The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-20
TIE EVENING STORY

BY John ]. o'Connor. }

/ SeG1l4SQ IdLueE OdrQ TO nave TO 30 DdCh
to school. and it was with Iaggard feet
that he headed, with the rest OF the
scholars, toward the little frame
building where the tender mind OF Dis
trict No. 4 was trained.
The new teachers soft. - volunteer
ed Tommy English. 1.-THE other day
Bill Hendricks brought a bean blower
and shot the teacher in the back. and
al she said was. Please don't. 1 guess
I there's going to be fun
Tim smiled weakly. It was encoHr-
I aging to know that he could practice
his devilments without the risk of
Ihrashing. The last teacher had been
a man, and Tim had had good reason
to remember him, for OF the younger
boys Tim was the ringleader, just as
Hendricks was the leader of the older
boys. That Bill had eventually thrash
ed the teacher and forced him to re-
sign just before the end of the spring
term, was no great consolation to Tim.
The trustees had put in a woman
teacher as an experiment thinking that
perhaps feminine appeal might be
more potent than the hickory switch.
Tim rather expected a gaunt old lady,
like a certain Miss Flint had been, and
when he made his appearance in the
school room and presented himself be-
fore the teacher, he was shocked TO
find so young a woman.
Marion Murtha was only nineteen,
and her fresh coloring and the liquid
brown eyes made SO deep an impress
sion on Tim that for the first ten days
he was one Of the model scholars and
Miss Murtha was beginning to con-
graduate herself that the boy against
whom everybody had warned her. was
not so bad after all.
In vain his fellows looked for some
outbnrst, and finally Tommy English
twited hi mon his suscep tibility.
He wants to marry her when he
grows up" he jeered. Hell be bring
ing her apples and candy next Tim
amt afraid he's just soft, that's all
The gibe struck home, for Tim had
q big apple in his desk that he was
thinking of giving Miss Murtha, II he
did not feel tempted to eat it himself
during the noon hour.
Il amt 2 skeered of her, he said
contemptuOusly II was just waitin
till I could think somethin' up"
yah" jeered Tommy Il didn't
say you was a'skeered- I said you was
stuck on the teacher
The iron entered Tins soul and
with a dark you wait and see," he
raced off to the wen.
He came stamping in whenthe bell
rang and went to his desk with
swagger that was quite like his old
time bearing The desk next him was
empty, and with infinite care he twist
ed two bits of slate pencil into a rub
Der band and dropped them into the
other desk. The unwinding band rat
tied the pencils around in the empty
box with a crash that stopped the
fourth reader class and directed the
eyes of. the whole school on him. Tim
tried to look unconcerned, but he
could not refrain from casting a
glance of triumph at Tommy Eng
fish, and therein lay his undoing. for
the teachers eyes were quick and her
intuition keen.
Tim" she said sharply. ssYou win
stay in after school tonight"
Il amt done nothin' he declared
stoutly.
Il did not say that you had she
said quietly. Il said that I wished
you to remain after school this even
ing
s'Aw,'' cried Tim, that amt fair!"
She said nothing, but went on
quietly with the class work Tim had
expected her to answer, that he might
talk back again. He could not under
stand this quiet ignoring of the mat
ter. and sat silent and uncertain.
During the noon hour, Tommy Eng
fish sought to persuade him into de-
lying the teacher, but when four
o clock came and he made as though
to go out with the others, a firm hand
was laid upon his shoulder, and Miss
Murtha's quiet voice reminded him
that he was to stay in.
To stay after school meant to spend
q SCA testA1 time III study nm ScufIled
back to his desk and sat there swing
ing his feet idly. He was determined
that he would not study and wondered
vaguely If the teacher would try to
thrash him for his disobedience
Presently the others were gone and
Miss Murtha went back to her desk.
Another scholar had been kept in to re-
write the spelling lesson, and Miss Muir
tina waited quietly until the task was
done. At last, they two were alone and
81. saaa1 1ear4 II 20
noticed him before, and Tim went for
ward wonderingly.
They told me that you were a bad
boy, she said, but 1 did not think that
you would act so toward woman
What's the difference2" he demand
ed. You get paid to teach US, dont
you, just like a mani"
Gently she explained that she had
been hired to teach the school, but that
she could not remain If she could not
handle the pupils If he and some of
the other boys persisted in being dis
obedient, she would have to give up the
school and they would have deprived
her of a chance to earn a living. When
she had finished Tim looked up.
Say" he said, penitently, I'll let
you lick me, If you want to. I won't
fight back
Il don't want to whip you" she said.
as she stopped and kissed him. Il want
you to be a good boy. that's ALL"
Tommy English was waiting for him
as the subdued Tim went out. Did
she lick your" he demanded, eagerly; |
Il didn't hear you holler.'
With howl, Tim sprang at him and |
thrashed him as a relief for his over
wrought feelings.
AN I'll do It again If you say any
thing about Miss Murtha,'' he promised, |
as he released his victim; AN I'll lick |
any Of you fellers what makes trouble /
for her
It took but a week to make that fact |
apparent, and those who had taken adj
vantage of the fact that Miss Murtha
did not believe IN physical punishment /
learned to behave.
Then came Rem Hanway upon the /
scene. and 1t soon became apparent- that |