The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-04-22

1T was when | was in the1.fifth
grade-about ten yearssold, Unjust
have been-and i had a teacher@that
couldn't stand me. don't know that
I blame her@so much, after ALL I was
pretty slow and grubby, much as
you'd expect msnto have been, and
didn't get on at all. My special night
mare was arithmetic, which is queer
considering" The consideration was
though he didn't explain this: to
Celia, that he had, really: an
uncanny talent for mathematics
"rve made up my mind since
that it wasn't the mathematical
part of the problems l couldn't under
stand, but the English they We're ex-
pressed in. However, that was no help
to me at the time. I was the teachers
horrible example. She used to say
over some uncommon piece of stu
pidity by some one else, why, even
Alfred Blair wouldn't have done that"
Celia made little shudder of dis
gust. "HOw you must have hated herr
she said. Then, suspiciously, THAT
teacher isn't going to turn out to be
me, is she?'
He answered the second question
with a "Wait and see," but to the
first, he replied more thoughtfully
"No, l hadn't the satisfaction of hat
ing her. If ] could have taken her
personally, that would have been easy,
But she wasn't personal at all. She
Observation-Disclosures see :? Destiny All
/ could do was just despair.
well, it got worse and worse, and
one morning, on the. way to school
with hopeless lesson ahead of me
that hadn't even tried to get, made
up my mind to quit. I'd have to do
some desperate deed first, to get my
self expelled from school, because
otherwise I'd he made to go back
Then I'd 90 and be a newsboy. re-
member standing still, in the middle
of the sidewalk, and soleMnly swear
ing to myself think l said God
damn'-that I'd do it. Then l walked
on, trying to make up my mind what
I'd do. ~
II considered pretty nearly every
thing up to the actual assassination
of the teacher, but the particular
crime wasn't really picked out when
got to the school.
''Well-here'S the point at last.
when l got there there was card on
the door. There'd been u case Of small
pOx and the school was closed until
further notice.. s.&
IN never forget that walk home
from school 1'here'd been a miracle
that had changed the whole world.
You can imagine changing in ten mir
utes from u prospective criminal who'd
got to get himself expelled from school
in order to 60 and be newsbOy. to
kid on his way home on the first
morning Of an uncharted vacation. A
prospector striking pay-ore is nothing
to that. anyway And to me Well.
there you are. That's the nearest az
proach to how I've felt since since
this happened"
She squeezed up little closer to
him. II expect + was the teacher,
though" she said.
He gave q little laugh at that, No,
you lamb he said. sYeu We're the
smallpox notice.
Celia pOndered good deal upon this
parable during the following lays.
1t illuminated many things. A school
hoy, revealing in an unforeseen holiday I!
That gave her the clue, not only to
his present state Of mind but to what
his state Of mind must have been dur
ing the months that preceded the crush.
Indeed. ever since their marriage
their engagement-,-before that. per-
haps.
That serious. sohef. responsibility way
Of his wasn't all her doing. Of course.
He had nevef, for one thing. cajoyei
The four year5 81 1s,lit irresps slbility