosophy, will be found in the fine, know
ing aphorism with which Miss Decker
plead her whole cause when she was on
trial with every gossip in the district
waiting, eager-eared TO hear what excuse
she had to make for stealing away Joe
Squires' heart.
''When you love you love, and you can
not get away from it,
That was what eachained the judgment
OF tibet commissioner. It was brief, testi-
mony, summing up the charge all in one.
Beside that simple, cogent truth the quib-
bling of the lawyers. the wrath of Sey-
mour Squires, and even the narrative of
Joes old uncle. who, through a hole bored
in the ceiling. peeked into the little teach
er's bedroom. awaited nothing. So yester-
day he mailed to the Good Ground trus-
tees and to Miss Decker this decision,
which has made all the Good Ground peo-
pie glad except "Joe's" folks:
In the matter of the charge made by
SquiresSeymour L, Squires against Maud
Decker, the evidence shows that the de-
PENDANT has been indescreet. but after a
careful reconsideration of the evidence I
fail to find that which warrants me in
annulling the defendants certificate, and
thereby under the charges brought against
her, branding her as an immoral person.
I therefore refuse to annul the certificate
or license Of Leah NJ. Decker on the charg-
es brought against her.
CHARLES H. HOWELL
Miss Decker has been waiting for that
notice from her judge for weeks. Every
Saturday she has gone 10 her mali her
SET. and on week days, when she was
busy teaching the youngsters in the Good
Ground school-for $40 a week and board
yourself-she has sent Bessie Francin. a
brown-haired fodder of six. TO ask the
postmaster for the letter which, somehow,
persisted in never coming
Bessie Francin made the journey back
to the school house yesterday in quicker
time than she had ever made It before.
Her little feet fairly flew, and with face
all red and her hair blown about her
countenence she burst into the school room
where Miss Decker was teaching the class
in arithmetic and handed her the letter.
The teachers cheeks went pale and her
hands trembled as she opened the envelope
Education in Good Ground stopped for
few minutes OF it's own accord. The room
was deathly still. The rattle OF the paper
sounded strangely loud
A smile overspread Miss Decker's face.
and, turning hurridly, she threw open the
folding doors leading TO Principal Mller's
room, ran in and handed him the letter.
He didn't stop to read it. The girls face
told him the whole story. The clock hands
pointed TO ten minutes OF Il.
I'VE will go on with exercises" said
the principal At enc minute past twelve
the decision will be read 10 you" The
scholars had waited FOR this news with as
much eagerness as Miss Decker had, and
they new now from her radiant face that
it was good news. But they kept order
till the minute hand showed clear Of the
XII. Then Mr.. Miller read the decision.
and for five minutes the school room walls
trsmbled with cheering. There has never
been any doubt about whose side the pu-
pills Of the school took in the Good Ground
love affair.
One stroke OF the bell sent them free.
and they charged, rush line fashion. about
the teacher, threw their arms around her
kissed her and wiped the tears out OF
their gilstening eyes.
Then in the midst Of the hubbu5 the big
boys started the bell rope, and the wild
changing told Good Ground OF the discou-
future OF Seymour Squ.res.
While ths mesa sc was SIN ringing out
the two school flags went shooting aloft.
and the scholars. boys and girls alike. ran
out OF the doors cheering. u was the
widest noon hour that the quiet seaside
town has ever known. Drums. TN pans,
everything that would furnish turnalt y IS
called mot reqlisiuoH. and al I-npronptu
procession was formed. which wound NOS
Ey through the village streets. go Ist
.ly through ire village streets, '5ust' az
friend q Miss Decker said. 80 iet the
squireses know what had happened"
There Vas more cheering when the
school reasssunbled All through ths early
hours % the afternoon Ire Stars and
Stripes fsuntes from the sca3oi h7uae-
demonstration one = Ire laGs. q. ns5cE
70 The roof. hauled down the larger fsg
and. descending. wound = sbo1t the
teacher. ard thsa the scholars marched
around her n tine % tae.r oEu sng-Hg
The1 trey we1t back 20 thet- BOOK
When ire sc507! vas over Ms Dszxe-
walked 20 the railroad station and ca &c +.
I'd ne Journal ca fhs te5eph71s-
II Gor-t kncx whether yoz rad ERE
good k-evs - bot 45a sad. 20
1a3-Eht II te8 you"
~An1 are yea happy