The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-08-15
MARY MADE GOOD
BY LOUISE OLIVER.


mously elected to the district school.
Philip Fleming had east 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. 81 thought she was
kinda perry"
ME, toor' 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
"Well," said Jonathan in his DELHI
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 a wom-
an"
But this is different" protested
Philip. "She's a city girl, born and
bred, and so were her forefathers. You
don't know the kind as well as I 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 a chanst. If she don't make
good it amt our fault. And she insist
ed, so l 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-
q did.
! Mary had heard of Philips disap-
q prevail. In fact, he had not promised,
: as had the others when she was cleo
T pioneering, so she was hardly sur
q prised. But it hurt her to think that a
f fellow citizen had refused to indorse
her.
q One day he stopped at the school.
He had left the Office early and de
! cided TO have a look for himself.
Behold, peace and order prevailed,
. and as it was Friday afternoon, Miss
: Hilldale was reading. And what do
II you think it was. "pollyanna! !" Read
y ing the story of little girl to those
big. hulking miner boys, And they
liked it, evidently, and resented the
disturbance Of q yisitor.aaT + -no
&c Philip stayed awhile, as interested
d as the pupils, but finally he left re
luctantly, feeling that his visit haG
% made no impression.
The days shortened and cooled
= Winter came about Thanksgiving, Will
:. heavy storm of snow. The road be
II tween the station and the school wa
H kneedeep, and in other places condi
II tons were worse.
II "Now," thought Philip, looking GU
of his dining room window, "well SCI
II if the little teacher can look at tn
II bright side of this blizzard. I doubt i
II the train got out at all today. B.
- Jove There she is! Sure enough
or Mary, in high rubber boots, was tramp
m ing through the drifts and enjoyin
of 1t.
Its a novelty now" he declare
III finally, the expression dying. "Wai
until we've had two or three month
of it. It's bound to get her in til
Ia end"
Il But there We're more storms-an
worse. And they didn't get" Mary.
One morning Philip heard voices
on the kitchen, but, thinking it was tn
"a chorewoman who came to help hi
~ housekeeper. he paid no attention
Later Mrs. Clark came in.
h , ''She can't get that wheelbarro'
down the road herself. I'm sure sh
on can't"
''What do you mean?"
lie, cts the teacher. Somebody brok
in and carried away all the coal frol
< the schoolhouse last night, and ST
u says the place is like ice. So she DO
-. rowed our wheelbarrow and some Goa
file and there she goes"
Philip caught up with Mary, {
rer course. and did the rest. But he fe
that he wasn't needed. To his
od you're not strong enough for tn
kind of work, little girl !" Maj
Us laughed and doubled up her arm. 80
I'm like iron all over. Gymnasiu
n work, you know"
no. There's another tec cher In Lin
Ter creek now.
Copyright. 1917, by the Mcclure Newsp
me per Syndcate)
loo HDivide Iand1 Saws ord Rrvce