The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1923-09-28

the best sort of career--I love tn
soil |"
i've been teaching for only tw,
years, and they say I'll be nominated
for county superintendent II I'll taxi
1t. OF course l won't--it seems silly
but If 1t were you. now, 1t would b,
first step to a life that leads tC
something"
Mother and / can live on my wages
and the garden and chickens, and the
cow said Jim. after / received my
teachers certificate, tried to work
out some way Of doing the same thing
on country teachers wages.
couldn't. 1t doesn't seem right"
Jim rose and after pacing back and
forth sat down again, little closer
to Jennie. Jennie moved away to the
extreme end OF the bench, and the
shrinking away Of Jim as If he had
been repealed by some sort of negative
magnetism showed either sensitive
ness or temper.
TT seems as II 1t ought to be pos
sible," said Jim, ''for man to do
schools, that would make him a liveli-
hood. If he is only field-hand, it
ought to be possible for him to save
money and buy farm"
PAS land Is worth two hundred
dollars an acre." said Jennie. six
months Of your wages for an acre
even II you lived on nothing"
mo" he assented. at can't be done.
and the other thing can't. either.
There ought tn be such conditions that
teacher couid make a living"
"They do" said Jennie, III they
can live at home during vacations. I
do"
"But man teaching in the country
ought to be able to marry"
"Marryl" said Jennie. rather unfeel-
Ingly. l think. you marryI" Then
after remaining silent for nearly a
minute, she uttered the syllable-with-
out the utterance of which this nara
tive would not have been written.
you marryl Humphl"
Jim Irwin rose from the bench
tingling with the insult he found In
her tone. They had been boy-and-girl
sweethearts In the old days at the
Woodruff schoolhouse down the road,
and before the fateful time when
Jennie went "off to school" and Jim
began to support his mother They
had even kissed-and on Jim's side
lonely as was his life. cut Off as it
necessarily was from all companion
ship save that of his tiny home and
his fellowworkers of the field, the
tender little love-story was the sole ro-
nance Of his life. Jennie's "Humph !"
retired this romance from circulation,
he felt. II showed contempt for the |
idea of his marrying. 1t relegated him |
to sexless category with other de- |
fectives, and badged him with the cell |
bacy of sort of Notwithstanding |
monk, without the honor of the priest
~ vocation. From another girl II |
would have been bad enough, but from |
Jennie Woodruff-and especially on
hat quiet summer night under the
inden-it was lnsupportable.
Good night" said Jim-simply be-
,ause he could not trust himself to
'ay more.
Good night" replied Jennie, and
tat for a long time wondering JUST
low deeply she had Internationally
the feelings OF her fathers
deciding that If he was
lriven from her forever, It would
olve the problem of terminating that
I'D childish love affair which still per-
listed In occupying a suite of rooms
II of Its own in her memory; and
Inally repenting of the unpremedi-
ated thrust which might easily have
urt too deeply so sensitive a man as
I'm Irwin. But girls are not usually
made as to feel any very bitter re-
lorse for their male victims. and so
ennie slept very well that night
Jim Irwin was bony and rugged and
omely, with big mouth, and wide
ars, and form stopped with labor.
lie had fine, lambent gentle eyes
'hich lighted up his face when he
miled- He was not ugly. Jim Irwin
assessed charm. That is why little
ennie Woodruff had asked him to !
clip with her lessons. rather oftener :
ian was necessary, in those old days
the Woodruff schoolhouse when
eDnie wore her hair down her back.
But in spite OF this homely charm
personality. Jim Irwin was set off
ON HIS fellows OF the Woodruff
He was different. In
cal parlance, he was an of OK. He I
as as odd as Dicks hatband. He ran
gang by himself. He had always
ked to read, and had piles OF liter !.
ure In his attic room which was
'od, because it was cheap.
Very few people know that cheap
erature is very likely to be good, be- r
use II Is old and unprotected by II
pyright. Jim had Emerson, Thoreau, II
Encyclopedia Of English Literature, II
me editions of standard poets in pa II
r covers and few Ruskins and L
read TO rags.
In fact, Jim had good library Of
blications which can be obtained
ats, or very cheaply-and he knew
Dir contents He had parsonal b,