The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1917-08-23
] MARY MADE GOOD.
By LOUISE OLIVER.

Mary Hilldale had not been unani-
mously elected to the district school.
Philip Fleming had cast dissenting
vote when the board met In his living
room in May of the previous year for
election.
"She looked all right to me-" said
Jonathan Mills. II thought she was
kinda perry"
me, tool" agreed Mr.. Dixie, expec-
torating emphatically into the cuspidor
Philip always unearthed from some
where on these occasions.
The opinion went around the table
until it came to Philip again, presiding
at the head. "You don't seem to I'M
derstand that it takes more than
pretty face to cope with the difficulties
of place like this"
"Wen," said Jonathan in his dellb-
crate fashion, "women seem to be dom
most everything nowadays that men
do. Besides, we've had 'em here be-
fore. Five years ago we had wom-
an"
"But this is different" protested
Philip. "She's city girl, born and
bred, and so were her forefathers. You
don't know the kind as well as do.
They are regular dollhouse products,
die in the first rough weather. Be-
sides she-she looks so inadequate.
Imagine her standing up and debating
to those big boys from the mines. Why
they nearly got away from Strappef
last year. If he couldn't stand it, and
had to quit, what do you think about
herr"
"Well," spat Mr.. Dixie, "I'm for CIV
in her chanst. If she don't make
good it amt our fault. And she insist
ed, so I kinda promised"
"All right. Have it your way" said
Philip. "But if she gets pneumonia
tramping around in two feet of snow,
don't ask me to sing at her funeral"
= Mary came in September, and Philip
waited developments. OF course, things
were in her favor then, for the country
was still beautiful and the roads splen-
did.
Mary had heard Of Philips disap-
prevail In fact, he had not promised,
as had the others when she was cleo
tioneering, so she was hardly sur
prised. But it hurt her to think that
fellow citizen had refused to indorse
her.
One day he stopped at the school.
He had left the Office early and de-
cided to have look for himself.
Behold, peace and order prevailed.
and as it was Friday afternoon, Miss
Hillda!e was reading. And what do
you think it was "Pollyanna Read
ing the story of little girl to those
big, hulking miner boys! And they
liked it, evidently, and resented the
disturbance Of visitor.
Philip stayed awhile, as interested
as the pupils, but finally he left re-
luctantly, feeling that his visit had
made no impression.
The days shortened and cooled.
Winter came about Thanksgiving, with
heavy storm of snow. The road be-
tween the station and the school was
knee-deep, and in other places condi-
tons were worse.
"Now," thought Philip, looking out
Of his dining room window, well see
If the little teacher can look at the
bright side of this blizzard. I doubt If
the train got out at all today. By
Jove! There she is! Sure enough,
Mary, in high rubber boots, was tramp
ing through the drifts and enjoying
it.
"It's a novelty now," he declared
finally, the expression dying. swat
until we've had two or three months
Of it. It's bound to get her in the
end"
But there were more storms-and
worse. And they didn't "get" Mary.
One morning Philip heard voices in
the kitchen, but, thinking it was the
chorewoman who came to help his
housekeeper, he paid no attention.
Later Mrs. Clark came In.
"She can't get that wheelbarrow
down the road herself. I'm sure she
can't"
''What do you mean?"
"It's the teacher. Somebody broke
in and carried away all the coal from
the schoolhouse last night, and she
says the place is like ice. So she bor-
rowed our wheelbarrow and some coal,
and there she goes"
Philip caught up with Mary, Of
course, and did the rest. But he felt
that he wasn't needed. To his:
you're not strong enough for this
laughed and doubled up her arm. ooh,
I'm like iron all over. Gymnasium
work, yea know
There's another teacher in Lime
creek now.
Copyright. 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)
"Divide Land" Says Lord Bryce.