Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1924-01-10
The Brown Mouse

: "BoshP sneered Jennie, rathe
, pleased, all the same, suppose sn
isn't fair, and hasn't any homer
y This question. Of adjoining a hom
was no nearer settlement with Jennl
than Il had ever been, though In
creaslngly matter Of speculation
There were two or three men-rathe
good catches, tOO-who, II they wer,
encOuraged-but what was there I,
any Of them? This is what Jennie
asked her paper-weIght as she PLACED
1t on a pile OF unfinished examination
papers. And the paper-weight echoed
mot a thing out Of the ordinary r.
And then, said Jennie, well, you little
slmpleton, who and what are you SO
out OF the ordinary that you should
sneer at Wilbur Smythe and Beckman
Fifeld and such men7" And echo an.
swered, FWhatT-And then the mail
carrier came in.
Down near the bottom of 1.-THE pile
she found this letter, signed by q
southern state superintendent OF
schools, but dated at Kirkvllle, Mis-
souri,:
Il am member Of a party Of south
ern educatOrs-stata superintendent
In the main-en tour OF the country
to see what we can find Of an instruc-
tive nature In rural school work
Professor Withers OF Ames suggests
that we visit your schools, and especial
ly the rural school taught by a young
man named Irwin, and wonder II you
will be free on next Monday morning.
If we come to your Office, to direct us
to the placer II you could accompany
us on the trip. and perhaps show US
some of your other excellent schools,
we should be honored and pleased
And then came the shOck-a party
of state officials were coming Into the
county to study Jim Twins school
They would never come to study VIII
bur Smythe's law practice-never In
the wOrld-or her work as county
observation-disclosures land Jim was
getting seventy-five dollars a month";
and had a mother to support. But
there could be no doubt that there was
something to Jim-the man was out
of the ordinary. And wasn't that just |
what she had been looking for in her
mind7
Jennie wired to her soutnerner for
the number Of his party, and secured
for the trip. She sent a
note to Jim Irwin telling of the
visitation. She would show
all concerned that she could do some
things, anyhow, and she would send
these people on with a good impress
sion of her county.
She was glad of the automobiles the
next Monday morning. when at nine
thirty the train discharged upon her
4 dozen very alert. very up-to-date
very lnQuisitive southerners, male ana
'emale, most Of whom seemed to have
eft their RS" In the gulf region. II
vas eleven when the party parked
heir machines before the schoolhouse
lOor.
There are visitors here before us"
aid Jennie.
Seems rather like an educational
hrine," said Doctor Brathwayt of
How does he accommo-
late so many visitors in that small
Office 2,
Il am not aware" said Jennie,
that he has been In the habit OF re-
ewing so very many from outside the
district. Well, shall we go INF" II
Once inside, Jennie felt a queer re-
urn of her old aversion to Jim's
aversion which had {
aused her to criticize him 80 sharnly
n the occasion Of her first visit. The I
eason for the return of the feeling
nv In the fact that the work going on I
-as the snme sort. but OF more in I
ense character. II was so utterly I'M I
Ike a school as Jennie understood the y
ord, that she glanced back at the I
roup Of educators with a little blush.
he school was In a sort Of uproar.
'0t that uproar of boredom and mis- 1
lief Of which most Of us have famT-
II memories. but sort of eager up
BAR. In which every child was in
,nsely interested in the same thing;
nd did little rustling things because
this interest," something like the I
nm at a football game or a dog {
yht. a
On one side OF the desk stood Jim =
win. and facing him was a smooth "
ranger OF the old-fashioned lightning
'd-agent type-the shallower and lax
sort OF salesman OF the kind whose !
lie business Is to get signatures on ),
e dotted line. and let some one else =
, the rest. In short. be was a !.
loser" =
Standing back Of him in evident dis ),
ess was Mfr. Cornelius Bonner. and :,
ouped about were Columbus Brown. I,
b. Hamm, Ezra Bronson. A. B. :,
slcott and two or three others from !. :
tslde the woodruff district. with =
velopes In their hands and the light :,
battle in their eyes stood Newton !,
'onson, Raymond Slmms. Bettina !,
ansen. Mary Smith and Angie Tai =
It. the boys filled with delight. the :,