The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-26

haps she was grieved because Melissa
Horton could not remember the
bones of her body, but whatever the
reason. never before had their young
teacher called the roll without smil-
ing once. She even called "Jakey
Spooner" without looking up from
the book, but repeated his name in
the tone she might have used in say
ing Norway pine and hemlock."
Something was certainly wrong
Having convinced himself that his
teacher was unhappy. Johnnie did
his best to be good, He didn't throw
single paper wad that morning;
not once when the teacher wasn't
looking did he try to make Jakey
Spooner laugh. Whenever Johnnie
stretched his mouth from ear to ear
and pulled down his lower eyelids,
Jakey Spooner was sure of punish
ment Not that IL distress / Jakey
to obey the teacher when she said,
"Jakey, you may stand on the floor,
but Jakey. standing first on one foot.
then on the other. hitching up his
wee trousers and continually grim
ming, furnished amusement for all
the pupils, thanks be to Johnnie.
That morning johnnie neglected to
wave his hand frantically in the air
until. having commanded attention,
he might say, as usual, please, may
1 pass the water?" The tin dipper
hung from it's nail undisturbed until
recess the morning Johnnie tried to
be good.
But studious pupils and springtime
in the woods failed to cheer the
young teacher Frequently she step
ped to the door and looked down the
path in the only direction from
which anyone might be expected to
come on a visit to a log schooihouse
in clearing from which the stumps
had never been removed.
The schoolhouse door was at the
left of the front platform. Directly
before the entrance and against
wide wall stood the big stove and
the woodbox To the right of the
door was the teachers desk and one
chair. Wall space back OF the desk
was taken by blackboard. At the
back, opposite the front entrance.
maps decorated an otherwise blank
wall except in the blackboard cor
ner. The entire schoolroom wasn't
so big as Mrs. Rawdon's hotel kitch-
en- in the settlement, but 1t accom-
modated six roughly made double
seats, so placed that the pupils could
march up the center aisle and down
on either side, and even perform cere-
nonious marches on Friday after
Moons Between the desks and the
teachers throne was plain wooden
bench without a back, known as
the recitation seat.
Johnnie. having learned his morn
ing lessons, gazed thoughtfully about
the room. and. taking in its POSSIBLE
tiles, decided upon a beautiful plan
for making their teacher smile hap
PLY before the day was done. Even
then he neither whispered nor wrote
notes to his seven comrades. Instead,
Johnnie waited until noon. when
seven dinner pals followed his lead
into the clearing.
Eat your dinners quicker'n scat"
commanded the general, put your
pals all back on the dinner pail shelf
and then come ecooting out to tins
railroad track, because I've though
up something new and ! don't want
the teacher to hear a word"
Boiled eggs and sandwiches disap-
peared fast after that, and fifteen
minutes past IL o'clock squirrels,
bluetays and crows were alone in the
clearing.
Meantime the teacher also ate her
lunch quickly and gave a worried
glance around the room. First. she
examined the blackboards. The one
at the back needed cleaning. Hav-
I ing scrubbed that blackboard untff II
( looked nearly black. the teacher
thought a moment before she wrote
in perfect script; THAT this nation
under God, shall have a new birth OF
people. by the people, for the people
shall not perish from the earth"
From the front blackboard she
erased notices and daily program
replacing them by 1T is more blessed
to give than to receive" and newly
written schedule Of daily work
There were eight pupils in the school
yet the long program had an air OF
importance great enough to cause the
teacher to regard it with approval
Next she restraightened maps and
charts already straight. That done
she inspected every desk to be sure
| that nor marbles lurked in corners
to roll out on the floor at the wrong
time, and that no loose papers threat
Quisite care. she swept and busted
the room.
D., 1t Is. the best ! can do, anyway, y
observed ,lssianniA's teacher. as ssge
gave her personal appearance severe
attention and made herself tidy from
top TO toe. Now l wish he would
come and have il over with"
Even as the girl spoke she saw a
dreaded figure approaching the
commissioner who had threatened &c
visit every school in the county for
the purpose of examining the pupils
in their studies. with the avowed in
tcntion of wedding out all young and
incompetent teachers" He was &c
visit neighboring district that morn
ing and Johnnie's teacher tremhled
with dread. IL that school commits
sioner frightened the children by his
question, she knew one sixteenyear
old teacher who would be weeded out
Only the gentlest encouragement
ever induced Melissa Horton to admit
that she had a Uranium, and the other
member of the physiology class, al
though able TO rattle off the bones OF
the body. well enough TO satisfy any
one, was obstinate in regard to giZ-
zards---she insisted that she had a
gzzard The geography class was
studying the map of Africa, which
means that its one representative,
Sammy Horn. was sure to disgrace
his teacher Jimmie Cassidy always
stumbled in history.
No wonder the teacher was pale
and looked worried when she greeted
the commissioners The first thing
that man did was to look at his
watch. and when he stepped in, he
seemed to I'll the schoolroom.
Please take my chair" requested
Johnnie's teacher, and the school
commissioner squeezed behind the
desk into the corner and caused the
chair tC COMPLAIN. He was Il big