The Glenwood post., 1923-10-04

luS HSSlSleu HeT III luc COOh-
ing. 1t was quite a festival.
Jim Irwin was the least conspicuous
person in the gathering, but the colo
mel, who was seasoned politician,
observed that the Farmland had be-
come II fisher of men, and was angling
for the souls of these boys, and their
interest in the school. Jim was care
full not to flush the covey. but every
boy received from the next winters
teacher some confidential hint as to
plans. and some suggestion that Jim
was relying on the aid and comfort of
that particular boy.
Newt Bronson, especially, was
leaned on as strong staff and very
present help in time of trouble. AS
for Raymond Simms, 1t was clearly
best to leave him alone. All this talk
of corn selection and related things
was new to him. and he drank it in
thirstily. He had an inestimable ad
vantage over Newt in that he was
starved, while Newt was surfeited
with advantages" for which he had
no use.
Jennie" said Colonel Woodruff
after the party had broken up, I'm
losing the best hand I ever had, and
I've been sorry"
I'm glad he's leaving you" said
Jennie. HE ought to do something ex-
cept work in the field for wages"
I've had no idea he could make
good as teacher-and what is there
in it if he does?"
"What has he lost If he doesn't?"
rejoined Jennie. "And why can't he
make good?"
"The school boards against him, for
one thing" replied the colonel. They'll
fire him if they get a chance. They're
the laughing-stock of the country for
hiring him by mistake and they're ir-
rltated. But after seeing him perform
tonight, l wonder if he can't make
good"
"If he could feel like anything but
an underling, he'd succeed" said Jen-
ME.
That's his heredity," stated the
colonel, whose live stock operations
were based on heredity. "Jim's
scrub, 1 suppose; but he acts as If he
might turn out to be Brown Mouse"
"What do you mean, pa" scoffed
Jennie-"a Brown Mouse,"
"A fellow in Edinburgh" said the
colonel, CROSSED the Japanese waltz
ing mouse with the common white
mouse. Jim's peddling father was
waltzing mouse, no good except to
jump from one spot to another for no
good reason. Jim's mother is an al
bino of a woman. with all the color
washed out in one way or another.
Jim ought to be a mongrel. and I've
always considered him one. But the
Edinburgh fellow every once in
while got out of his variously-c
waltzing and albino hybrids, a brown
mouse 1t wasn't a common house
mouse, either, but a wild mouse unlike
any he had ever seen. IT ran away,
and bit and gnawed and raised hob. 1t
was what we breeders call Mende-
llan segregation of genetic factors that
had been in the walters and albinos
all the time-their original wild an
cestOr of the woods and fields. If
Jim turns out to be n brown mouse,
he may be bigger man than any of
us. Anyhow, I'm for him"
Hell have TO be big man to make
anything out Of the job of country
school teacher" said Jennie.
ANY jobs as big as the man who
holds it down" said her father.
Next day Jim received a letter from
Jennie.
Dear jim" it ran. "Father says
you are sure to have hard time-the
school boards against you, and all
that But he added Tn for jim, any
howr | thought you'd like to know
this. Also he said, Any jobs as big
as the man who holds it down And
| believe this also, and I'm for you,
too You are doing wonders even be-
fore the school starts N getting the
pupils interested in a lot of things,
which, while they don't belong to
school work, will make them friends
of yours. | don't see how this will
help you much, but It's a fine thing,
and shows your interest in them.
Don't be too original. The wheel runs
easiest IN the beaten track. Yours
Jennie"
Jennie's caution made no impression
on Jim-but he put the letter away.
and every evening took it out and read
the words, I'm for you. toor The
coloners dictum, ANY jobs as big as
the man who holds 1t down." was an
Emersoniaa trulsm to Jim. 1t reduced
all jobs to an equality, ana It meant
equality in intellectual and spiritual
development. II didn't mean, for in
stance, that any job was as good as
another in making 1t possible for a
man to maryland Jennie Woodruf's
"Humph!' returned to kill and drag
of her I'm for you, tool"
To be continued)