The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-02-07

NATTY ANN PAINTER was hap
- Ply, so happy she sang while set
Il ting the breakfast table, small
blue-and-white affair under the
south window in her exquisite small
kitchen.
''Sing before breakfast, cry before
supper" admonished Curtis Painter,
bursting in from doing things TO the
car, cutting kindling for the fireplace
and sweeping the porches of the lit
tie white house.
"Why," and Patty Ann flashed a
smile up at her tall husband as she
sped toward the bacon rack. Il
couldn't possibly cry two days before
the last day of school, when every
thing is SO scrumptiOus, the children
know their pieces and sing their
songs like angels, the school room is
fairyland with the things they have
made and the platform all dressed"
In half an hour after Curtis Paint
er had walked whistling off to his law
office-where he was getting to have
several important things TO do every
day now-Patty Ann was ready for
school. She put on her prettiest silk
dress. She fastened a little new
watch, from Curtis, on her wrist.
Flushed and sparkling eyed the
children marched past Patty Ann
smiling at the door of their fairyland
room. Little girls touched the soft
silk of their teachers dress, looked
at their own best" dresses and then
up into her eyes to see if she admired
theirs as they admired hers. They
found she did Most of the boys
were dressed up" too.
At the end of the line, as usual,
boredly struggled Norman Mackenzie,
not dressed up, of course. The flap
ping sole of one shoe was tied to its
upper with string. His overalls had
raveled holes at both knees. dirty
coat with short sleeves showing thin
red wrists was drawn crOOkedly
across his narrow chest, kept some
what together with bent hairpin.
Patty Ann wanted to stoop and gath
er him up in her arms. so forlorn he
looked, his blue eyes so "a-weary of
this great world" But that would
never do. Wouldn't the other boys
get" him at recess?
How could Norman Mackenzie he
dressed up?" What could the "last
day of school, mean in the gaunt bare
old Mackenzie house? Once the Mac
Kenzies had been "best people," Once
old stopped Judge Mackenzie had
been tall, straight Mayor Mackenzie.
But the Mackenzie boys" all four
of them, had liked race horses and
good time" better than they had
liked school work and now one was
dead, two somewhere tout West" or
"down South" and one worked inter-
mittently in button shop in neigh
boring town. Norman was the son of
the one that was dead. sold Judge"
earned enough doing ore small job
and another to keep two old people
from starving, but not enough for TAX
ing care of boy. Oh, they worked,
old Judge and poor, half-blind, deaf,
crippled Mrs. Judge" They wanted
Norman to be the best Mackenzie of
the lot.
Just as he did every morning, Nor
man stumbling across the hall, raised
his small face for an instant and it
became at once aglow with delight, in
terest, love. But it was not at Patty
Ann he looked. Dear, no. His eyes
went to something far above Patty
Ann. The school clock, that great old
creature ticking in and out the hours
of the school day, was the cynosure
of Norman's eyes. AS long as he
could, he gazed, absorbed, color in his
thin cheeks, smiling.
OF course, Patty Ann talked to old
Judge about Norman. He could do
pretty we'll in school. Once in while
he did. One day old Judge said, shak-
ing his head:
Norman likes to be on the street
too much. The marshals been watch
ing how he stands there in front of
Maxwell's jewelry store, by the hour,
looking in-I don't know-don't
know"
Patty Ann saw tear slide old
Judges nose into his beard, and she
went home to Curtis, tears diamond
ing her own black lashes.
The afternoon last bell" rang. Pat
ty Ann laid her paper with the pro-
gram written on it on her desk. Her
little wrist watch had caught on her
long, dropping sleeve. She took it off
and laid it on her program paper.
And then things were for few min
utes quite mixed up and exciting
Boys and girls skipped here, there,
attending to things for teacher. Patty
Ann greeted mothers, aunts, grand
mothers, few embarrassed fathers
She answered questions whispered to
her by biushing and important second
grade actresses. But finally smiling,
calm young teacher stood before