The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-09-18

teacher Is sti.l credited with vast men
tai range ana encyclopedia knowledge
and is not regarded as a harmless
drudge-thefe lived and conducted
classes" a long, raw-boued mountaineer
named I'm. lie was a man Of ama2-
ing Industry and possessed OF diDio-
mas of learning, but he retained IN
VIC luxurance the unDruned colo
speech of his native mountains
a speech which took grotesque hDeT'
- with grammar aud idiom.
Now this Hill was, among other
things, a great hand for the gals, as
he elegantly phrased IL, and In their
company he took a satisfaction when
overlooked In grlns and cackles anu
uncouth compliments. Even mere
however, he had, like Washington lrV-
ing's immortal Ichabod Crane-whom'
inl general, he rather closely resem'
ed-an eye upon the practical SIDE
of things. In short, he was apt 10
look with special favor upon young
women who were blessed with rlch
fathers.
Now. IN the same region in which
this schoolmaster held sway lived
gentleman who undertook to supply
the community with the local news IN
weekly installments, and, to that end
maintained a plant consisting OF
and press of respectable age and an
fice force of one compositor
Naturally Mr. Harris, the editor,
was a man in high consideration; no
political or social function was com
plete without him. Naturally, also,
Mr. Hill, the schoolmaster, was per
son of equal if not superior considera-
ton, and likewise much in demand for
all manner of festivities. Both gentle
men went at least as cheerfully as
thsy were bid-and neither ever missed
dhe of these delightful dances which
were a feature of Wauhatchie society
Both the editor and the schoolmas-
ter danced vilely-aud each regarded
his own capers with much compla-
cency. These facts are interesting but
not essential; the point is that both
the editor and the scboolmaster, by
chance. fixed their affections upon the
same lady-a local heiress. At first
good friends, they presently began to
ook at each other out of the corners
,their eyes and then settled down
a deadly rivalry marked by an IN
.compromlsing attitude OF mutual
scorn-a scorn which neither took the
pains to hide
The lady in the case was not wiser
or more beautiful than the general run
Of girls, but she had the astuteness
whiSlee lnngs to the sex, and she held
the + ,o1ce so true between the two
rivak mat neither could claim any
long-continued advantage
It so happened that the learned Mr..
Hill had as assistant harmless
drudge who, as is the way of some
foolish schoolmasters, set his boys to
write compositions, many and long,
and Mr.. Harris, as bef1tted a puuuc-
spiu ted editro, offered a prize for the
beste composition on a matter OF
public interest" written by a pupil
of the school in which the whole town
of Wauhatchie took pride. But, be-
cause he hated Mr.. Hill, Mr. Harris
stipulated that the editor was to be
the sole arbiter of merit These com
positions ION matters of public inter
est" Y pre- duly written, doubtless with
much painful thought and more chew
ing Of the tops of innocent penholders
on the part of the youthful authors.
The results of their labors were hand
ed to the editor, and the editor award
ed his prize-a years subscription to
The Wauhatchie News Further, he
published the prize essay in his col
umns This juvenile scrawl was not
in any special way, but it
Rutspoken about a matter Of local
which was at that time max
blood. What was worse, the
sster who wrote it-a pugnacious
yoGth-had ventured to assume a po-
sition which did not at all agree with
the stand which the schoolmaster had
Judged tC~wise to take on the same
subjec1 Reading the effusion NOW in
a PUBLIC print and proclaimed in scare
head lines as prize essay by a pupil
OF his school, the learned Mr.. Hill fair
" boiled with indignation. His enc
my had played him a scuryy trick, and
he must have revenge. He seized his
hat, 80 i'll holding on to the offend
ing ne lper, set out to find the edi-
tor TT ne had no difficulty in do
ing. khe faithful servant of the pen
and the public was in his sanctum
with the lone compositor- and several