The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1904-01-01
THE YOUNG
SCHOOLTEACHER
BY f. II. LANCASTER.
OOOOOOOOOOC
Copyright, 1908, by Daily Story Pub. Coz

HANDS off? A mais oui. But how
was Miss Margaret to know that
her new-found garden held its tree of
forbidden fruit?
The trustees of LIE Blanc school, being
busy with their coal-burning and corn
hoeing, forgot, as they usually did, to
elect a teacher; and the first Monday in
May found the little log schoolhouse
among the pines shut up and silent.
N'importe. Nobody was much con-
cerned Priests are not partial to pub
lie schools, and all 'Cajans are good
Catholics, and follow their priests
lead. Still in every community there
is a leading man ready to step in and
shoulder responsibilities that the dele
gated shoulders shun. So it chanced
that NJ. Lecerf, plodding past the school
house beside his slow-moving team,
looked at the closed door and shook his
head. And that night, after he had
washed his feet and eaten his supper,
ne shook his head again over his clga-
rette and said to his wife:
"Chere, das ain right. Schoolhouse
shot op. Das ain right
mo. Das ain right" agreed madam.
Madam always agreed. She was as
small as monsieur was large, and was
convinced beyond all doubt that he was
quite the brainiest man that ever was.
Madam had gone as far as the third
reader, and had been known to read
paragraphs from the county paper. She
looked at monsieur, now smoking silent
in the moonlight, and a drOOp Of wearl-
ness in his attitude stirred her love to
deeper tenderness. She fastened TO
strengthen her Endorsement.
No. das ain right. Me and Amelia
was talk bout das last wik Corn all
plant, rice elm Chilun ought to be in
school Des in de way"
Monsieur removed his cigarette.
Madam Amelia was the wife and boss OF
the second leading man.
What did Amelia say?" he asked.
"She say: Vas das so. Dere's my liz
gal fall in de branch while was wash
and Dazier get hees foot mash playing
down to de log But she won't board
de fletcher, Bebe. No. Says de last
time she board de fletcher was de last
time"
''Das all right" monsieur replied.
1--WE board him"
"Yas," madam agreed Loyalty, "das all
right" But she looked in consterna-
ton at the prospect Of having strange
man in the house, and wondered dis
mally how she would ever get through
work if she had to wear shoes all day
long. And there was Marie-Louise-
with an accent on the last syllable like
an exclamation-just budding into
beauteous womanhood. But she kept
these forebodings to herself, and brave
ly subscribed to the belief of the neigh
bors that when M. Lecerf said thing
was all right, it was all right. Cest bien.
Their faith was well founded. Singular
~ cool of Judgment, far-seeing, fearless,
with education Antoine Lecerf might
have been Pericles; without it, he was
a coal burner. He shot the sheep-killing
dogs of dangerous men, adjusted neigh
borhood quarrels, guarded wife and
child. and drudged cheerfully for liv-
ing. AS for citizenship, he could not
even vote. Pourquoi? M. Lecerf could
not sign his name.
En-. Dlen, M. LeCoTl udu reason lO
know the value of an education. He
went to the school superintendent for a
teacher, and was introduced to Miss
Margaret. The young city girl was
eager. ambitious and anxious to get to
work. but she was frightened, badly
frightened at the thought of riding ten
lonely miles with this great big man un-
til the superintendent, understanding
and sympathizing, said:
.sMr. Lecerf will take good care of
vou." And M. Lecerf, with his broad,
indulgeut smile, seconded cordially:
"Yas. das all right. TEX good care
,,f you.' Then, with rush of conf
dence, Margaret slipped her fingers into
a great rough palm, and found herself
SWING lightly to seat in M. Lecerf's
nigh wagon
Crowding his own huge frame over
+bA side of the seat that she might not be
o,.amued. and forbearing to smoke, al
though an hour without a cigarette was
thing almost unknown, he told her
ctories as they rode along, stories of the
naiehborhood in which she was to work,
,yith shrewd comments in passing that
margaret laid up carefully for future
use So rapidly did their friendship
nrogress that when they reached bit
of heavy road and the horse slowed with