The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1904-01-01

antIy:
Cant I drive, please, Mr.. Lecerf,
while you smoke3"
"You dom mind tobacco? No?'
"No, indeed, don't mind" she as
sured, taking possession Of the lines he
passed over to her.
M. Lecerf smiled indulgently at her
eagerness, and rolled cigarette. II don
know it hurts if you don smoke too
moch." He said in a tone of apology.
You like to drive?"
Eyes. indeed"
Margaret's mirth stirred rebelliOusly.
She began to chatter gayly, and though
out of respect to her, M. Lecerf mutf1ed
his mighty ha-ha, her own laughter rang
out unrestrained. And this merry mood
was not dampened by her reception, for
madam, in her relief to find that the
teacher was not a man, was gracious
to gleefulness, and as the long line OF
clumsily shod days faded from her fu-
ture she joyously resolved to break in
on the setting she was saving, and give
the new teacher fried eggs for supper.
The school having thus opened with
eclat, run smoothly through the first.
four weeks. Miss Margaret grew bright
eyed and rosy-cheeked from much walk
ing among the pines and faithful doing
of her daily mead. Smiles came easily
to her lips and songs fingered there.
She sang often. Too often it would
seem after that Sunday when she came
in from stroll and found handsome
lad smoking cigarettes on the front gal
lery for Mare's benefit. Marie intro
duced him shyly as M. PHILIPPE and the
boy greeted her with fine French grace,
throwing away his cigarette and prof
fering his chair. Margaret sat down to
chat a little, thinking to please Marie.
MallieureuX! that woman should be
so dull of wit!
But she pleased Nj. PHILIPPE! Oui,
vraiment Such a combination of blue
eyes, white brow, pink cheeks and fully
hair had never before entered NJ. Phil
lipe's ken When he told her gOOd-by
he promised to bring her mail next Sun
day. And next Sunday he brought 1t.
Margaret went out to thank him, and
stopped to chat little. She was SO anx-
ious 20 be polite to Marie's friend, and
SlloW uilu IuoI SlIC oppl SSAoeSu hio SOoA
tesy Which was all very we'll. But
when she went back to her room, M.
PHILIPPE talked to Marie about her
which was all very bad, stupid. VOLTA!
To talk to ones sweetheart about anoth-
er woman. And then, which was still
more stupid, he brought the teachers
mail one day when it was not Sunday.
He and the teacher sat down on the gal
lery to chat while he waited for mon
sieur to come in, and Marie came up the
branch with the weeks wash in tub
on her head and found them there. The
teacher looked fresh, dainty; she wet,
toil-stained All Sacre!
The next day Marie was sullen at
school, and all Marie's little brothers,
taking their tone from Marie, were sui
len also. The teacher tried patience
in vain. She resorted to discipline, and
all Marie's cousins-c'est a dire, the
whole school-joined in the insurrec-
ton. The big girls rose as one man.
Rivalries among themselves? Mais
oui! But no outsider should poach up
! on their preserves, teacher or no teacher.
At home they spoke openly of leaving
school, and little brothers and sisters,
true to the lead, told tales of pedagogic
| injustice narrowing to hear. Every
| twilight witnessed the roasting of Miss
Margaret upon a dozen well-scrubbed
doorsteps. Monsieur alone stood firm
shaking his head with good-natured in
credulty at the startling reports and
silencing all protests with his powerful:
''Das all right; das all right. Mees
Mar'git git good fetch, yas. Good tetch. :"
But presently the discouraged droop of
the young teachers shoulders when he
overlook her on the road from school
one hot afternoon moved the big man
to more active measure.
Good even, Mees Mar'git. How's
school getting on?" he sung out, cheer
lily, as he swung from saddle and turned
to walk beside her.
| "Pretty WE'LL" She looked up brave
ly, but that broad indulgent smile
claimed it's usual tribute of confidence.
'The children don't seem to like me any
more" she faltered
sTknow, me-" he said, soothingly, "but
das all right. Beeg gals get cranky
some times DON like people to talk to
des young fellows. Mex 'em mad, yas!
But das all right. Me and Sylvan been
talk bout it. He say hees gal tell him
school goin' be shot op. But tell him,
me, if does beeg gals don watch out, des
be shop op, das what. And Sylvan
laugh. Say 'Das right, yas.' Das all
right. sho."
| Tho hio man laughed his big ha-ha as