Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-02-23

tie Nicely knows about school teach
ing. She relies on her possession of
a Normal school diploma to enable her
to retain her position Mr.. Schwenck-
ton, coming home from town, picks up
a stranger. and finding his watch gone.
demands the stranger get out and turn
over his watch The stranger, st. Croix
Creighton. loses his way and comes to
the Schwenckton home, where he
her part we'll and st. Croix does not
suspect
Continued from-last weekly
SWELL" said Nicely Jelly, as she
stood with the superintendent behind
her desk at the end of the morning
session. ." suppose that awful con-
science of yours viii! force you to ad.
wise the school board to discharge me
for incompetence!
They were practically alone now,
those of the pupils who did not 60
home for the noon meal having gone
out Of doors to eat their luncheon.
Mr.. Creighton shook his head. mo,
| can't he expected always to act dis
intereStedly for the good Of society
I'm only human. after all-and yours
Ia the only schoolroom I've ever Wis
tied that hasn't bored me to death!
Whenever I'm dull and need a riot Of
fun, can just drop in here and hear
you teach geography! No, l cannot
rise to such heights of aItruism as to
recommend your dismissal! It's ask
ing too much! I'm only hui"
swell, believe me-" she retorted re.
sentfully, you'll not get chance to
sit round here making fun of me-
I'll resign!" She turned away haugh-
tily-but she was too good an actress
not to know that she was not tall
enough to look naughty impressively-
and suddenly, without warning, she
found herself crying. Desperately she
fought to control herself. more mOrti-
fed at such a childish display than
she could possibly feel over perfectly
eXcusable ignorance of vast patch.
work quilt of states, or of the fine dis
tinctions between American alphabet
fcal symbols-D. A. RS and G. A. RS
Useless information anyway!
But the strain Of the morning had
been too much for her and she could
not stop crying. Her breath came in
little gasping sObs, her shoulders
heaved, she fumbled for her handker-
chief-and not finding it. she jerked
open a desk drawer, dragged out q
towel and buried her face in it.
"Oh, but my child you poor kidd"
Mr.. Creighton unprofessiOnally and
very remOrsefully exclaimed. 81 didn't
want to hurt your feelings! Oh,
pleased" he begged in distress. laying
q reassuring hand on her arm. "Come,
come, don't cry! You're not going to
be thrown out of your school-and !
swear I won't laugh at you any more"
She wiped her nose and her eyes
with corner of the towel. "Id bet
ter resign!" she said dolefully, "or
you'll be lying awake nights thinking
of all the education those children are
missing just because you were too
weak to Withstand a girls tears!"
"Well." he said ruefully, though
gently, "you have got me up a tree,
you know! How you ever got Kutz-
town Normal school diploma on your
knowledge of United States geogra-
ply" She showed signs of weeping
again, so he hastily veered off. "All
right, let's never mention geography
again! I do admit that the pupils In
your school are more alert and wide
awake than any children In the
county, There, doesn't that comfort
your"
She smiled dazzlingly through her
tears. ooh, but then I'm a success
as a teacher since the whole pur-
pose of teaching children must be to
brighten up their wits, not to stuff
states and names into theml 1t is not
what l pour into them, but what ]
lead them to give out!"
"Ah, yes, but there's a lot Of nee
essary drudgery in teaching which
can't be side-stepped, my child; which
really must be done. So if you'll be
good and get down to hard work
here" ~
"But indeed dol These things
yet uO hui IcdNc IuS
tiers of the spirit undone. I do assure
you"
He looked skeptical, but evidently
did not feel it safe to pursue the sub
ject, her bright eyes looking too ready
to shed tears again.
"I'm keeping you from eating your
LUNCH" he suddenly said, reaching re-
luctantly for his hat and coat.
"Oh, say! Stop and have sand
wfches and coffee with mel" she sug-
gested chummily-not at all as a SUBJ
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 q
thermos bottle of hot coffee, good
strong coffee that l made myself" she
chartered as she began to set things