Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-12-06

\ "IICrc Dc u n.hn1e creek full of lratcr. cn;leI announced lU uer pauroneSS that z school was ready to open. Mrs 1eilett, who had never heard that "a soft voice q is an excellent thing ill womnn' aud A whose chest notes were not unlike s those of q Durham in sustained voiua.c A of sound. made the valley of the H'insl < river cello with the summons of the N pupils to school.
 As the pupils trooped obediently to ' school Mary noted that they carried DO flowers to their dear teacher, but that & Ben. the oldest pupil, twenty=one years old six feet four inches ill height and deeply saturnine in manner, carried a { six shooter i'll his cartridge belt. The teacher felt that she was the last D ' deny a pupil any reasonable palliative \ sof the teJil.in of class hours-the nc>er \ sVness of her own school days incline ! { her to lCnicncy ill this particular-but she was hardly prepared to condone a < six shoozcr, and contiled her fears to S Mrs. Yeilctt, who received them with the ill :':..-@i.t tolerance strohgmind- ed worl"a m..s,s,itt eI,, cllI to the fe:.i niHe Gntter alol .:p#l by a mouse. S..!o explained that Bea did not shoot fo. glory" but to Ccfcnd the herd from the casual c:.S of mountain lions. bears and coyotes. Jack and Ned. who were vesy nearly as tall ;ls their older brother, c;lrr!cA similar weapons. The Misses Ycllctt were hardly less terrifying than their brothers. They had their fathers fierce hawklike pro file, softeneG by youth. and the ;ppi !. ing height and robustness due to the freedom and fresh air of nomadic existence. Their costumes might. Mary thought, have been fashioned out of gUany sacks by the simple eXpedi-
 ent of cutting holes for the head and arms. Tine boys wore overallS and
 flannel shirts, which, in contrast to the sketchy effects of their sisters cos tunes, seemed almost motlsh. Mrs. Yellett then left the "clasS room" say ing she must take Ben's place with the sheep.
 The Brobdingnags huge of stature sinister of aspect. deeply distrnstfnl of the rites in which they were about to participate, closed in about their teacher.
 Miss Carmichael took her place be hind the upturned tub. "Will you please be seated?" she said
 Mary made out roll call. and by unanimous consent 1t was agreed tt arrange the class as 1t then stood, or rather. squatted. with the herculean Ben at the top, and gradually dimin ishing ill size till it reached the vanish ing point with Cacta. who was ten and the least terrifying of all. And now" veutured the teacher with the courage of white rabbit what have you been ill the habit O1 studying?'
 Absolute silence on the part of the class. which confronted it's queStionel straight as row of bottles. present sphinxes
 Other questions met with an equally dlsheartening response. Miss Car michael sat up straight. pushed back the persistent curis, from her face ant bent every energy toward the achieve ment of a firm demeauor. "Clematis,' said she. wisely select ing perhaps the least formidable of tn, class, II want you to give me sou'' Idea of the kind of work you have beer oolng, so that we may all be able t' understand each other. Now. in you mathematics, for instance. which O.
 you have finished with your arithine
 tic. and which,
 What do you mean!" begged CIem
 atls, somewhat fearful.
 here are you in your arithmetic!
 Nowhere, ma'am.'
 l" you mean you have never learn
 ~ any: Mary Carmichael shudueret
 as slie jelly but the question.