Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1912-01-10
Love On
Ice
BY Donald Allen

eCIIoos uWelleu tOSeCnef IN unity, out
now there is war between them. 1t
started with an outside thing that
should not have been dragged into the
schools at all. One day Farmer Davis
met up with the justice in the village
and challenged him to a horse trade
In the following language:
Judge, how much boot will you
give me between this boss and your
gray mare"
You are moderator of school dis
trlct number one, l believer" replied
the judge in judicial tones.
"Of course"
And it's your duty to push the
cause of education along?"
"It is
F. "And yet you say boss for 'horse!'"
ut is 'hoss.'"
"Any child five years old knows
better"
Look a-here, judge I'm fifty years
cd, and I've always said boss ard 10
one has had the impotence to say
that I was wrong. Where do you get
your authority?"
! ''In the dictionary"
"ShoW me-"
Farmer Davis was taken into the
| Office and the word pointed out. It
was sTelled and pronounced HORSE"
That's all right" said the farmer.
"That probably means a bay horse,
but I'm talking about a black boss.
I've been charged with hinderiug the
cause of education. Let's see wheth-
er I have or not"
The word couldn't be found, but
Farmer Davis owned the only windmill
in the township and had the biggest
barn, and it was not for him to give
up. Other people interfered and one
school district became boss and the
| other horse district. There had been
spelling contests in the winter, and
now these were abolished There had
been sleighrides, but they were given
up. Both had always hired men
teachers, but now Farmer Davis said
to the others on the board:
"What we want here is a female
teacher, and the best looking one in
four counties-one to take the rag
right off the bush"
But she can't lick the big boys"
was objected.
"She won't have to. Well be the
licking committee ourselves"
''But a gal can't wade through snow
drifts" =
'some of US will drive her to
school and back in a sleigh"
''But if they have a young man in
the other district and we have a gal
in this won't they fall In love?"
Not by forty ring-tailed coons!'
replied the moderator as he smashed
his fist down on the desk Our gal
has got to be told in advance that
there's got to be nothing of the sort
going on. The minute she falls in
love away she gees. We amt going
to run a matrimonial bureau at this
end of the lake.
When the winter term came on one
school district had Mr.. Edward Cars
ton for teacher, and the other hat
Miss Mary Burton. Mr. Carst0n was
about twenty-four and Miss Burton
4 three years younger It was agreed OF
all sides that both had style. Whe1
contracted with, both received plail
4 warning as~to what would be expected
Of them. They were to look upon eacl
other as enemies, and if they hap
4 pened to meet on the highway the,
I were to pass each other with The
] most supreme Indifference
4 Mr.. Carston was a fine skater. 81
! was Miss Burton. On Saturdays, i
/ the weather permitted they were OF
! the ice, also, on moonlight nights
] and after school hours. A line wa.
drawn across the center of Plum lake
1 each district kept to its half
One night, when skating alone, MI
] Carston crossed the boundary ant
went on a scout into the enemy.
country. He saw a girl dodge into
little bay. He paused for a moment
. Her movements on the steel runner:
: were so graceful that he knew i
must be "the gal teacher" They were
alone on the lake, but they must no
come within ten rods of each other
fMr Carston went his way, but at day
light next morning he was skating
into that bay. The ice there was a.
smooth as glass. Only one pair O.
skates had left marks there Aftel
a look around he wrote tbs messag.
on the ice with the heel of his skate:
Greeting To You"
That night, after the lake was wei
clear of skaters, he secuted down tt
the bay again. His message had beer
scratched out and another left. l
read:
"And The Same To You"
That was the beginning. She hat
known who left that greeting, and sh,
had answered. They must not eros
that line by day or even bow to eacl
other They must be careful not t
be seen at night. The fight was Of