Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1923-10-11

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The chauffeur. however. unhesttsi
ingiy released Newton, and furfousl,
delivered d blow can for 1im's law
which miscn rrfed by a foot. In reply
Jim countered with an AWKWARD
swinging uppercut. II landed fairly o.
the point OF the jaw. The chaufxsu.
staggered and slowly toppled over int
the soft earth which had caused X
much of the rumpus.
"Oh. cut II out" said a fat man fr
the G of the car. who had hither
to manifested small interest In any.
thing ave Ponto. -Get In, and LET'S
be on u way
Colonel Woodruff. waving toward
him In his runabout. held up by the
traffic blockade, asked what was golnx
on here, and the chauffeur, RISING
~groggfly. climbed into the car; and the
meeting dissolved.
Good work, jim" said Cornelius
Bonner. II didn't think twas in yer
TITS beastly," said Jim. ~reddening.
II didn't know, either"
Colonel Woodruff looked at his
hired man sharply. gave him some In
structions for the mex day and drove
on. The road gang dispersed for the
afternoon. Newton Bronson carefully
secreted the magic muzzle, and
chuckled at what a been perhaps
the most pIcturesquely successful bit
OF deyiltry In his varied record. Jim
Irwin put out his team, got his supper
and went to the meeting of the school
board.
The -deadieeked members Of the
board had been so long at loggerheads
that their relations had swaycd back
to something like nmity. Jim had
scarcely entered when Con Bonner ad-
dressed the chair.
mfr. President" said he, 1--WE have
wild us t'night, a young man who nades
no Introduction to an audience In this
place, Mr.. Jim Irwin. He thinks we're
bullheaded mules, and that all the
schools are bad AT the proper time /
shall move that we hire him fr teach
er; and pinding that motion, | move
that he be given the floor. Ye've all
heared OF Mr.. Twins ability as a
white hope. and / know he'll be lis
tened to wild respect |"
Much laughter from the board and
the spectators, as Jim arose. He
looked upon II as ridicule OF himself,
while Con Bonner regarded 1t as q
tribute 10 his successful speech.
mr.. President and Gentlemen OF
the Board" said Jim, I'm not going
to tell you anything that you don't
know about yourselves. You are sim
ply making a farce of the matter of
hiring a teacher for this school. You
know, and ! know, that even II your
silly deadlock is broken by employing
a new candidate, the school will be
the same old story. 1t will still be the
school IL was when I came into IL a.
little ragged boy"-here Jim's voice
grew a little husky-"and when / left
Il, a bigger boy, but still as ragged as
There was a slight sensation In the
audience as IL Con Bonner said
about the knock-down, they hadn't
thought Jim Irwin could do 1t.
"Well." said Con. you've done well
hold your own"
I'm all the years / attended this
Jim went on, II never did a
bit OF work In school which was
economically useful. No other pupil
sver did any real work of the sort
boys and girls should do. We
copied city schools-and the schools
we copied are poor schools. We made
)ad copies of them, too. IL any Of you
.hree men were making a fight for
what the Country Life commission +,
a new kind OF rural school, I'd !,
fight. But you aren't. You're Just A.,
individual fights for your IA =,
teachers" :
Jim Irwin made a somewhat lengthy .
ipeech after the awkwardness wore :
fl. He adjured Bronson. Bonner and :
TO study his plan OF a new /,
ind of country school-in which the :
work OF the school should be CORE :
ated with the life Of the home and !.
he farm-a school which would be
n the highest degree cultural by be- j,
hN toAtctipuSAy u1tidi anu ODNlouSl1
Irnctical.
Sharp spats of applause from the
seless hands of Newton Bronson
ave the final touch OF absurdity to a !.
which Jim had felt TO be :
idiculous all through. Had Ii not :
cen for Jennie Woodruf7s "Humph I" =
him, had 1t not been for the
bsurd notion that perhaps, after they :
ad heard his speech. they would :
him in charge OF the school, and :
hat he might be able to do something :
eally important In IL, he would not :.
ave been there. AS he sat down, he :
himself a dreamer. The nodding :
GARD of directors. the secretary, :
snoring. the bored audience :
the feld-hand to a sense Of :
Is proper place. !
I'VE have had the privilege of lis :
said Con Bonner. rising, ito a :
reat speech, Mr.. Prisidint. Maxim a "
spache is one thing. and teach =
n good school Is another. but In ar ]