The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-07-20
The
SCIi00lmdSfer
Copyright 1872 by Associated Literary
prceS)
BY Bryant c. Rogers

tAOpy ILL.,, ~ .-T"S' 1890 As'tSsoAy
PressD
There had been talk for year or
more among the residents OF Laurel
Cove. high up on the Cumberland
range. that a school for their children
ought to be opened. with a "reglar
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 congratu.
lating itself on the boom.
Il don't reckon this yere Cove will
ever be as big as Raleigh or Nash.
ville." observed Uncle Jim Henderson.
the leading man OF the hamlet, but
what I'm sayin' is that we've made
a right smart beginning to see the dirt
fly"
The schoolmaster was bachelor
of thirty He had been picked up
cheap. He had tried preaching. ped
ding and two or three other occupa.
tons and made failure OF each.
One to look at him would know that
he 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 a conspiracy on
foot Tom Beardsley saw possible
rival in him and determined that his
school should be failure
Mrs. Martin felt that che had been
| sighted, and she went to planning
how she could get him to her own
cabin. Mrs. Carson admitted that the
schoolmastcr WAS shackloty. but as he
was dedicated" she felt that she
could marry him and aid him 10 make
Il career
The school ran along for 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
mcnt 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
ly surrounded by water. Uncle Jim
Henderson was ready to admit abOu,
tho dog" but he took exception to
the land and water question and pri
vately advised the schoolmaster to &c
a little slow.
II hain't sayin' that you hain't right
about 1t. 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
yere, that It's gwine to take time. My
son Bill was sayin' that you told the
scholars the other day 1t was ninety
three million miles to the sun"
That's what 1t is" replied Jed.
"Who measured it,"
1T has been measured by the as
tronomcrs."
And who be them"
Men who study the sun. moon and
stars"
What did they measure WITH"
instruments. Uncle Jim"
Better let 1t drap. Jed" said the
old man with shake of his head al
may be ninety.three million miles to
the sun. but you can't find anybody
around these digeins who'll believe
it's over half mile and you don't
want to git up and be fussin' about
IT,"
| Two landlookers got into trouble Al
the Cove and there was shooting
Among the witnesses were the school
master and both widows ana one day
they had 10 appear At town in the
loWlands 10 give testimony. Previous
Ia this the Widow Martin had hal ING
or three talks with Tom rcardsly the
tic contractor. and had sowcd TIC
seeds or jealousy in hts mini He HAD
also seen with his own ,voe that his
landladr was more or loss struck on
the scheolmaster The latter had on
two or three occasions sroken highly
of the Widow Martin. and this had
huffod the Widow Carson There was
rancor In three human hearts and
something was 10 follow
The witnesses We're absent from,
their homes for two day, ana They
had scarcely returned when a hand @.
revenue men came mp on the noun
tain and raided still thar lad been
in operation over two years While
the officials walked directly to the
still. proving that they must have had
information in advance. the alarm
had been given and they made 70 ar
rests The capture and destruction OF
the still was sufficient. however. To sci
Laurel Cove ablaze. Some one had
blabbcd There was a traitor In tie
1 camn