The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-10-05

they looked out over ranges Of round
little hills, and beheld the great white
eapitol, IL miles away, cleaning in the
blue light reflected from the lakes sur
rounding the city. A few miles to the
north were Wild, irregular hills, rising
In sheer, rocky cliffs, and in the imme-
| diats foreground lay rich farm lands;
shorn grain fields alternated with
groves Of oak, ash and maple, dull red
and dull yellow with the hues of late
autumn; long rows of corn-shocks
marched across fields to the edges OF
pastures still clothed with green.
'This is the place for the school
house." said Gregory. "And 1t should
be something more than the school
house. 1t should be The center of our
social life, the guild-hall or club
house of the district, or of the neigh
boring districts. It should contain a
general meeting-room upstairs over the
sehoolroom, q small kitchen, 9 H.
brary-"
"Hold oni" said liver Borglum. "How
vas you goin' to pay for all that?"
"I'll tell you how we'll pay for It,
said Torgrim Olsen. "We'll pay for il
by buying the lumber and putting up
the building ourselves. Every man here
can give his labor"
"What's the matter with building q
big log schoolhouse? suggested Jens
Shipness. sanders Anderson told me
that up in Minneapolis some rich peo-
pie built big houses for themselves out
ef logs, and they were thought very
stylish"
"Just the thing!" cried Torgrim o.
sen. "Boys, we'll build big Norwegian
log house out Of squared logs, one just
such as the judge had In our parish, and
I'll tell you II will be mighty hand
some, as well as strong and warm, build
ing. Every man here can spare some OF
| the logs that he's been seasoning fo1
| firewood."
The very next day the building be.
gan, and contributions of labor and
logs came from all the surrounding dis
tricts. The logs were hewn square, and
under the direction of Torgrim Olsen
there rose building that was as much
superior in beauty to the ordinary
country schoolhouse as an old English
stone church is to an American wooden
meeting house.
A belfry tower, for some future bell
rose at one side, and gables and peaks
diversified the roof. Logs with the
bark left on formed stripes around the
building at the top of the first story
and under the broad caves. AS the
building was very much larger than
the old one, only half Of the lower story
was used for ,schoolroom. A kitchen
and two dressing-rooms occupied the
rest of this first floor, which was not
plastered, except in the spaces between
the logs.
The reception room in the second
story was ceiled and papered. The
bright, new floor would look well
enough for time, and the purchase Of
a carpet was postponed.
Almost the whole township was pres.
ent at the opening Of the new edifice.
and before the assemblage broke up .
committee to see about incorporating
the Hawthorne society was appointed
The society had outgrown the limits
of district No. 3. 1t was the social or.
ganization of the whole township and
must have . legal existence, for II
owned property and intended to ac
quire more.
"Say," said the postmaster at the
railway village of st. Lombert, where
the people Of the township got then
mail, II want you to tell me, Gregory
what has got into the people in your
town! A lot Of them take papers now.
and some of those who took Norwe.
gian and German papers before have
gone over to American"
"Do you know, Gregory" said Mr.
Maynard, there is one important re.
suit Of the debates of our society that
have noticed. The men are all trying
to perfect their English, and, positive.
ly, haven't heard word of foreign
speech for month. The society is a
| great Americanixer."
The meetings of the literary society
ceased with the close of the school In
June, to be resumed again in Septem.
Der. Although he had intended to keeI
the place only year, Gregory applied
for the position of teacher again at the
close OF the term. His surprise and cha.
grin were great when he was told by
the board that he could not have the
place.
1--WE do not think 1t is best to give II
to you," said Mr.. Maynard. because
because"
"Because." interrupted Henry Trus
cott, 1--WE are going to send you to the
legislature. It's our turn to have the
assemblyman, and I've been talking the
thing up, and you're going to have the
nomination, which 10 the same as cleo
| ton"
'But what am I going to live on?"
said Gregory, on his return home, when
his father congratulated him upon hia
prospective preferment.
Maynard spoke to me about that last
week. Pfannakuchen, a German that
has your mothers fathers old farm,
wants to sell out. Maynard will lend
you most of the money and / will the
rest, II you are willing to give up the
idea of practicing law and take to
farming"
''I will be glad to do It," said Greg
ory. perhaps the tide il beginning to
turn, and the city Is at last flowing
back to the country. 1t is fitting that
q returning Yankee like me should buy
out departing German"
The Right Thing to DO.
The sermon was on the downward