The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1902-08-07
+" TEACHER. {"
By Mary Clarke Huntington.
mTHERE they are again. I've

mT HERE they are again. I've a
l mind to. go out and horsewhip
every mothers son of them!." But
being mild man, in spite of his aver
sion to juvenile racket, he continued
to stare moodily at the frolickers.
IF sensible man teacher had that
school instead of some novel-reading
woman, those children wouldn't be
running over everyone's premises as
they are now. l wish to goodness
the committee had kept man there.
This woman hasn't an ounce of dis
cipline."
One youngster caught sight of the
proprietor of this delightful back
yard, and grinned derisive grin at
the window.
There's old Murey!" he told his
companions.
''The little imps!" Horace Murey
did not know how savagely he
scowled. cold Murey!"
Even as he repeated the obnoxious
epithet, everyone of the invaders
broke into a ridiculous dance, and
with exaggerated bowings and grim
acings began to chant:
There's old Murey-queer old Murey!
Make face and he'll snarl like fury!"
There was bang of suddenly
opened door, and wild scatter of
urchins as Horace Murey ran down
the steps. But. what animal so fleet
of foot, so agile at fence-vaulting,
as boy of 10 or IL? Horace found
himself alone-with nothing but
trampled, dandelion starred grass
and broken apple-tree branch, heavy
with blossoms, to remind him of the
little trespassers.
'sI'll buy man-eating bull dog, and
leave it loose in the yard" he told
himself. Then he remembered that
he could not endure dogs. They were
more obnoxious to him than were the
boys. 'I'll go over and see that teach
er, and say that I'll report her to
the committee for lack of discipline
if she doesn't keep her scholars on
the playground. I've stood this kind
of thing long enough!"
He STROBE across the yard and
leaped the fence with the dexterity
which showed that once he might
have been as good at making exits
as were the present transgressors.
But if such was the case, no re-
memberance of it came to cool his
wrath as he went up the steps of
the low schoolhouse, where small,
terrified faces peeped at him from the
windows.
How glad felt each one of those
agile boys that recess was over, and
he was safe behind his "joggerfry"
and the protection of teacher" for
even "old Murey" would not dare
use that apple-tree stick before
teacher" Each guilty head ducked
into its "joggerfry" at sharp, i'm
perative rap on the outer door, and
when teacher" stepped into the en-
try, closing the inner door behind
her, the usual carnival of spit-wad
throwing did not take place during
her absence. The ruling spirits of
the school were deep in the location
/ of cities, and the boundaries of
states.
At the rustic of skirts Horace
Afurey turned.
s'Madam-"
Why had vision of the old-fashioned
school-ma'am-a hatchet-faced spin
ster, with corkscrew curls and
angular waist-always presented it.
self to his mind when he thought
of the teacher of those rolliclxing
boys? Before him stood girl of 20,
small and slight, with the tiniest foot
and the whitest hand he had ever
seen; a girl whose blue eyes danced
under pufings of spun gold locks,
and whose little white teeth showed
between parted lips as she smiled just
enough to bring out the dimples in
her cheeks; a girl before whom he
blushed to the roots of his dark hair
and stood speechless.
Your errand?" she asked sweetly
1T isn't much of an errand," he
stammered, suddenly aware that il
was unusual for an Undated man in
dressing-gown and slippers to march
in upon a school; also suddenly aware
that he could hardly tell this charm
ing young thing that he intended re
porting her to the committee TO,
lack Of discipline. merely
stepped over to say that your boys
annoy me by playing in my back yart