The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-13
SCHOOL MARIN OF RED ELM
[From the Washington Post-l

IIIILE a
when she came to take charge of the
district school. The first Sunday after
her instalIment eyes and whispered COM
ments followed her up the aisle as she
went with Squire Bailey to a seat: and
after service she was the one subject of
you say she's eighteen? Well, she
amt spent her time growing; a pound
of soap after a weeks washing is as big
1.-The children said she was so little
her feet did not touch the floor when she
sat in her chair on the rostrun; but
didn't expect to see such a kid said
Mrs. Moore. "She doesn't even dress like
a teacher-look as those elbow sleeves
and yards of ribbon
She'll never govern that school this
side of kingdom come" sighed Mrs.
Wade. Bob Smith and his crew will
scare the life out of her the first time
resign
yes, for it takes as much muscle as
book learning to teach in Red ELM re-
piled Mrs. Moore. fsI wonder what
gage a child like that. My Sally could do
as well, for she's ciphered up to sniscel-
laneous examples in the back of the
arithmetic, and everybody heard how
beautifully she spoke tCurfeW' at the
last concert" But the others were 81
lent when memories of that recitation
were evoked.
The disapprobation, started that Sun
| day, spread during the weeks that fol-
| lowed, and everybody was prophesying
a Waterloo for the new teacher the first
| time Bob Smith got out of bed with the
wrong foot foremost" And meanwhile
| Mamie Lewis sat on the school room
platform, with her little feet two inches
/ from the floor and worked like a Trojan
and earned every cent of the scanty sal
I airy the country districts allow their ov-
/ erWorked teachers She had come to
1 Red Elm with many nisgivings having
! heard of the big boys who make life in
! the school room as exciting as a ghost
| dance of the painted Indians. Espe-
/ cially had she been warned about Bob
| Smith, lad of near twenty, handsome,
idle, restless, and possessed of a legion
| of mischieVous devils. His invalid moth
| er humOred and adOred him and his
| busy father neglected him, and between
| the two his better nature lay dormant.
! Miss Lewis studied him covertly all that
! first morning, and planned her line OF
attack, for if she was to stay here, then
she must have Bob on her side Ard
| with a wOlnans intuition she found the
/ Achilles heel. That afternoon some
! blackboard work had to DONE and after
! tiptoeing few minutes in vain effort
/ to reach high enough, she turned around
! and said, with a fetchingly beseeching
smile:
Bob, won't you come and help me?-
/ you are so nice and tall
Surprised and rather complfnented
| the boy did as she asked. THANK YOU
| DEAR, she said with another soft smile
as he stopped to put the chalk in its
gesture
pushed the hair from his brow with her
pencil and added With such a fine
forehead as that you ought to have the
| making of a president in you" And
| confused, but tingling in his boots, Bob
| went back to his seat.
That afternoon everybody fingered, but
| Bob outstayed them all, and Miss Lewis
| found him pretending to mend the gate
| latch when she came out
DO you go my way Bob? That is nice
Come on this side and take my umbrel-
| la; my arm gets so tired Of holding it
| tilt 1t just little more-there, that's
/ DEAR
Again Bob tingled; and then he asked
| himself if it were really ne walking
along the road carrying a girls para
sol
You're the littlest thing I ever saw"
| he said presently, looking ~ler over out
| Of the corner of his eye Then he blur
ted out. boy fashion: But say, you're
| awfully prettyt'
I'm glad you think So" she answered,
with a hattering accent on the last pro-
| noun.
A long look ahead, as if he had not
heard her then he asked: .'Why?''
on, because like you and 1 want
! you to like me. As you say, L am so
/ little that l sometimes need a big. strong
! friend like you to look after me-
| The words and the glance that went
| with them finished the subjugation of
| the young rough. The next day he said
| to the other school boys:
That girls too little to be bullied.
| The first fellow that starts it viii have
| to answer to me. See?" And Dick
! James, the other ''unterrified quantity
| of the community having nodded his
| agreement, Miss Lewis was as safe as if
| a troop of Rough Riders had been picket
| ed about her desk. But the gossips did
not know this, and so they kept waiting
| for Bob Smith to put that wrong foot
out of bed. And while they waited the
autumn wore peacefully away.
One afternoon Squire Bailey stopped
| at the school house. The days work
was done and Miss Lewis stood on the
steps tying her hat under her chin with
| its gay ribbons. On one side of her Dick
| James swung her lunch basket and on
| the other Bob Smith waited with her
| parasOl as dOcilely as though he had not
| famed OUT the last teacher and sworn
| like treatment to this one-before he
saw her. 'Squire's eyes twinkled at
sight of these two unruly spirits in their
new roles.
Got two mighty rough citizens for
| your escort, Miss Lewis. he said, with a
knowing nod and wink. The little teacher
| bridled.
I'm sure don't know why you should
say such a thing, Squire Bailey. I find
| Bob and Dick perfectly lovely"
Dick flushed with pleasure and Bob
! drew himself up proudly until he stood
! fully head above the beribboned hat
/ that shaded Miss Lewis brunette face.
No other teacher ever found them
| lovely" laughed the Squire
| We'll, I think no other teacher ever
| thoroughly understood them. To me they
are two of the sweetest boys I ever
! knew" and she went away down the
/ shady road with her two escorts who,
/ between their smiles at her, glared at
each other over the crown of the berib-
boned hat. After she was safely at her
/ boarding place they went down behind
Squire Bailey's hay ricks and had a
! good hard fight.
OF course the little teacher heard of
the fight, but not of its cause and she
/ lectured the boys soundly Dick took his
| ScOlding in amiable silence bt1t Rob was
more difficult to manage. He and she
were alone in the school house, where
/ she had purposely detained him
I was obliged to fight Dick-some