The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-04-06

HIS is the simple story OF
III. @,. y the kiss that upset town
M AZ so consarned hard, as Cap
n SA1N tain Dunbacsays. that half
e& ~ the folks don't know
~ whether they're foot or a.
horseback, which, coming from an
officer Of the law, carries weight. The
town is the snappy little Village OF
Freep0rt. l.. /.
Since tie primary incident, and as
an indirect result thereof, the author
tiles at Albany have been appealed to
twice, the Police have been called
upon to perform emergency duty, four
men have lost their official jobs, there
has been q strike. parades through
the town, 4 placarding Of fences and
barns with statements aud warnings,
mass meetings Of citizens, men ana
women alike, and a general condition,
Of such persistent turmoil that no one
would so much as think Of predicting
what's going 10 happen next, accord
ing to correspondent of the New
York World.
BY starting with the kissing incl
dent, It is easier to set matters down
In something like order.
Arthur e. Barnes, a Union college
man, tall, angular, red-headed and
given to wearing stiff starched white
lawn ties bow knotted at his Adams
apnle, as superintendent Of the Free
port schools had Offices In the high
school. One day after school John
Lewis, in the performance Of his 1ani-
torlal duties mounted step-ladder IN
the hall outside the superintendent
office the better to dust the transom.
Obviously he had to look in. He says
he saw Superintendent Barnes In the
act of kissing, or being kissed. by Inez
Armstrong, demure and willowy lit
tie teacher Now, this incident which
is no part OF the high SCHOOL curricu-
1um and nowhere mentioned by the
regents, was communicated to the
school board. But the midsummer
vacation was approaching and the
school authorities, having IN mind the
gossip which naturally follows on the
very heels of story Of an indlscre-
ton. did not take prompt action.
In the Role Of Joseph.
Barnes himself admitted the kiss
ing, saying that he was the recipient
thereof instead of being the kisser.
He furthermore credited It to a hys-
terical outburst on the part Of the
young teacher due to her delight at
having been successful in an examina.
ton for promotion in which he had
aided her
But IT hadn't looked that way to Jan.
5tor Lewis or to his assistant, Eddie
Smith
When the schools closed the young
teacher went away from Freeport,
md during the long summer drone
the school board turned the matter
aver in its Official collective head and
finally decided that Superintendent
Barnes admitted qualifications for
school direction, coupled with his sew
eral years Of service, should not be
disregarded, So he was re-engaged
for another year.
And Barnes came back with his
white lawn tie to the scene of the
incident at the beginning of the fall
term. But the young woman didn't.
Then some Of the towuspeople
sought out Janitor Lewis and his as
sistant, and even an upper grade
youth or two for more detailed ac-
count of what had taken place within
tho superint ndent's room. They got
st. Smith confirmed Lewis. The boys
confirmed Smith,
Trouble for Superintendent.
The next move vas the circulating
OF an appeal to the state superinten-
dent Of education to compel the Free,
Port board Of education to rescind its
contract with Barnes
Some Of the townsfolk announced
that they would withdraw their dauph.
ters from the school until such time
MS Barnes had been given his walk.
ing papers. Barnes stood pat when
~" NS""' having peeH eNOner-
ated by the school beard and his CON
tract renewed, he went about his din.
ties quite as IL nothing had happened
Not SO industrious John Lewis ar Ed
die t, Smith, Their respective brooms
and busters were placed in other
hands, which some of the warmest
supporters of the school board now
believe to have been tactical mis-
take. Neither man was guilty of any
thing except seeing the kissing, I'M
less guilt attached to talking about it.