The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1902-06-21
A PUFF OF WIND.
OootOctccoootcOcOoooc
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

L Il naQ Deen an unfortunate SESSION
i for Miss Peek, the principal and
proprietrix of the seminary for
young ladies at No. SO Blankview
Terrace. About year previously,
in the fond expectation of receiving
a large number of advanced pupils,
Miss Peek had engaged several extra
assistants capable of teaching ad-
vanced subjects at advanced salaries;
but at the beginning of the session,
in spite of diligent advertising and
delivering of pink-covered prospect
uses, her anticipations had been
but meagerly realized.
Now, at the close of the last term,
she had leisure to brood over the de-
plorable fact that she had paid more
to her assistants than she had re-
ceived from her pupils, and to wonder
whether she could venture to carry
on her establishment for another
year. No one had any idea that she
was in difficulties, for she had man
aged to scrape enough sovereigns to-
pether to settle with her assistants
and to entertain the parents and
friends of her pupils on the prize
giving day in such fashion as to
convince them that the school was
in a most flourishing condition; and,
while the parents and friends and the
emancipated scholars gobbled up the
ices and teas and buns provided for
them in the music room. they little
dreamed of the months of starvation
which those dainties had cost Miss
Peek, who at the moment was rush
ing about smiling and talking to
everybody in the brightest manner
Imaginable. Even the housekeeper
was ignorant of the true state OF
affairs; for Miss Peek early in the
session had led her to believe that
the wretched diet she INDUCED in
was according to doctors orders"
1t was not until the house was
quiet and empty that Miss Peek, as
has been said, came to consider the
results of the dismal farce in which
she had played the leading part fol
nearly ten months. The afternoon
following the breakup she sat at the
desk in her little parlor, porting over
ledger, every page of which bore
some depressing detail. The win
dow was open, for it was blazing
day in the end of June, and now ant
then a puff of warm wind stirred the
fading hair on her temples anc
played fiippantly with a sheaf of un
paid bills that lay on one side OF the
desk.
"Quite-quite hopeless!" sighet
Miss Peak after three hours wrestling
with figures. "All gone in two years
1 should never have tried the schoo
on nv own account. 1t was better
shaving away as assistant. And thel
that awful letter this morning from
Curle & Coyle! 1 never thought
should have lived to receive such {
letter" She picked up the docu
ment which lay among the unpai'
bills, and regarded it with terror AM
disgust. IF could only settle that
1 think I could get the other peopl
to wait till the beginning Of next SEES
sion-if 1 have a next session. Blu
where on earth am to get twenty
five pounds? And once dreamed o
helping them at h-home." Mis-
Peek laid the letter aside, and bowe
her head on the ledger.
Two tears trickled, down tn
pounds and pence columns, an
others would have followed had no
a knock at the parlor door cause
Miss Peek to arrest them ere the
dropped. The unhappy lady sat u
and blew her nose.
"Come in" she said, and blew he
nose again.
Professor Bumpus," said th
housekeeper, ushering in the gentle
man who had taught advanced natl
ematics to one advanced young lad
during the past session. The pre-
lessor taught In several ladie
schools, and had few private pupil
whereby he earned q moderately VI
comfortable income, the greater poi
ton of which he spent on old bool
of alchemy and astrology. He had n
one dependent on his exertions, an
his few acquaintance were the pr
prietors of secondhand book shop
He was As and looked ten years Older
his face was clean-shaven and wriI
killed.; he was tall and thin and he wa