Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1912-07-19

Copyright. 1912, by Associated Literary
Press.)
There had been talk for year or
more among the residents OF Laurel
Cove, high up on the Cumberland
range, that school for their children
ought to be opened, with reg lar
schoolmaster" at the head, and the
thing was an accomplished fact at
last An old log barn had been re-
modelled, the schoolmaster had ar
rived, and Laurel Cove was eongratu.
lating itself on the boom.
Il don't reckon this yere Cove will
ever be as big as Raleigh or Nash
vile" observed Uncle Jim Henderson,
the leading man of the hamlet. but
what I'm sayin' Is that we've made
right smart beginning to see the dirt
! fly."
The schoolmaster was a bachelor
| OF thirty. He had been picked up
cheap. He had tried preaching. ped
ding and two or three other occupa-
One to look at him would know that
be was shiftless and had no ambition
but Laurel Cove wasn't expecting any
great shakes of a schoolmaster-not
for awhile anyhow. The name of the
pedagogue was Jed Baker, and the
school committee had arranged that
he should board with the Widow Car
son. That's where the committee
made a mistake that had serious re-
suits In the first place, the widow
already had another boarder in the
| person Of young Tom Beardsly, who
got out ties for the railroad and in.
tended to marry her. In the next,
there was another widow in the Cove
"a Mrs. Martin, who at once became
Jealous Of the other and was deter
mined to raise row
Hardly had the schoolmaster open
ed his show" and began teaching A,
B, C when there was conspiracy on
foot. Tom Bsardsley saw a possible
rival in him and determined that his
school should be failure.
Mrs. Martin felt that she had been
slighted, and she went to planning
how she could get him to her own
cabin. Mrs. Carson admitted that the
schoolmaster was shacklety, but as he
was dedicated" she felt that she
gould marry him and aid him to make
! \ career.
The school ran along for a couple
Of months and everybody was pleased.
Aside from teaching his pupils that
twice five is ten and that dog
spells dog, Jed made the announce
ment that the world was round and
that there was more water than land
on this globe. Also. that the Chinese
ate rats, and that England was entire
iy surrounded by water Uncle Jim
Henderson was ready to admit about
the dog" but he took exception TO
the land and water question and pri-
vately advised the schoolmaster to go
little slow.
Il hain't sayin' that you hain't right
about It, mind you" he remarked, but
/ you see we have had so mighty little
to do with land and water, and such a
! heap to do with coonskins around
we're. that It's gwine to take time My
SSh DAA hoD SuyAu Ihol you tOlu lHC
scholars the other day 1t was ninety
three million miles to the sun
That's what II is" replied Jed.
/ Who measured it?''
1T has been measured by the as
tronomers."
And who be them?"
Men who study the sun. moon and
stars"
What did they measure within"
instruments, Uncle Jim"
Better let 1t drap. Jed" said the
old man with shake of his head 1T
may be ninety-three million miles to
the sun, but you can't find anybody
around these diggins who'll believe
It's over half mile and you don't
want to git up and be fussin' about
t."
Two landlookers got into trouble at
the Cove and there was shooting
Among the witnesses were the school.
master and both widows. and one day
they had to appear at town ia the
towlands to give testimony Previous
1 IN this fha Widow Ma rfiu had T,ad~ #H