Connecticut western news., 1911-04-06
THE .SCHOOLMA'AM By WILLARD BRAKEMAN Copyright by American Press Asso-
 citation. 1911.

We had no luck with our school at Turnerville-that is, with the tea hers, for what's a school but a teacher, any. way? At last, when we'd just fired one of 'em, a good lookin' gal applied for the position and got it just be- cause she wasn't like any of the rest of lem. She was soft spoken and said she preferred managin' the children by kindness rather than any other way. Some of the teachers we'd had were great trouncers, and the boys didn't like 'em.
 Miss Hathaway-that was her name was engaged, and I must say the school settled right down to business I don't know how much larnin' the children got, but they was quiet as lambs. Some of us tried to. find out how she done it by questionin' the scholars, but they didn't know. Some Of 'em said that when she told 'em tu keep quiet she looked at lem in a way that convinced lem they better had.
 The cashier of Boodle's bank fell in love with Miss Hathaway and wanted to marry her. She kep' him on the rack, not givin' him any decided m. swer. We who had children to eddi. cate hoped she wouldn't have him, for the school was doin' mighty we'll and had never succeeded before. The mothers were especially anxious, not that they was particular about their children gittin' larnin', but because If the school wasn't runnin' and they had to take care of their young uns they hadn't no time to gossip over the fences that divided the back yards.
 But somehow if Miss Hathaway brought us good luck with the school heap of trouble came with her. There was raids made on the town by hoss thieves one after t'other till nearly every hoss in town was stole. It look. ed as though some un who had lived in the town was leadin' 'em, for they seemed to know just where every hosa was located. When there wasn't but a few hosses left their owners tried to hide 'em. But it didn't do no good the thieves seemed to smell 'em and went right to where they was hid
 All this time Shinkley. the cashier of Boodle's bank that 1 tole you abont, was a-settin' up to Miss Hathaway. He had a fine iron gray hoss he paid $600 for that he used to drive her out with. He was awful afraid he'd lose the animal, and Miss Hathaway sug. l gested that he keep him nights in the schoolhouse. Nobody wouldn't think Of lookin' there for a, hoss. He done 1 it, and, sure enough, Yin the mornin there was the hoss, safe and sound But he only kep' the critter there a few nights when somepin happened that he didn't need to keep him there any longer.
 One night Shinkley visited the teach. CT. and when he went away they both went to the schoolhouse, which was close by, and put in the hoss. Then | Shinkley kissed her good night, foI she'd promised to marry him. He went home and to bed. He couldn't git no sleep because he. was so happy at git. tin the only gal he'd ever seed that he wanted to marry.
 That was in June, when the day breaks early. Between 8 and 4 o'clock in the mornin' shinkley was awoke by chatter of hoofs comin' down the street. Thinkin' it was the hoss thieves and wishin' to git a sight oi lem, he jumps out of bed and runs to the winder. He was in plenty of time to see all he wanted to. Five men was ridin' down the street, headed by a wo- man ridin' straddle, just as they was When they got opposite the windeI where Shinkley was looking out he see that the woman was the schoolteacher, and she was riding his iron gray hoss. She looked up at him and larfed
 Much obleeged," she said, flor giv. In' me the combination of the safe. My friends have been after somepin better than hosses this time. We got all the currency in the bank"
 Then the feller rldin' next to the schoolmarm he sung out. "Take that for kissin' my wife!' And he fired a shot that went through a panel ot glass jist above the cashiers head.
 Well. now, l reckon that cashier was mad. Nothin' makes anybody so mad as to git fooled. Shinliley had been fooled as to his affections, had lost his fine hoss and given away an entrance into the banks safe
 Mebbe he didn't git move on him! Without stoppin to git into his clothes he run down and out, and, seein' a friend of his'n that had q bicycle, he got him to follow the robbers while he got up posse Inside of ten minutes men was leavin' the town on wheels they wasn't no hosses to ride-all arm ed with rifles. They didn't wait for one another. but as fast as Shinkley got a man out he sent him on. When Shinkley had started dozen men he lit out himself.
 The robbers. knewin' there was no hosses in the town, forgot about b. cycles, and they didn't expect such quick chase. They didn't hurry much. The bicycles closed up and made chase together. A hoss gifts tired, and