The Glenwood post., 1923-10-18

/ GU KNOW, Salu Raymond, lilat
you'd think mahgty small of me, if I'd
desert Mr.. Jim Irwin"
well, then" replied Newton, selz-
ing his traps and throwing them
across his shoulder, come on with the
traps, and shut up! Whatll we do
Woodruff to revoke his certificate and
make him quit teachin', hey?
"Nobody'll eveh do that" said Ray
mond. "Td set in the schoolhouse do
with my rifle and shoot anybody that'd
come to th'ow Mr.. Jim outen the
school"
Not in this country" said Newton.
This amt gun country"
But it orto be either a justice ken
try, or a gun kentry," replied the
mountain boy. 1T stands to reason it
must be one r the otheh, Newton"
mo, it don't neither" said Newton
dogmatically.
outen the school?" inquired Raymond.
"Ain't he teachin' us right?"
Newton explained for the tenth time
that Jim had done so many things that
no teacher was supposed to do, and
had left undone so many things that
teachers We're bound by custom to
perform, that NewtOns father and Mr..
Bonner and Mr.. Peterson had made
up their minds that they would call
upon him to resign, and If he wouldn't,
they would turn him out" in some
way.
"What wrongs he done commltted?"
asked Raymond. Il don't know what
teachers air supposed to do in this
kentry, but Mr.. Jim seems to be the
only shore-enough teacher l ever see!"
"He don't teach out of the books
the school board adopted" replied
Newton.
"But he makes up better lessons"
urged Raymond. "An' all the things
we do in school he'ps us make
livin'."
"He begins at eight in the mornin',"
said Newton, "an' he has some of us
there till half past five, and comes
back in the evening. And every Sat
urday, some of the kids are doin'
something at the schoolhouse."
"They don't pay him for overtime,
do they?' queried Raymond. "Well,
then, they orto, instid of turnin him
out"
well, they'll turn him out - prophe-
sled Newton. I'm havin' more fun
in school than l ever-an' that's why
I'm with you on this quittin' trapping
but they'll get Jim. all rightr
I'm having something bettehn
fun" replied Raymond. MY pap has
never understood this kentry, an we
all has had bad times hyeh; but Mr..
Jim an l have studied out how l can
make a betteh llvln' next year-and
pap says we kin go on the way Mr..
Jim says. I'll work for Colonel Wood
ruff a part of the time, an pap kin
make corn in the biggest field. 1t
seems we didn't do our work right last
year-an' in a couple of years, with
the increase of the hawgs, an the
land we kin get under plow :"
1t was still an hour before nine
when the rural school traditionally
takes up'-when the boys had stored
their traps In n shed at the Bronson
home, and walked on to the school
house. That rather scabby and wealth
cred edifce was already humming
with industry of a sort. In spite of
the hostility of the school board, and
the aloofness of the patrons of the
school, the pupils We're clearly inter-
ested in Jim Irwin's system of rural
education. Never had the attendance
been so large or regular; and one of
the reasons for sessions before nine
and after four was the inability of the
teacher TO attend to the needs of his
charges in the five and a half hours
called school hours"
The day passed. Four o'clock came.
In order that all might reach home
for supper, there was no staying, ex-
cept that Newt Bronson and Raymond
Simms remained to sweep and dust
the schoolroom, and prepare klndling
for the next mornings fire-a work
they had taken upon themselves, so as
to enable the teacher to put on the
blackboards such outlines for the NOR.
rows class work as might be required.
Jim was writing on the board list
of words constituting spelling exer-
else They were not from textbooks,
but grew naturally out of the study Of
the seed wheat-"cockle," morning
glory" "convolvulus," "viable," "via-
bility," "sprouting." ''lron-weed" and
the like. A tap was heard at the door.
and Raymond Slmms opened 1t.
In filed three women--and Jim Ir-
win knew as he looked at them that
he was greeting deputation, and felt
that 1t meant n struggle. For they
were the wives Of the members Of the
school board. He placed for them the
three available chairs, and In the abb
sence of any for himself remained
standing before them. gaunt shabby.
looking revolutionist at the bar Of
settled usage and fixed public opinion.