The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1904-07-02

peas in IL pod, croppn' up under your
feet everywhere, one little higher
than the other, like stair steps. All
they could get her to do was to read
and write and add up sums. Yes. she
| was Start enough ut addin' up sums,
| and that was queer. too. for girl; so
| smart she done all the account keepin
| for Jim Levern-thut is, all the ac-
| count kecpin' he had for her to do.
which want, to say, nothin' to hurt
Yes" encouraged Mirandy, anxious
ly filing up the pause, which showed
symptoms of lasting till the boiler boil
! cd over.
| We'll" continued Jane, "after II time
Jim Leverin, seem the girl want lit
for nothin' on top of earth but. as
| say. this rcadin'. writin' and 'rithmetic.
| he cudgeled his brain, layin awake o
nights. thinkin what to do. Finally he
| hit on Il plan. 1t was this. You know
these here country schools where the
| teachers teach Children for little or
nothin, boardin round from place to
place for part of their pay and waitin'
till Judgment day for the restT
| "Umph hum" replied Mirandy, with
a sigh, part impatience and part resig-
| nation.
! "Jim Leverin, he concluded he'd get
| her Il job of teachin' one of them coun-
try schools. and he did-one of the
| toughest, OnerieSt country schools he
could find for her to teach, up some
where's in the mountains where the
| huts is made of logs with the wind
| BLOWN through and the snow stays
foot thick all the year round, summer
and winter He'd break her, he said,
of her harum scarum ways He'd
show her Il thing or two He'd let he"
see somcthin' of life as it really is; just
how hard it is when you have to get
right down to rock bottom and dig.
shed see then that it want all
play; that it was downright earnest:
that people want put on this old earth
to run things high handed
Some of 'em are" interjected Mi
randy.
"Jm Lrverin want addin' them kind
to his calculations just then. though
I've heard him 'Xpatiate on 'em when
he felt in Il different humor. What he
was tclin' Margaret was this-thnt
| people was put here to scratch for
their Twin. and you must own. Miriam
| dy, most of us are. About all we do
from mornin' till night, most of us. is
to scratch and dig and scratch and dig.
But Margaret, Jim Leverin said, when
she come home from that there noun
tain school she'd realize, he thought.
what il soft snap she'd been havin',
doin' nothin' day in and day out, lay
in round rcfuSin' to help in the kitch-
en- or pantry or wash the dishes or
comb the little childern's curls Of
morninS. TO sort of help to keep things
movin' peaceably along. When shed
had II taste of the seamy side of life
Sized b" sind enough when she got
back hon.c = in to work her level best
for her mother and the little childerM
and him.
$50 h" 20, her ready. as much ready
as he could get her with fifteen other
mouths 10 feed and bodies to clothe
and PACKED her Off"
A bubbng sound suddenly issued
from the kitchen. Mirandy glanced
wildly around
You'll have to excuse me second"
cried she It's the boiler bolin over.
I've been waitin' for it. | knew it
would" And she sped up the steps.
rushed to the stove. prodded the siZ-
zling clothing with the whitened end of
Il long, large broomstick and then ran
back again.
II wont keep you mint longer"
declared Jane. Il just wanted to fin
iSh the story to tell you how it all
came out Well, went over to see the
Leverins the night after Margaret was
gone, and. would you believe it. after
all his big talk about breakin' the girl
in and maxim her worth somethin' to
other people besides herself in this
world and gvin' her taste of rough
in it and that. there set Jim Leverin in
a chair by the fireplace, all bumped
over as if he'd lost his last friend in
the world. his face every whit and
grain as long as my arm.
"What's the natter says |.
"Nothin',' says he. But his wife,
settn' in the other corner of the fire.
place, rockin' Il two-year-od baby to
sleep, with another not much more
than three years old swingin' to her
skirts and cryin', speaks up. He's
worryin'.' says she. about Margaret.
He's afraid now that he's sent her
way off to them mountains among
them strange people, now that he's
started her out in life, to say, driven
her from home'-she couldn't speak for
spell for somethin' what got stuck in
her throat-'he's sorry for It, And he'd
oughter be- she adds when her voice
comes to her better, repeatin', and he'd
oughter be-
Jim Leyerin raises his head at that.
L amt sorry neither he speaks up,
sharplike. But all the time he set
there the rest of the evenin dumb as
an oyster. with never word to say to
nobody. Because, you see. Mirandy,
harum S"arum or no. Margaret was his
favorite of the whole sixteen and had
ollus bppn E"