The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-01-27
CHAPTER V-Continued

and feel comparatively secure from
\1Nh danger Of visit.
IND that very morning, just after
recess time, as the children were
trooping in from the playground, he
walked In on her,
"Oh. dear you here again." she
openly Iamented as he, without offer
ing her his hand, bowed rather CURLY
and drew forth platform chair-not.
however, seating himself while. she
stood, a courtesy to which she had,
for so many months, been stranger.
that it thrilled her, to her amusement,
almost as much as st. Cr0ix' "man-
ners" had thrilled Nettie the night be-
fore.
I'm here" be grimly stated, stand.
ing behind his chair and folding his
arms with a resolute, Napoleonic air
that made her heart sink, ito hear
you teach geography L.; &c.
''Here / stand-so help me Gawd"
she Knocked at his determined mien
Martin Lutheri"
''And don't leave this schoolroom
until I have heard you'll"
''Oh. geel' she sighed.
He set his lips and stared straight
ahead of him. -.
1--WE had this school on my con-
science since you yourself admitted
that you can't teach. We can't let
these children suffer from your-ex-
cuse me-incompetence will you call
a geography class. Miss-Schwenck-
toni"
Did he or did he not hesitate over
her name? She could not feel sure.
'But why this passionate Interest
in geography 7" = she complained
AREN'T you longing to see me teach
spelling? I'll call a spelling class"
Geography. If you please" :.
II suppose" she said accusingly
ayou just want to expose me as not
knowing any geography Of the United
States! Well, If you call that chival-
TOus-"
I'm not here to be chivalrous, but
to hear you teach"
"Why won't spelling dor
II prefer geography"
"Just because jokingly pretended
to think there were forty-seven states
instead Of fifty-seven land told you
that when I was mere child, I
thought the Mississippi, river ran east
and west !"
Exactly"
SWELL" she said reflectively, "well.
Mr.. Creighton. before l take your re-
quest into consideration, will you tell
NE what is the extent of your power
hser my job? Can you take it from
Il can advise your school board to
take it from you. But" he hastily
added. "of course don't want to! I'd
hate like the dickens" Again he
pulled himself up. II should greatly
dislike" he said primly, ito resort to
such stringent measures"
''That's better-sounds more profess
sional," she encouraged him. ''Be
professional or der
The children of the school were all
seated now-rigidly upright in the
presence of that maghate, the county
superintendent Nicely could no
longer daily with TIP situation; she
must decide what toll do. She might
repeat the successful geography lesson
she had already given that morn-
ing on Italy-though deliberate
repetition of the whole performance
would be so astonishing to the chill
dren as to be embarrassing to their
teacheri For Venicei she had given
them the songs of theA gondoliers, and
representations of Portfa and Shylock !:
for Naples, street be3gars and coral
workers; for Rome, representations
of Caesar and Mark Antony with tales
of gladiators interspqrsed; for Flor
ence, representations of Savonarola
and the Medici MucH more than the
school had been able TO digest at one
dose, but she had enjoyed it, feeling
how cleverly she was doing it-ah,
there was the rubl She did it too
cleverly. too professionally. She could
not risk offering 1t toI Marvin Creigh-
ton.
Well, then, n0thingI left but to try
to give a geography lesson in the pro-
sale, undressing way she had seen
it done in a school she had visited,
where the teacher, fdr a weary half
hour, had had the children telling
glibly what states lenclosed other
states. What had the teacher called
that-a certain word she had used?
am bore this matt so he'll keep
away from here for 1.-THE rest of his
life!' she determined.l
"Zebilla." she addressed the bright
est girl Of the class that she sum-
moned TO stand before the desk, while
she. and the superintH ndent now sat
behind it, enclose the state of Penn
\ sylvania."
Zebilla looked hlaI1lzl whats that
to do?"
- lvania." repeated
unenlightened---
dn't know how to.
how you mean