The Glenwood post., 1923-09-27

IL l
weren't for those white specks on the
clover-roots, we should be obliged to
| do so-as they do back east"
"How do them white speclls keep
US from needin' nitrates?'
Its long story" said jim "You
see, before there We're any plants big
enough to be visible-if there had
| been any one to see them-the world
was full of little plants so small that
| there may be billions of them in one
of these little white specks. They
knew how to take the nitrates from
| the air"
"Air!" calculated Nev on. "Nitrates
In the air, You're crazy!"
| mo" said Jim. "There are tons of
nitrogen in the air that press down on
| your head-but the big plants can't
| get it through their leaves, or their
roots. They never had to learn, be-
| cause the little bacteria-lo-
| Gated on those roots and tapped them
| for the sap they needed-began to get
| their board and lodgings off the big
plants. And in payment for their hotel
bills, the little plants took nitrogen
| out of the air for both themselves and
/ their hostS.'
"What dye mean by 'hosts'?'
Their hotel-keepers-the big plants.
| And now the plants that have the
hotel roots for the bacteria furnish
| nitrogen not only for themselves, but
| for the crops that follow. Corn can't
get nitrogen out of the air; but
| clover can-and that's why we ought
to plow down clover before crop of
| corn"
"Gee!" said Newt "If you could get
to teach our school, I'd go again."
ut would interfere with your pool
playing"
"What business is that O. yours7"
Interrogated Newt defiantly.
well, get busy with that shovel"
suggested jim, who had been working
steadily, driving out upon the fill oc-
occasionally to unload. On his return
from dumping the next load, Newton
| seemed, in superior way, quite
amiably disposed toward his workfel-
| low-rather the habitual thing in the
| neighborhood.
"rll work my old man to vote for
| you for teacher said he.
"Those school directors" replied
| Jim, 'have become so bullheaded that
| they'll never vote for any one except
| the applicants they've been voting for"
1.-THE old man says he will have
Prue Foster again, or he'll give the
school Il darned long vacation, unless
| Peterson and Bonner join on some one
else. That would beat Prue, of
| course"
And Con Bonner won't vote for
any one but Maggie Gilmartin," added
| Jim.
and" supplied Newton, "Haalyon
| Peterson says he'll stick to Herman
Paulson until the Hot Springs freeze
over
And there you are" said Jim. you
tell your father for me that l think
he's mere mule-and that the whole
district thinks the same"
"-\ll right" said Newt. "lll tell him
that while I'm working him to vote
for you"
Jim smiled grimly. He had re-
manned peasant because the Amer
lean rural teacher is placed econom-
icully lower than the peasant. He
| gave NcWlon's chatter no consldera-
ton Bur when, In the afternoon, he
hitched his team with others to the
big road grader ana the gang became
concentrated within talking distance,
he found that the project Of heckllng
and chatting him about his eminent lit
ness for a scholastic position was to
be the real entertainment of the oc-
casipn.
"Im's the candidate to bust the
deadlock" said Columbus Brown, with
IL wink. Just like Garfield in that
Republican convention he was nom
mated m-eh, Con|
Com was Cornelius Bonner, an
Irisiumun, one Of the deadlocked school
board, and the captain of the road
grader lie winked back at the path
master.
"Jims the gray-eyed man o des-
tiny,' he replied, "If lie gets two
votes in that board"
You'd vote for me, wouldn't you,
Cont' asked Jim
TN Try anything vance" replied
Bonner.
TRY voting with Ezra Bronson once,
for rrue Foster" suggested Jim.
shes done good work here"
"Opinions differ" said Bonner, IAN
when you try anything just for
vance, it shouldn't be an irrevocable
shtip, me bye"
You're n reasonable board of public
servants" said Jim ironically. I'D
like to tell the whole board what /
think Of them.'
"Come down tonight" said Bonner
Jeerlngly. Were going to have Il
board meeting at the schoolhouso
and ballot few more times. Come
down, and be the Garfield of the CON
vintlon. We've lacked brains on the
board, that's clear. They amt man
on the board that liver studied algebra,
r that knows more about farmln' than