New Britain herald., 1919-09-11

years.
 Miss Wines face was black vitt anger, but she evidently vas coWed by my words and manner/ She tluns out of the office with the caustlt expression:
 T don't waste my time talking tt trash. Come on, Hester.'
 Miss Platt obediently followed hel with a frightened look at me. AS the door closed behind them Bess Dear c1apped me on the shoulder with ar hysterical little laugh.
 "Gee!'' she exclaimed 'GlVe ms these quiet people when they once get started. Believe me, I'll not tackle Nou-you looked about seven feet tall just noW'
 What Docs Mr. Prentiss' Visit Por-
 tend?
 Bess Deans chara CteriStically non sensical comment relieved the mental atmosphere of it's tension. Each woman of the group of teachers gathered in the principals othce laughed relievedly, and Alice Hol- combe seized the opportunity to oD- serve practically:
 "Wel, we cant help matters by standing around here! We'd better go to our rooms and get ready to face the pupils,'
 I'm going to face mine with a Cat ling gun,' Bess Dean said ferOclOuslY. Cant you imagine the three-rlng clr- GUS that's going to be staged here to- day? oh. Miss Dean, did you hear?' oh, Miss Dean, ain't it awful, terrible, horribIe?' They'll ring the changes on all the adjectives they know-that is until they're stopped. I think I'll stop 1Nnfo m h. stairs now to write a notice which l m going to fasten on the door of my room:
 Mrs. StoclSbridge is dead. l know it. You know it. Anybody speaking of it stays an hour after school
 Make us a copy, Bess,' I heard the other teachers say laughingly as they left the room, and in another moment Alice Holcombe and I were left alone together.
 Alice HoIcombe's Fear.
 "The beast!" she said Vehemently, and I knew that she meant Miss Wines. How dared she! But you were wonderful, my dear, in the way you put her down.
 I'm afraid it won's be effective" I said. more troubled than l cared to ad init.
 ':Oh, yes it will" she reassured me. But one thing is certain. You mustn't be brought into this thing at all. was awfully glad you didn't tell Miss Wines that Kenneth telephoned you yesterday, and if I were you l would not mention it to anone else"
 1T don't intend to- I interposed dryly
 No one save you and I and Ken 1r,, of hot nS alcG she went on, and I do hope it won't be found out today
 Why today?' I asked startled.
 ."The coroner's inquest" she return ed. VAnd I am so afraid Milly's peo- pie will try to have me summoned as a witness. The thing will be farce anyway. The coroner, the district at torney and a number of minor otfi- cials are all relatives more or less dis tant of Millys family, who belong to the inner circle of the political ring of the county They all stick together like glue.'
 Bess Dean put, her head in at the door. She was breathiess, as if she had rushed downstairs in double quick time.
 we will study the porpoise in nat ural history today,' she said. "Thought you'd like to know"
 "Wc'H Know
 Thanks" Alice Holcombe returned laconically, as Miss Dean closed the door. Then we looked at each other worriedly.
 For Bess Deans cryptic message was a signal long agreed upon among the~teachers of the BayView school to herald the appearance on the school
 
 pompous and exacting4 member of the board.
 Mr. Prentiss, who takes himself and his office most seriously, has an un- pleasant little habit of descending upon the school at most unexpected and unreasonable times, evidently in the hope of finding the teachers off guard, and being able to detect some one or more of them in derelictiOnS of duty which would warrant the ponder ouS criticisms which he loves to utter Put, unfortunately for his mbitiOn, the teachers early discovered his pre- affection for inOppOrtune appearances, and agreed that the one of their num- Der who first discovered his pOrtly figure making it's way across the school grounds should at once signal all of her colleagues.
 As MT. PrentisS is as ponderous in person as he is in manner his ap- proach to the school through the un- usually extensive grounds is a slow, dignified progress, certain to be seen by some one of the teachers, or her aided by some gossipy teacher And a poor stick indeed is the teacher con- sdered who cannot at a moments mo- tice stage a well-ordered class, with a dignified, composed teacher and atten- tive pupils. Of course, some Of them are efficient enough generally to have such a state of affairs, and the rest achieve it by promises and threats to the pupils under their charge
 "Oh, l do wonder what his coming this morning means" Alice Ho1combe exclaimed
 ..WeIl know in a minnie" I retl1rn-