Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1923-10-18
Brown Mouse

starved. Wnlle Newt was. SurIeltcl
with advantages" for which he ha'
DO use.
Jennie" said Colonel woodruff
after the party had broken up, I'm
losing the best hand Lever had, and
I've been sorry"
"Tm glad he's leaving you" salt
Jennie. HE ought to do something ey
cent work in the field for wages
"I've had no idea he could maks
good as a teaeher-and what Is Their.
In 1t II he does?"
what has he lost If he doesn'tT
reJoined Jennie. "And why can't he
make goodT'
"The school boards against him, for
one thing replied the colonel. They'll
fire him II they get a chance. They're
the laughing-stock OF the country for
hiring him by mistake. and they're IT.
ritated. But after seeing him perform
tonight, l wonder IL he can't make
good"
"If he could feel like anything but
nm underllng, he'd succeed" said Jen-
ME.
That's his heredlty." stated the
colonel, whose live stock operations
were based on heredity. "Jim's q
scrub. 1 suppose; but he acts as If he
might turn out TO be q Brown Mouse"
"What do you mean, pa" scoffed
Jennle-"a Brown Mouset"
a fellow in Edinburgh" said the
colonel, CROSSED the japanese waltz
ing mouse with the common white
mouse. Jim's peddling father was a
Waiting mouse. no good except to
Jump from one spot to another for n o
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 10 be a mongrel. and I've
always considered him IN But the
Edinburgh fellaw every one in a
while got out Of his yariOusly-colored,
waltzing and albinO hybrids, a brown
mouse. Ii wasn't a COMMON house
mouse. either, but a wild mouse unlike
any he had ever seen. Ii ran away.
and bit and gnawed and raised hob. II
was what we breeders call a Mende
Han segregation Of geHetie factors that
had been in the walters and albinos
all the tIme=their original wild an
cestor Of the woods and fields. II
Jim turns out to be a brown mouse,
he may be a bigger man than any OF
us. Anyhow. I'm for him."
He'll have to be a big man to make
anything out Of the job of a country
school teacher" said Jennie.
ANY jobs as big as the man who
holds 1t down." said her father.
Next day Jim received a letter from
Jennie.
Dear Jim," 1t ran. '"Father says
you are sure 10 have a hard time-the
school boards against you. and all
that. But he added I'm for Jim, any
I thought you'd Hike to know
this. Also he said, ANY jobs as big
as the man who holds 1t down. And
/ believe this also, and I'm for you,
tool You are doing wonders eve be-
fore the school starts In getting the
pupils interested In a lot of things
WHICH, MilAC ivy htAOh6 -
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 1t out and read
the words, I'm for you, tool" The
colonel's dlctum, ANY jobs as big as
the man who holds 1t down." was an
Emersonian truism to Jim. 1t reduced
all jobs to an equality. and 1t meant
equality In intellectual and spiritual
development. 1t didn't mean, for in.
that job as good as
another in making 1t possible for q
man TO maryland Jennie Woodruffs
.Humph y returned TO XIII and drag
or her I'm for you, tool"