The Somerset reporter., 1907-02-21

q Job at teaching out there, and you
can try your hand at that. II you
can't earn five hundred a year giving
out some of the education that | paid
about FIVE thousand year for. you
you're a disgrace to the family. I'll
see Graydon In the morning. School
must open out there In a week or So"
He bent over his desk as II the sub
tect were closed. Margaret paused In
the doorway. Her face was very
white Her eyes burned like red stars
In the gloom of the curtained doorway.
"I'll do what you say, of course, ia
Their, but | warn you in advance that
l will be a failure | was not meant
for that sort of thing"
Her father flung back his big head
and stared at her.
Perhaps you think you were born
to play a lady, but will fool you. You
don't come from that sort of stock"
And SO 1t happened that Margaret
Leckie was placed in charge of dis
trict school No. 16. The one redeem
ing feature of her new position was
the long walk to and from the depot,
for she committed daily rather than
take board in the small village
around which homes of millionaires
were clustered. These long walks
steadied her nerves for the labor of
teaching the unkempt and insolent
children of gardeners, coachmen and
truck raisers who fell to the lot of
school No. Is. She had spoken the
truth when she said that she would
fail. The power to organize and dis
ciplne children In numbers Is not Civ
en- to all, not even to the woman who
by the magic talisman of maternal love
may develop into a model mother in
her own household. To the problems
of undscipllned youth and unclean
persons and untutored minds she gave
the best energies at her command, but
she worked with the sense of failure
forever logging her footsteps.
She was not surprised. therefore
when one particularly dull and lower
ing afternoon Mr.. Graydon's motor cal
drew up at the schoolhouse. 1t was tc
be an investigation by committee OF
one She had felt II coming-evel
since Billy Dobson had put red pepper
on the stove and school had been dis
missed for the afternoon. She rose
very straight and girlish and big eyed
as Homer Graydon entered the door
1t was his first visit to the school. anG
she was surprised to find clean cut
youngish looking man instead of thu
side whiskered, portly parsonage she
had somehow pictured this arbiter OF
her money earning fate TO be.
Quite some time passed before ht
referred to the Billy Dobson incident
and Homer Graydon had taken meas
ure of the woman before the matter
came up for discussion. BY this time
Margaret was herself once more. ant
she did not strive to dodge the issue.
There IL no use talking about TIN
matter, Mr. Graydon. | was not GU
out for schoolteacher. | know m.
limitations, but my father refuses t,
recognize them. There is only on
thing ] want to do, and he will no
permit that
She never knew how II happened
but before Homer Graydon left tina
schoolroom he knew what her simpl
ambitions encompassed and he knew
Just how she would attain them.
The lowering clouds had lifted SUD
denly, the autumnal colorings on tn
trees shone In the sunlight, and hi
own heart sang in measure to the OF
ward plunge OF his car. He was takin
the unsuccessful schoolteacher to tn
depot in the village, and II was all h
could do to refrain from telling he
then and there what she had brough
Into his money grubbing life.
The world says that love at frs
sight lives only in novels and maga
zines Homer Graydon says he know
better. John Leckie first said II wa
sheer lazness on Margarets part, bu
sometimes when he goes to the COZ
Graydon home and looks from the cor
tented face of its mistress to the prou
face of its master he wonders II
pays only Ito do" things when your
a woman.