Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-01-14

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 En, bien, M Leeerf had reason to know the value of an education. He went to the school superintendent for teacher, and was introduced to Miss Margaret. The young city girl was eager, ambitious and anxious to gettto 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 sympathi4ing, said:
 MT. Lecerg will take good care of you'' And N. Lecerf, with his broad, indulgent smile, seconded cordially:
 e'Yas, das all right Tek good care of you" Then, with a rush of confi- dence, Margaret slipped her fingers into great rough palm, and found herself swung lightly to a seat in M. Lecerf's high wagon.
 Crowding his own huge frame over the side of the seat that she might not be cramped, and forbearing to smoke, al- though an hour without cigarette was a thing almost unknown, he told her
 
 neighborhood in which she was to work, with shrewd comments in passing that Margaret laid up carefully for future use. So rapidly did their friendship progress that when they reached a bit of heavy road and the horse slowed with
 a self-indulgent air, to walk, she reached
 an eager hand to the lines, saying, pleas.
 antly:
 Cant drive, please, MT. Lecerf
 while you smoke?"
 You don mind tobacco? No?'
 No, indeed, don't mind, !" she as
 sured, taking possession of the lines ht
 passed over to her.
 M. Lecerf smiled indulgently at hei
 sagerness, and rolled cigarette. T don
 know it hurts if you don smoke toe
 noch." He said in a tone of apology You like fo drive?"
 Yea Indeed"
 Margaret's mirth stirred rebelliously She began to chatter gayly, and thougs out of respect to her, M. Lecerf muffie6
 his mighty ha-ha. her own laughter rang out unrestrained. And this merry mood
 was not dampened by her reception, fol
 madam. in her relief to find that the teacher was not man, was gracious to gleefulness, and as the long line oi clumsily shod days faded from her fu. ture she joyously resolved to break iL 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 1t would
 seem after that Sunday when she came in from stroll and found a handsome lad smoking cigarettes on the front gal | lery for Marie's benefit. Marie intro duced him shyly as M. Phillipe and the boy greeted her with fine French grace, 1 throwing away his cigarette and prof i fering his chair Margaret sat down to l chat little, thinking to please Marie. l Mallieureux! that a woman should be l so dull of wit!
 l But she pleased M. Phillipe! Oui | vraiment. Such a combination of blue l eyes, white brow, pink cheeks and fluffy I hair had never before entered M. Phil lipe's ken When he told her. good-by l he promised to bring her mail next Sun l day. And next Sunday he brought it. | Margaret went out to thank him, and | stopped to chat little. She was so anx- ious to be polite to Marie's friend, and 1 show him that she appreciated his cour- tesy. Which was all very well. But l when she went back to her room, M. l Phillipe talked to Marie about her 1 which was all very bad, stupid. Voila! | To talk to ones sweetheart about anoth l CT woman. And then, which was still l more stupid, he brought the teachers | mail one day when it was not Sunday. l He and the teacher sat down on the gall l Iery to chat while he waited for mon l sieur to come in, and Marie came up the
 branch with the weeks wash in a tub
 on her head and found them there. The l teacher looked fresh, dainty; she wet. l toil-stained. An Sacre!
 l The next day Marie was sullen at school, and all Marie's little brothers
 taking their tone from Marie. were sul-
 len also. The teacher tried patience
 in vain, She resorted to discipline, and | all Marie's cousins-cest dire, the
 whole school-joined in the insurrec-
 tion. The big girls rose as one man
 Rivalries among themselves? Mais l 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 l twilight witnessed the roasting of Miss
 Margaret upon a dozen well-scrubbed l doorsteps. Monsieur alone stood firm,
 shaking his head with good-natured in-