The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-12-12
By HERBERT QUICK
Copyright by The Bobbs-Merrill Company
CHAPTER XVll-continued.

quireu. he asked me about you, and
I told him you're a crackerjack."
I'm much obliged replied Jim.
N use in back-cappin' a fellow
that's tryin' to make somethin' of him
SELF" said Bonner. "That amt good
politics, nor good sense. Anything to
him?"
ii offered me a salary of seventy
live dollars a month to take charge of
his school," said Jim.
WELL" said Con, well be sorry to
lose yeh, but you can't turn down any
thing like that"
1 don't know" said Jim. 81 haven't
decided"
Bonner %scrutinized his face sharply,
as If to find out what sort of game he
was playing.
WELL" said he, at last, 81 hope you
can stay with us, o. course. I'm licked,
and l v squeal. If the rist of the
district can stand your kind of thricks,
l can. And say, Jim"-here he grew
still more mysterious-"if you do stay,
some of us would like to have you be
enough of a Democrat to go into the
next convention fr county superin-
tendent."
why" replied Jim, Il never thought
of such a thing!"
well, think of it," said Con. 1.-THE
county's close, and wild a poplar young
educator-an' a farmer, too, it might
be done. Think of it."
lin vac oIpnocf 1o1oI ~ tho MIR,
Der of propositions of which he was
now required to 'think"-and Bon
ner's did not at first impress him as
having anything back of it but barney.
He was to find out later, however, that
the willy Cor had made up his mind
that the ambition of Jim to serve the
rural schools in a larger sphere might.
he used for the purpose of bringing to
earth what he regarded as the soaring
political ambitions of the Woodruff
family. To split the forces which had
defeated Mr.. Bonner in his own school
district, with the very instrument used
by the colonel at the last school cleo
tion-that, to Mr.. Bonner, would be
a fine thing.
Jim had scarcely taken his seat in
the car, facing Jennie Woodruff and
Bettina Hansen in the Pullman, when
Columbus Brown, pathmaster of the
road district and only across the way
from residence in the school district,
came down the aisle and called Jim
to the smoking-room.
did an old fellow named Hoffman
from Pottawatomie county ask you
to leave us and take his school?" he
asked.
"Mr. Hofmyer." said Jim. yes, he
did"
"Well," said Columbus, 81 don't want
to ask you to stand in your own light,
but / hope you won't let him toll you
off there among strangers. We're
proud of you, JIm, and we don't want
to lose you"
Proud of him Sweet music to the
underling's ears. Jim blushed and
stammered.
1.-The fact Is" said Columbus, ~
know that Woodruff district job hain't
big enough for you any more; but we
a make it bigger. If you'll stay, l
believe we can pull Off a deal to con-
solidate ome of them districts, and
make you boss OF the whole shooting
match"
II appreciate this, Clumb,' said
Jim, but l don't believe you can do
it,"
swell, think of It," said Columbus.
And don't do anything till you talk
with me and a few of the other boys"
Think of it" again.
A fine homecoming 1t was for Jim,
with the colonel waiting at the station
with a double sleigh, and the chance
to ride into the snowy country in the
same seat with Jennie-a chance which
was blighted by the colonel's placing
Bettina and Nils Hansen in the broad
rear seat, and Jim in front with himself.
The colonel would not allow him to
get out and walk when he could really
have reached home more quickly by
doing so; no, he set the Hansens
down at their door, took Jennie home,
and then drove the lightened sleigh
merrily to the humble cabin of the
rather excited young schoolmaster.
did you make any deal with those
people down in the western part of
the state?" asked the colonel. a"Jennie
wrote me that you've got an Offer"
No" said Jim, and he told the
colonel about the proposal Of Mr..
Hofmyer.
"Well," said the colonel, "in my
capacity of wild-eyed reformer, I've
lnsde up my mind that the first four
miles in tile trip is to make the rural
TEACHERS job a bigger job. It's got
to be a mans size, woman's size Job,
Or we can't get real men and real
women'to stay in the work"
II. think that's a statesmanlike
Formulation of it," said Jim.
Well" said the colonel, don't turn
down the ~Pottawatomie county Job
until we have Il chance to see what
we can do. I'll get some kind of q
meeting together, and what l want
you to do is to use this offer as a club
over this helpless school district.
What W. need is to be held up. Do
the Jesse James act, Jim
81 can't, Colonel !"
Eyes, you can, too. Will you try IT."
81 want to treat everybody fairly"
said Jim, "inesuding Mr.. Hofmyer. /
don't know what to do, hardly"
"WelI, I'll get the meeting together"
said the colonel, "and in the mean
time, think of what I've said"