The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-11-28
LYDIA's QUORUM.

AS whatever you do DO don't
Strickland W. GiAiIan In Judge.
lYDIA's QUORUM.
"Well, Lyddy, I'll get the job, if
can, but it's going to be a mighty
hard thing to get 'corum,'" Deacon
Watrous was saying. 'You see, that
young Wight thinks we ought to
have man. Of course you'll have
my vote, but Bill Stiles is always
ssraddlin' fence, and the last man
he talks to gets him. This young
felIer's highfalutin talk kind of caught
Bills fancy, and he was totterin', but
1 took him in hand, and now he's
leanin' our way again. I'll stick to
him tighter than brother and keep
him away from Wight till the meetin'
is over. It's tomorrow night"
"You are so good, Deacon Wa
trous," replied Lydia, raising CRATE
full eyes, land if 1 get the place I'll
do my best 10 vindicate your choice. !"
"I'll do all 1 can, Lyddy," said
the deacon.
Lydia Gardner had spent the past
summer away from home, and when
she returned to the farm she had found
the family in state of gloom. Crops
had been poor, number of cattle had
died, and the inevitable mortgage had
to be met. Lydia proposed to meet
1t by teaching in the district school.
She had been reasonably certain of
securing the position, counting on
the deacon and Bill for quorum,
but now this young man, who had
fallen heir to the farm of his uncle,
John Wight, and had come to the
Corners in her absence, might carry
his point of hiring man to teach.
She simply had to have the posi-
ton, and she determined to help Dea-
con Watrous in his efforts to secure
Bill's needed vote. 1t would be use
less for her to oappealto Bill, Weather
cock Bill" as he was called. She
resolved to make a bold move and en-
counter the enemy whom she had
never seen.
Hugh Wight was in the sitting
room of the old homestead pondering
over this same subject of quorum.
When he succeeded to his inheritance
he had determined to become prac-
tical farmer and win the esteemed po-
sition his uncle had ever maintained
in the hearts of the simple country
folk. They had laughed at the young
man for thinking he could be far
mer, but he had shown them he could
learn from them and improve on their
methods. They were glad to have
him succeed his uncle as member of
the school committee. That seemed
to be more in his line.
He had as firm convictions on the
educational question as he had on
most subjects, and he thought man
more fitted to wrestle with the diff
culties of country school than wo-
man. He had not seen this appli-
cant, but he did not approve of a
young girl who had no preparation
or experience in teaching.
In the midst of his cogitations there
was a rap at the outer door. He
opened it to admit a winsome, will
lowy girl, with big, innocent eyes and
an artless manner.
care you Mr.. Wight? lam Lydia
Gardner"
He acknowledged the introduction
gravely and asked her to be seated.
Hugh Wight was not a susceptible
man, and Lydia's beauty only
strengthened him in his belief that
she was not competent for the posi-
ton of school teacher at the Corners.
''I am, as you know" she said, "a
candidate for the position of teacher.
1 hear that you are in favor of hiring
man for the place, and don't sup
pose anything that could say would
change your opinion. l came to ask
you not to induce Bill Stiles to vote
against me-"
He was somewhat surprised at this
frank appeal. He liked directness.
"It means a good deal to u.s." she
continued earnestly, land if 1 don't
get the place 1t will go very hard with
my father. My salary would help
him more than you can know"
Hugh felt as if he had been steal
ing sheep. She did not want the
money for fripperies, then, but to
help her father.
"What do you mean by my in
huencing Bill?" he asked.
"It's like this" she explained :
deacon Watrous is Of course for me,
and Bill is, too, or would be, if you
leave him alone and say nothing about
the advantages of having a man, but
the last person that approaches Bill
has him, and they say you have con-
vincing tongue. The deacon is going
to try and keep Bill away from you
until after the meeting is over, but
didn't care to trust to that, so came
to ask you. 1 wouldn't presume to
ask you to vote for rue, only to let
Bill alone"
Up to this time the eyes, voice and
manner of the young man had not
been at all encouraging, but in the
hearty peal of infectious laughter that
followed her request Lydia caught a
note of appreciation, and some way
she derived hope from his amuse-