The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-09-21

was thoroughly exaSperat-
ing; in SPITE Of all efforts to retard its
oyerhasty m otions, it persisted in keep
ing ahead of time. The butcher stand
ing near the doorway of the little shop
occupying the opposite corner always
replied when anxious strangers, hurry
ing trainward, paused to ask if the
clock was right:
milne gracious, no. Dot clock vas
more as two year fast alretty."
Della Murchison was precisely like
the clock, always ahead Of time. If
she were invited for 3 o'clock tea, she
always arrived at ialf-past .. If she
had an appointment to keep she was
Invariably to be found restlessly keep
ing it at least twenty minutes too soon.
She was small, thin, dark and eager,
a vividly enthusiastic young person OF
fifteen; and just as it was impossible
to retard the city hall clock sufficiently,
so was it futile to attempt to make an
easy, slow-going parsonage of Della.
In school she was nearly two years
ahead of the girls with whom she had
graduated from the eighth grade. In
the matter of elective studies she had
been. during her freshman year, de-
cidedly grasping student. As sopho-
more, she had been even more enter
prising; consequently, at the beginning
of her career as Junior, she found
that there were no more elective stud
les left to take.
She was eager, indeed, to add the
regular senior course to what she was
already carrying, 10 pile physics and
trigonometry upon geometry, and to
cram two years of Latin into one; but
to this heroic proposition both teachers
and parents very wisely said no. But
this unprecedented fcrwardness in the
matter of learning left Della with
much unoccupied time on her hands
and everybody knows what happens
where there are idle hands.
Before her junior year Della had
been too busy to get into mischief; but
now. with so little real work to do, she
became a disturbing element in what
had hitherto been strikingly quiet.
well-behaved school. Just before Della
had become a sophomore new super
intendent of public schools was ap-
pointed. The first thing Mr.. Graham
did on taking possession of the schools
was to make an appeal to the school
board in favor Of football for the boys
and basketball for the girls.
The members of the school board,
however, did not take to this innova-
ton. One declared that he had not
played football himself, and that he
did not see any good reason why his
grandchildren should. The second said
that he once possessed youthful rela-
tive who had lost good front tooth
playing football, and that he considered
piling wood a much safer exercise for
his own stalwart sons The third, an
unathletic bachelor Of seventy-two, sur
pr&ed everybody by siding with the
new superintendent, and was very
much in favor of both games; but he
was only one against two, and at first
it looked as il the school would have
to get along without either Of the pop
ular sports.
But one Of the obdurate board men,
bers had two sons with athletic tenden-
cies, and the other had four equally
l6ttIietic grandchildren. All these en-
khusiastic young persons labored stren-
Iuously to overcome prejudiceS; and
Rsoon, so far as football was concerned,
Sthe board weakened.
When it came to basketball, however,
there were stronger prejudices to over
come. At last the board grudgingly
consented to rent suitable room for
one month, and to endure the game
for that brief period of time on trial.
If all went we'll, the game should stay;
but If it killed Cissy Laurence, as
Mrs. Laurence was certain it would, or
If it interfered with Doris Green's
Caesar" or Anastasia Mallett's
asthma, or Myrtle Howards ancient
history, or Mary Clark's heart tie
game should be banished.
OF course the girls were overjoyed.
Nothing serious happened to any of
them during the first month, the hall
was engaged for another four weeks,
and it began to look very much as if
the game had come to stay.
Mr.. Miller was a stern disciplinarian.
During school hours, whenever he was
in charge Of the assembly room. Della
behaved like model pupil. In No
vember, however. he was called away
suddenly by Illness in his family, and
upon little SIr. Peasley, the science
teacher, devolycd the task Of keeping
slxty-niDc restless young persons in
order.
Now Mr.. Peasley knew al about
bugs and blossoms and queer, evil
smelling acids; but he had never
learned how to keep even small class
of six or eight pupils from wriggling.
twisting and whispering. The task Of
looking after sixty-nine, with Della
nearly year ahead OF her studies. and
consequently dangerously idle, was ut
terly beyond him.
With all her lessons prepared for the
coming five days, Della was in her
most nischievous and least admirable
frame Of mind that week: and owing
to Mr.. Miller's absence, the remaining
sixty-eight, too. were IN pleasant.
relaxed and receptive mood Never
had they been more willing 20 follow