Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-02-02
DAILY SHORT STORY
I'M LOVE WITH A scHooLMA'AM.

L
| boots"
What for?"
''She's come, and she's just peaches v
1.-The new schoolma'am?"
1t had become known throughout
School district No. ) that new school
it had leaked out that she was young
and pretty. She would board around.
as all schoolteachers do in the country.
but would put in the first two weeks
| at the home of Farmer Ross, where
Abe Botsford was hired man.
Abe was twenty-five years old, as
steady as grandfathers clock and as
| timid as girl He had been almost of
a mind to run away for those two
weeks and only the fact that the farm
err was not feeling well and the work
was driving had kept him from going.
| The day had been set for the teacher to
arrive and a neighbor had driven over
| to the railroad town and fetched her
| in his buggy. Abe was cutting corn
| along a roadside field when the neigh
Dor stopped and addressed him as
| above 1t was 4 o'clock in the after
noon and supper would not be ready
until 6. Those were long and uncom-
| Portable hours for Abe He realized
| that he was homely. ungainly and I'M
cultivated. and the idea of meeting Il
real young lady and having to sit at
table and converse with her set his
heart to pounding.
You comb your hair. put on col
lar and a coat, and I'll introduce YOU"
said Mrs. Ross. shes girl that
shines over any one in this county for
looks. but she won't be snippy. You'll
just be glad that she came. I'm fat and
homely and don't know beans when the
bags united. but she just put her arms
around my neck and kissed me when
she came and L feel as if I'd known
her for year"
Abe would rather have had six OF his
front teeth pulled, but it was all over
in few minutes. She called him Mr..
Botsford and began asking about farm
work, and in ten minutes the thump-
ing of his heart had ceased. When sup
per was through and he went to the
barnyard to milk she followed him and
asked many questions.
Abe felt that he was living in a diff
-,
and when Miss Hattie Messmore went
to board with another family it seemed
as if she took all the sunshine with her
1t was then that the hired man discov-
cred that he was in love.
Abe was daZed and frightened by his
discovery. He didn't hardly dare to ad-
NIT it to himself, and not for the best
farm in the state would he have put
anybody next. He loved the pretty
schoolma' am, and he knew he loved
her, and yet when he thought that to
get her for a wife he must some day
stand in her presence and tell his love
a cold SILVER went up his back. ..
There is always more or less trouble
for the country schoolma'am. There
Were three big boys in District No.
who set the rules at defiance. There
were three or four farmers daughters |
who were jealous. There were parents |
who thought the teacher showed par
TALLY. There were two widowers and |
three young men who wanted to marry |
her. She went the even tenor of her |
way as well as she could. but as the |
weeks slipped past and her troubles |
did not diminish she shed tears.
She was soon to return to Farmer
Ross to board for another two weeks
when Abe drove past the schOolhouse
one day and stopped to give her a mes
sage. The pupils had gone. and she
was alone and crying. The young
mans heart swelled at sight of her
tears. 1t also swelled with Indignation
when she told him of her tribulations
Then he forgot who he was, his timid-
ity vanished, great courage took pos
session of his soul, and he asked for
the right to protect her.
He never could recall the words he
used, but she understood. She brushed
away her tears, gave him her hand and
then talked to him like sister She
pointed out things to him that hurt,
and yet in their hurting he had to ac-
that they were facts. She :
spared him all she could. knowing what
a big, honest heart he had, but she
made him see that marriage between {
them was impossible. When he left her
he had been dealt a hard blow, and yet
he said to himself that she was the
very best little woman in all this '
world I
Few men can face a woman after /
inding that their love has been in |
vain. At least they must have time to |
get over the hurt I
The schoolmaam had no idea that |
Abe would take it so seriously, but he 4
went home to give notice that he should c
20 away in two weeks. Then he took b
he trail. The widowers and young :
men who were buzzing around the girl
we're either knocked out or had to give
heir solemn promise to haul off The
ealous girls were told that they were
ed headed. cross eyed and freckle
aced and couldn't even take third
lace. and the parents who were COM
blaming of Partially were given rec
pes for certain ailment common to
hildren in the country who don't wash
ften enough and who eat too many