Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-10-27

There was no doubt that Farmer
Watkins was the richest man at Rob
fnson's Corners, and there was no
doubt that his nineteen year.old daugl-
ter was the best looking and best edu
Gated girl for five miles around. In
one way that was saying much. for tho
other farmers were poor and the other
girls rather plain and uneducatcd. bur
III another way 1t amounted to very
little 10 an outsider. Tho schoolmaster
was an outsider. He had come from
distance OF fifty miles to teach the
winter term ut the Corners He was
young man of twenty-three, slim and
pale faced, and the big boys" who
were to attend the term smiled and
chuckled at sight of him. There were
half dozen who 'reckoned" they
could stand him on his head ir he got
too fresh
1t was Farmer Watkins who engaged
the young man. He was president of
the school board, and what he said
went. 1t was his daughter Jennie
who decided him In this. She was his
only child. and he was wldowcr and
what she said also went. There were
threw her influence for Walter Crane
for very curious reason. He was the
only one among the applicants who
had the manners OF gentleman and
the only one who appeared to her TO
be her superior In education. The
school didn't require and had never
had gentleman for teacher 1t did
not require and had never had an edu-
Gated man.
Tho pupils We're n rough and igno-
rant lot, attending when they pleased
and doing about as they pleased.
Sometimes the farmers sons OF eight
cen. strong as horses and rough rs
bears, had broken up the school after
four weeks; sometimes they had let 1t
continue on until spring. Sometimes
the big girls" Ind rushed the master
and rolled him In n snowdrift and shat
tered his dignity. and sometimes they
had been content TO turn the school
room into n sewing bee and laugh at
him as he protested.
And now they were going to try
new teacher. and Jennie Watkins had
plans to make him trouble from the
very start. She had no particular dis
like. but she wanted to see him taken
down peS-several pegs. he had too
much assurance-too much confidence
In himself. Why, Mt the examination
OF candidates at her fathers house,
when Mr.. Crane had been asked what
ocean surrounded Switzerland he had
smiled and replied none at all, when
she knew as we'll MS could be that 1t
was the Atlantic. She didn't say any
thing then, but she saved ii up for
some future time. She had always
spelled the word 'disslpated" with one
IS" but he went right at 1t and spelled
1t with two. and even produced spell
ing book to show that he was right
She Ind always answered that the
Rocky mountains were in Kansas, and
when he moved them farther west her
checks got red and she put n rod I'm
pickle for him. That young man was
pretending that lie knew altogether too
much. He was even condesccnding Il
little to her father, and he wasn't pay
ing half enough attention to her
Mr.. Crane secured board nj the house
OF n farmers widow and opened his
school. He announced that it was to
begin at n. m. Heretofore it had be-
gun ~ Utmost any nour TO SUIT the
eenviiis' ne n,nue lnls announcement
without consulting FARMER watkins
"nu Mi'i'o"t r"rincr W"th'hs consult
ins us unusl'er' Inns was ahother
''sri y. ms Inconvenience.
- 'n9ls''u vi i",'ns urs nnsteau OF
go ,.,' Moo' 'oi .iie ols poN stove anu
~ .n'. ~ vi .eplus ~ ,he stoVe 10
,,'aa;. 80. s'ron, '"u! mere WAS no
e,S.. - .'. .'. nv 'l,'uc anu paihteu
ona ~ y. 'Hu De" ., wcfe oroAc','