The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-07-07
A Brief EIOpement
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

man was principal had the slightest
idea that he had any romance In his
soul. lie hunted for boys TO lick; he
gave out double lessons; he scared lit
tie girls half 10 death with his scowls. =
And yet the professor was buhbling
over with soft heartedness and only
waited an opportunity TO develop it.
The opportunity came two months aft
or he did, and he was embracing 1t at
the same time that we were calling him
n stony hearted wretch and predicting
that he would never find a woman to
marry him. The professor. being a
bachelor went TO board In the family
OF Deacon Hartman. The deacon had
been widower for Eve years and had
at last at the age Of forty-flve married
a girl OF twenty-three. Tie was ac-
counted a fatherly man and good
man. and It soon became common gos-
sip that his young wife WAS making
things bad for him. In the school
master she had some one to tell her
troubles to. What he didn't see as an
inmate Of the house she would tell him.
When she became confidential he be-
came her champion. She told him Of
the deacon slapping her mouth, and he
shuddered She told him of being
choked, and he dubbed. She told him
OF being dragged around by the hair of
the head and sat on, and he wanted to
take the husbands life.
According to the young wife, the dea-
con was sly. He would call her bis
birdie at the table and half an hour
later chastise her and squeeze her
throat In the bedroom He would sing
hymns with her In the sitting room
and threaten to murder her down Gel
lar. The professor saw nothing. but
heard all. His pity, indignation, sym
patty and several other sentiments
were aroused.
One day the deacon had to go over
10 Berryville on business that would
dctain him two days. He went by
train, leaving the old horse and buggy
at home. That night his wife and the
schoolmaster eloped. Their trunks
were packed and tied on to the buggy,
and they set out to drive distance
of twenty-five miles to the train.
They had scarcely got clear of the
town when the old horse. which had
no sentiment in his soul and was not
a bit interested in Opponents. fell
down and broke the shaft Up to this
moment the wife had been as soft as
butter and as tender as chicken. but
now she suddenly changed and called
the professor names. She called him
a doVghhead and fool and lot Of
other %hings that astonished him, but
by ana by he repaired the broken shaft
and a new start was made.
A mile farther on it began to rain
1t was cold rain. 1t was a rain that
meant business. 1t soaked them to
the skin in ten minutes. Then the
deacon's birdie swore. She swore |
cheerfully and freely. The astonished |
professor chided her, and she slapped |
his mouth. He expressed his belief
that she wasn't the martyr he took her |
for, and she slapped it again.
BY and by the rain held up. 1t will |
do that sometimes, no matter whether |
you are clipping or out on the road |
buying hogs. Then new start was
made. The professor was between two
minds. He didn't know whether to |
keep on and save the woman from fur
ther choSings or go back and lick the
boys harder than ever, and as a con-
sequence he drove into mudhole, the /
whole outfit sticking fast. Thinking
he had arrived at the end Of his jour
ney, the old horse lay down and al
lowed the buggy to settle to the hubs.
The woman swore some more She
also clawed the professors face.
1t took an hour to make the horse I'M
uerstand that the journey had just be-
gun and to extricate the vehicle, and
then new start was made for an is
land In the Pacific. Sentiment had
chilled, but not killed. They had made
another half mile and were talking
about the way the husband had men
need her with the crowbar when both
front wheels of the weary buggy went
down In unison, the old horse stagger-
ed and lurched around, and finally the
outfit rolled down the bank into d
creek The woman was the first ont
She welcomed the professor with Ian
guage and kicks. She made a new at
tack on him with fists and fingers. In
fact, he had to haul off and hit her in
the nose In self defense. The professor
crawIed up the bank and started back
for the village. If any observations fol.
lowed him he gave them no heed. He
knew that he was followed for some
distance by woman with club, but
in the darkness he had all the advan-
tage.
On Saturday and Sunday we saw the
professor about He looked like man
that had loved and lost The deacon
got home Sunday night to find that his
wife had gone, and certain folks said
that they hadn't seen him look so re.
iievcd since his marriage. He was even
jocular and jolly in his talk. On Mon
day morning we were in school at the
usual hour. SO was the professor.
That something was about to happen
we could all see. Something did. He
began with the biggest boy in school
and went down to the smallest girl and
to each one thorough
tanning.
Then he remarked that school was
dismissed pending the arrival of a new
teacher, and he headed the procession
as we all walked out. We were glad
Mt the time, hut conscience stricken
later on. We had sized him up as pos