White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1928-02-03
CHAPTER V-Continued
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nicely ueClueu ludl LUZ Ut icoS1 -
few weeks she could breathe freely.
and feel comparatively secure from
the danger of visit.
And 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 againW she
openly lamented as he, without Offer
ing her his hand, bowed rather CURLY
and drew forth platform chair-not,
however, seating himself while she
stood, courtesy to which she had,
for so many months, been a stranger,
that it thrilled her, to her amusement,
almost as much as st. Croix' IMAM
ners" had thrilled Nettie the night be-
fore.
"rm here" he 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"
'Here 1 stand-so help me Gawd!"
she Knocked at his determined mien.
"Martin Luther!"
"And l don't leave this schoolroom
until 1 have heard you"
ooh, gee!" she sighed.
He set his lips and stared straight
ahead of him.
give 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
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" she complained.
"Arent you longing to see me teach
spelling? I'll call spelling class"
Geography, If you please" {.
II suppose" she said accusingly,
"you just want to expose me as not
knowing any geography of the United
States Well, if you call that chival-
rous-'
"Pm not here to be chivalrous, but
to hear you teach"
"Why won't spelling do?"
IT prefer geography"
"Just because I jokingly pretended
to think there were forty-seven states
instead of fifty-seven land told you
that when / was mere child, l
thought the Mississippi river ran east
and west!"
Exactly"
"Well," she said rehectively, ''well,
Mr.. Creighton, before I take your re-
quest into consideration, will you tell
me what is the extent of your power
over my job? Can you take 1t from
me?"
IT 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, 'to resort to
such stringent measures"
"That's better-sounds more profes
sional," she encouraged him. "Be
professional or diet"
The children Of the school were al
seated now-rigidly upright in thu
presence of that magnate, the count.
superintendent-and Nicely could n,
longer daily with the situation; sh
must decide what to do. She nigh
repeat the successful geography lesso
she had already given that morn
ing on Italy-though deliberat
repetition of the whole Performance
would be so astonishing to the Chi
dren as to be embarrassing to thei
teacher! For Venice, she had give
them the songs of the gondoliers, an
representations of Portia and Shylock
for Naples, street beggars and cora
workers; for Rome, representation
of Caesar and Mark Antony with tale
of gladiators interspersed; for Flol
ence. impersonations of Savonarol
and the Medici. Much more than tn
school had been able to digest at on
dose. but she had enjoyed it, feelin
how cleverly she was doing it-al
there was the rub! She did 1t to
cleverly, too professionally. She coul
not risk offering it to Marvin Creigf
ton.
Well, then, nothing left but to tr
to give a geography lesson in the Pre-
sale, uninteresting way she had see
Il done in q school she had VISITED
where the teacher, for a weary hal
hour, had had the children tellin
glibly what states enclosed othe
states. What had the teacher calle
that-a certain word she had used?
'sIll bore this man so he'll kee
away from here for the rest of hi
life!" she determined.
"Zebilla," she addressed the brigh
est girl of the class that she sun
moned to stand before the desk, Will
she and the superintendent now SO
behind it, "enclose the state of Penn
sylvania."
Zebilla looked blank. "What's tina
I'm to do|
ENCLOSE Pennsylvania" repeate
Nicely confidently.
Zebil1a still looked unenlightened-
even dazed. 81 wouldn't know how tt
don't know right how you mean
enclose It'll!
Nicely saw she had gotten the wron
word. II mean-surround 1T; tie
what states, If any, surround Ito
what bodies of water, or whateve
does enclose, surround or circun
scribe itr she explained desperately
Zach, do you mean, Miss SchwencI
ton, I'm to bound Pennsylvania"
"That's the word-yes, bind it."
A snort from the county superir
tendent was a signal for the amaze