The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-07-25

H1OR5I ST DRY q 4!

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Emma Browns Sab bat
ical ear
RySH LOUIS RAYBoLD
Emma Browns classmates were
%4lI agreed that she had drawn the
plum from the pedagogical pie
when, the Septembe after she
n graduated from college, she re-
sSceived an appointment to teach N
s{the high school at Montrose High
x lands. Not only would her work
Sbegunder the most delightful con-
Editions or splendid equipment and
Inspiring surroundings, and draw
& even at the start, a very fair salary
but she would In time be eligible
"A for Curtis Hunts Sabbatical Year.
5 Curtis Hunt was the comparative
Il W. new superintendent Of schools
q Dc Montrose Highlands. He had IN
Nj stttuted many reforms, none OF
N til en-, ID owever, more popular than
sshis Sabbatical Year. "High school
as well as college profcs-
v sors. = he stoutly mainta1ned'i
be allowed a year of,
SaYery seventh year, for recupera-
Sation and study. IN time we nope. 20
grant this years VACATION with full
u pay: at present, all we can do IS
ITO allow small bonus and hold the
position oren.
Emma. strange to say, was not
svftally5 interested in this feature OF
ssSsher job Seven years Why, BY that
EiunaSshe hoped to be married and
he three children at least
Yet one year passed, then sever
ssa( .&And still Emma reported faith
sssfull yS alta quarter Of nine in Room
ss206 on the third floor. Six years
gadded "a gray hair or two, droop
& to&her sh oulders, wrinkle IN her
|foreh cad. And she woke suddenly
Il to a. real and vital interest N the
sStact that the next year was to pc:
sahers-a whole, free year, in which
ia devote herse1f--to what? Why, to
whatever would make her services
n ya1ua BILE for another six years to
sthesHigh School and Curtis Hunt
& and the town OF Montrose High
Hands
And SO her sabbatical Year came
SRos Emm And at its close, back IN
4fhoo1, she appeared at the first
2teach ers' meeting of the season
& where she knew from experience
,Sshe would be called upon for a re-
port OF what she had done during
her "a absence. And as she sat there
sand viewed the motely groups OF
i;sSfel low teachers, a daring Impulse
I'D sneak the truth arose within her
tell Just how she had spent the.
ssyear gone by, and why. to gloss
,5oyer the work which was the sort
of thing expected Of her, which she
had d one as sop to conscience,
spoSt-graduate courses at the uni
varsity, three months study IN TIE.
chemical laboratory Of factoEs "a.
3ssSsSs3 when her opportunity came EN-
ma arose and, grasping the chalr
Slack5 IN front Of her, swept her
Naudience with a brave glance.
ss.'Some OF my Sabbatical year., she
told them, was spent at the uni
sgVersity;; sine of it was spent taking
ssa course in Phoenician archaeology
sssthk@srest Of it I put in making my
y self1ss- ready for-for marriage
<gs-istudying how to be a companion, !,
aithrifty heIpmate and a home max,
sseser.', She sat down amid a silence
that was audible
Then smoothly, tactfully, under
John wentworth's hand, the meet
#inp flowed on in the usual chan
ssneH-
sss5F Enma had unconsclously accom-
jssDlfshed strange thing. she had 10
scused upon herself the attention OF
IN every fellow teacher, man and Wo-
n man. And that attention, once cap
tured, remained riyeted. For 1t was
II imnossible. mot to observe that EN-
ma ma wore . different clothes and
q wore them in a new way, and tnat
.ssSfiarSpersonal appearance had grown
more youthful, yes, lore beautiful
The women would have understood
81 had they known that a course IN
ssTressuaking and weekly visits to
ssreliab Bile beauty specialist mad peen
saanart OF Emma's past year The
men accepted the change at face
value, but were none the less inter-
VI ested.
with Emma, discovered that she
sssWasBBwoman1y, a1luring, provocative
He began to regret his many years
M sSsofIbachelorhood and to wonder how
.$s snnn he could bring them to an
and. Here was woman, drawing a
good salary. who had come out
II brayaly and declared she wished
10 marry. What treasure and a
faykEyel such woman was, these
.AA6dern days!
ss E'siTf Emma cared for Wentworth
sssba gave no outward sign of it that
winter, but pursued her pedagogy
ss cal way serenely, accepting equa!-
w. til e attentions of the principal,
Tie ~head Of the science department
# the} History teacher and the young
instructor in English. a trifle bit
:.Est ariy the other women teachers
s#ecom rrr,ad notes and laid little bets
among themselves as to the final
n outcome. And each one privately
M resolved at try for one OF the
Insnccessfu competitors. Emma
had played a trial they condemned