White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1928-02-10
CHAPTER V-Continued
.-13--

witches and coffee with me|' she Sug-
gested chummily-not at all as a sub
ordinate addresses superior officer.
II can't bear eating alone-it's almost
gross, isn't it? Will you? I've heaps
we'll have jolly lunch! I've
thermos bottle Of hot coffee, good
strong coffee that made myself" she
chartered as she began to set things
out on the fiat desk-top, feeling ex-
hilarated at bit of normal human
association and talk after her weeks
of strained, artificial relations. With
this man, if they kept off of pedagogy,
she could be herself-up to certain
point at least (though of course she
would have to watch her accent). She
almost snatched his hat and coat away
from him as she directed him to draw
up his chair before the array of dainty
sandwiches, coffee and fruit which she
had spread out
"But," he said as he placed their
chairs and they sat down, "why Is my
company all Of sudden so welcomef
An hour ago it was, You here again y"
"Well, since you know the very worst
about me, I can enjoy chat with
you. I've been dying for a man to
talk to-! I've been almost driven to
flirting with the wooden Indian In
front of the village cigar storeW
"'Flirting'? I'm afraid can't play
up. Don't know how. Afraid I've al
ways been rather a stick with girls"
he said dolefully, his eyes on her
ry1n 20
cled by a fluffy, huted white rufiie.
What brute he had been to make
her cry-anything so dainty and
sweet
Il wouldn't presume to flirt with
the county superintendent" she re-
assured him, "who knows the very
worst about mel"
1.-THE very worst-you're sure?
'What further do you suspect me
OFF Not knowing the Presidents in
order? Well, don't. Nor the Twelve
Apostles either. And can't name Off
hand the Chinese dynasties for the
past five thousand years. Have some
coffee?"
She poured him a second cup and
his heart thrilled to her as he saw
how gay she now looked after her
tears. He himself was lonely enough,
in all conscience, and this bit of COM
panionship with such an engagingly
impudent child was, to say the least,
very diverting.
"You made this coffee?" he asked
'Teach that to the girls of your school
and I'll advise your trustees to raise
your salary-and if they taste your
coffee they'll do it,"
"You put good coffee before learn
ing and call yourself an educator!
Men do like their comforts, don't they?
I wonder why I'm teaching school
anyway, when American cooks are
paid such huge wages. What do
American cooks do with the millions
they earn? Buy country estates and
retire?"
american cooks?" he repeated re-
f1ectively. GLOW about foreign cooks?
English cooks, for instance?'
She felt betraying warmth in her
cheeks. He suspected her! No won
der, the way she so often spoke Of
American things, as though she were
not an American!
81 should think" she answered
calmly, chat with the terrible unem-
ployment we read of over there, cooks
ought to be cheap. I'm told, Mr..
Creighton" she changed the subject.
as she leaned back in her chair with
a sandwich in her hand, "that you're
q terrible idealist. How do you man
age it?"
II don't. Though the alternative is
so self-destructive Do you Gam tt
conclude), like most young people o
this day, imagine yourself a cynic?'
"How can one escape it." I have {
cousin who was a radical Socialis
until he married a rich wife. 1 have
an uncle who was liberal In all his
ideas until fellow-professor at hi.
college was expelled for his liberal
ism-when my uncle changed hi:
views. Believe in liberals with ideals
No, it's asking too much!" She shool
her head over 1t hopelessly.
"Did you never know anyone,
Creighton asked, "to sacrifice some
thing for the sake OF his fdeals?"
''You?" she inquired looking at hin
over an expanse of sandwich at he
lips.
"Heavens, no! / was thinking Of
Mr.. e. D. Morell, for instance"
"Editor of Foreign Affairs" sh
nodded-then instantly regretted he
too-ready knowledge Of this Englis
editor. Wasn't the mention of hir
bait? Would an American be ap
to know of him? "Of course" sh
fastened to add, liberals all over tn
world must take heart from Mr.. Nc
rell's steadfast courage and heroism
'Yes-but-he isn't very muc
known in America-how did you com
to know of him?"
"Read about him in The Nation"
He looked surprised. "Tm sure,
he said, "you are the only teache
under my jurisdiction that has eve
even heard of that paper"
Conversation with him was, afte
all, too full of pitfalls, she decided
She was glad when the chidren's re
turning to the schoolroom obliged hir
to take his leave.
Her curiosity as to how much h
suspected was fairly consuming her.
CHAPTER vi