The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-10-22
TIMES REVENGE.

14dfC SAdAi, SoAo lhC yOuh6
man, turning from a desk piled high
with papers. She had come at last,
and he was glad. He had been ex-
pecting her for a week. At first
sight she was young; at second,
school teacher who had seen service
for perhaps fifteen years.
Miss Morrison, I believe" said
he with a slight inclination of the
head. She smiled assent.
He studied her face critically for a
moment. Time had brought no in
ward grace to compensate the loss of
outward prettiness. The same small
sordid mind with its quick but futile
brightness looked out from the small
black eyes. The same silly scorn and
sel6shness were stamped upon her
face.
She grew uneasy under his gaze,
and a look of panied uncertainty
came. Prof. Mason had seen that
look a great many times during the
past ten days. He was the new coun-
ty commissioner.
"Well, sir" Miss Morrison said
with affected lightness, II thought I
would come in and get my certi6-
cate"
''It has not been issued yet" re-
piled the commissioner.
She flushed, and looked frightened.
"Why, professor, didn't I make the
grader"
eyes, you made per cent. above
the requirement.
"I'm SO glad p she exclaimed,
Frightening. sIt would have been
dreadful to fail, and this is my first
year here. Back home," she went
on confdentially, 81 always made
the highest grades in the county.
But you, professor, have very high
ideals for us poor teachers to reach.
Can I get my certificate this morn
;ss 2,' sl.e cs1sed. cfte- .ssc:ssa.at &c
silence.
"I fear not" replied he.
"Why 2" she asked with a sugges-
ton of sharpness in the infection.
''I think Twill not issue it" he re-
piled.
mot issue it '' she exclaimed in
amazement. "You said l made the
grade"
eyes, you made the grade, but /
do not believe you are competent" /"
"How conld I make the grade if l
wasn't competent-wh what's the exami-
nation for?" Her voice was rising.
"I demand certificate"
"The law here, Miss Morrison,
provides that when the commissioner
knows any reason why a person is
not good teacher, he may withhold
the certificate, even after the exami-
nation has been passed"
cts partiality, pure partiality,"
and she came toward his desk, shak-
ing her finger at him menacingly.
"It's because I'm stranger, and
you want that Miller girl to have my
school. But you can't fool me that
way I'm going to have my certi6-
cate if / have to sue you for it. "In-
/ competent" You don't know any,
thing about me-and you wouldn't
know what competent was if you met
it in the road. l tell you / have
taught for fifteen years, and I'm 60
| ing to have my certificate" !"
"Sit down, said he calmly.
She obeyed.
"Miss Morrison, don't you recog-
nize me-"
"Well, should think / do" she
said with a sneer. you're Mason
the Great"
"Did you ever see me before you
came to the county" ?"
"No," she snapped.
"Then, Miss Morrison, / will tell
you a story that perhaps will help
you to understand.
"About sixteen years ago tow
headed boy of seven started to school
in the Oak Grove district in Stone
county. He wore patched trousers,
torn hat, cotton shirt, and carried
badly worn first reader under his
arm.
GAS he went home that first day, a
seventeen-year-old girl and young
man walked behind him. Amt that
Mason kid beautl' she said to her
companion. Wouldn't you like to
have that patch for a saddleblanketl 2
and the two laughed all the way
home. The little chap cried himself
to sleep that night, and although he
was soundly thrashed every morning
for month he refused to go back to
! school.
sIt was three years before he went
gain. He had learned to read and
had begun to dream of being a great
man. He was hungry and thirsty
for knowledge, and because he had
learned to read he thought he could
learn. His clothes were about the
same, except that the patches were
larger and more numerous. The girl
who had laughed at him that first day
was now teacher, but he went any
way.
He had to begin at the first of every
thing except the reader.
You ought to be ashamed O
yourself, she said, SO loud that the
whole school could hear. "A boy a.
big as you to be so green.
HE never got over that hurt, bu
he stayed on. When he blunderet
she mimicked him and the clas'