The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-09-13
caught by the hard hand Of Jim

AHu Lie iiSHt " puuioH ulu ut MI
The chauffeur, however, unhesitat
lngly released Newton, and furtously
delivered q blow meant for Jim's Jaw
which mlscarried by a foot. In reply
Jim countered with an awkward
swinging uppercut. 1t landed fairly on
the point Of the jaw. The chauffeur
staggered and slowly toppled over into
the soft earth which had caused "a
much Of the rumpus.
"Oh, cut 1t OUT said a fat man In
the rear Of the car, who had hither-
to manifested small interest In any
thing save Ponto. Get In, and let's
be on our way!"
Colonel Woodruff, waving toward
him In his runabout, held up by the
traffic blockade, asked what was going
on here, and the chauffeur, rising
%groggily, climbed into the car; and the
meeting dissolved.
Good work, JIM" said Cornelius
Bonner. Il didn't think twas in e Z"
its beastly," said Jim, reddening.
II didn't know, either"
Colonel Woodruff looked at his
hired man sharply, gave him some In
structions for the next day and drove
on. The road gang dispersed for the
afternoon. Newton Bronson carefully
secreted the magic muzzle, and
chuckled at what had been perhaps
the most picturesquely successful bit
Of d~eviltry in his varied record. Jim
Irwin put out his team, got his supper
and went to the meeting Of the school
board.
The deadlocked members Of the
board had been so long at loggerheads
that their relations had swayed back
to something like amity. Jim had
scarcely entered when Con Bonner adj
dressed the chair.
"Mr. President" said he, 1--WE have
wild us t'night, a young man who nades
no Introduction to an audience in this
place, Mr.. Jim Irwin. He thinks we're
bullheaded mules, and that all the
schools are bad. AT the proper time ]
shall move that we hire him fr teach
err; and pinding that motion, l move
hat he be given the floor. Ye've all
heared of Mr.. Twins ability as a
white hope, and l know he'll be lis
tened to wild respect"
Much laughter from the board and
the spectators, as Jim arose. He
looked upon 1t as ridicule of himself,
while Con Bonner regarded it as a
to his successful speech.
NNTr Drocidant ond Gnnflamon ~
the Board said Jim, "I'm not going
to tell you anything that o don't
know about yourselves. You are SIM
ply making a farce of the matter OF
hiring a teacher for this school. You
know, and l know, that even If your
silly deadlock is broken by employing
a new candidate, the school will be
the same old story. 1t will still be the
school it was when l came into it a
little ragged boy'-here Jim's voice
grew a little husky-'and when l left
It, a bigger boy, but still as ragged as
There was a slight sensation in the
audience, as if, as Con Bonner said
about the knock-down, they hadn't
Jim Irwin could do it.
WELL" said Con, you've done well
hold your own"
I'm all the years l attended this
Jim went on, II never did a
Dit of work in school which was
economically useful. No other pupil
,ver did any real work Of the sort
boys and girls should do. We
copied city schools-and the schools
We copied are poor schools. We made
lad copies of them, too. If any of you
hree men were making a fight for
what the Country Life commission
,alled a new kind of rural school, I'd
fight. But you aren't. You're just
making individual fights for your ia
'orite teachers"
Jim Irwin made a somewhat lengthy
peech after the awkwardness wore
If. He adjured Bronson, Bonner and
PETERSON to study his plan of a new
lind of country school-in which the
york of the school should be CORE
ated with the life of the home and
he farm-a school which would be
n the highest degree cultural by be- /,
ng consciously useful and obviously {
ractical. I
Sharp spats of applause from the 6
seless hands of Newton Bronson |
ave the final touch of absurdity to a I
which Jim had felt to be I
idiculous all through. Had 1t not {
cen for Jennie Woodruff's "Humph !"
him, had 1t not been for the I
bsurd notion that perhaps, after they c
ad heard his speech, they would
lace him in charge Of the school, and G
hat he might be able TO do something s
eally important in it, he would not (
ave been there. AS he sat down, he +
new himself a dreamer. The nodding q
GARD of directors, the secretary, t
snoring, the bored audience
the field-hand to a sense Of r
is proper place. d
1--WE have had the privilege Of lis S