The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-09-22

Va az SOfS1 duA Iuc OullSl
Of citizens. In the questions Of the
pupils he encountered so many ole
world ~preju6iees, SO many race antipa'
thies, that he resolved to attemp,
Americanization of the parents, and
he invited the older people of the dis.
trict to a series of lectures at the
schoolhouse.
He could not have asked for a more
attentive audience than the one which
listened to his first lecture. When i,
was over the people remained seated
anc silent for a few awkward moments,
n then reluctantly started to 90.
Here and there men greeted each other
as they slowly moved toward the door,
and women, dressed in their best,
bowed and smiled to friends across
the room.
Gregory was struck by the holiday
appearance of the company, by the
pleasure in their faces and by their
evident reluctance to leave. By q
happy inspiration he raped upon his
desk.
wouldn't it be well for you all to
stay awhile and discuss the Lecturer"
he asked. ut is only a quarter to nine.
Surely, you a all stay another hour.
We began early and got through early,
m it is not bedtime yet"
In a moment the crowd was broken
up into little knots. conversing shyly.
Gregory assumed the role of host, and
passing from one group to another
made the acquaintance of all he did
not know, and received a difference
never before accorded to a teacher in
the district. He tried, with some sue
cess. to break up the rigid separation
of the sexes, for there was a 'boys'
side" and a girls side" in the little
assemblage, and no one seemed to
dare step over the line.
At the second lecture the audience
was larger than at the first. But while
the Yankee women and girls showed
thai innate adaptability hat makes
the Yankee farmers daughter feel at
home in any circle of society. the Nor
wegian and German women and the
men of all n~ationalities were awkward
and retiring. Noticing this. Gregory
began to think it would be we'll TO give
some instruction in social graces.
Almost anything that he cared to
propose would have been adopted by
the people of the district. Before the
audience had departed the Hawthorne
Literary society had been organized
and the programme for its first meet
ing decided upon. The organization
was to be social as we'll Is literary, and
the programme was to be brief enough
to allow an hour or more for general
conversation after it was finished.
The first meeting of the Hawthorne
was a success By request of the wom-
en-, the debaters, essayists and declaim-
ers of this first meeting had been
chosen from the men; but, when the
exercises were over. and cakes. pies,
cookies and all sorts of good things
were produced by smiling m~atrons and
maids. the men agreed that their own
share in making the occasion notable
was small.
Gregory was surfeited with delica-
cies. All the bostesses insisted upon his
tasting of their cookery. This was his
triumph. not theirs, they said. Three
delightful evenings and the prospect
OF more to come, bringing relief from
the colorless monotony of their lives.
were all due to him. He was a public
b~enefactor, and before the evening was
over Torgrim Olsen addressed him in a
set speech and told him so.
But the morning that dawned after
the pleasant evening was a sad one. A
brand from the fire built in the cracked
schoolhouse stove to dispel the chill
of the late October night had set fire
to the schoolhouse and burned it to the
ground. There was little likelihood
that it would be rebuilt before spring.
Winter was near at hand. The dis
would hardly make up its mind to
face the expenditure for a new school
house Immediately. Gregory felt that
his career as a teacher was over, and
the gray, gloomy sky was in accord
with his mood as he stood by the ruins
n the hollow of the hills.
The school board arrived while he |
was making a melancholy survey, and
one after another came other men, un-
til nearly all the voters in the district
we're present.
when are you going to get about
building a new s~choolhouse, Mr.. May
asked Torgrim Olsen of the
chairman of the school board.
well. 1 don't know" said Mr.. Ia /
lard. I'm afraid there isn't enough
money to do it right away"
Its hard on our literary society,""
said Adolph Glenz. II was looking for
yard to the literary society meetings
a good deal of pleasure. My wife
aid she expected this was going to be
he best winter she ever had"
'It's a shame the old schoolhouse has
burned down." said Henry Truscott.
whats the matter with building it
light up again." exclaimed Torgrim
olsen. I'll give ten dollars toward do
ng it. Those literary meetings will
,e worth ten dollars this winter to me
md my family. Come On, now. friends!
you give to have your children
'oing to school again right away. and
o have a lot of pleasant evenings for
our families and yourselves? It's
worth something to all of you"
Twenty dollars" said Mr.. Maynard.
''Teu dollars" said Henry Truscott