Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-09-16

It's all right, Ton1ny /.
/ tagged Mrs. Leland upstairs and down.
is she coming to board, Mrs. Le-
land?"
7 don't know. child She's to let
/ me know"
Didn't she leave deposit, Mrs. Le-
land?" knew my boarding house tech
nlque, you see.
II wouldn't ask a body like teach
er of history of art at General high
for. thing like that. There's time
and way for everything. Laura"
Dear wheeling Mrs. Leland, 1 could
have kissed her for knowing that.
Somehow, it would have Inundated me
had Mrs. Leland asked Miss HaSweil
for deposit.
She came, however, as with a glad
intuition had known she would. Our
boarding house was within walking
distance of General high. The old
mansion, while down at the heels, sad
ly IN lack OF paint, its porch pillars
scabby, its lawns unkept, was not with
out its homely air of cozineSS.
When I tried, casually, and with a
consciously level voice, to tell
mamma that the history of art teacher
at General high had looked at the
second floor, she replied:
rs she that manniSh one YOU are
always raving about? Well, hope she
learning in people"
That's how on the outside mamma
was about how felt concerning Miss
Haswell
AS if it were not sufficient to be
IN the throeS of what was colloQuially
known as "a crush" on Miss HasWell,
who scarcely knew. of my existence,
here she came, moving under our very
same roof, two doors removed down
the hall from us, sharing the same
bathroom with u.s. eating her meals,
even If at a remote table, In the same
dining room with us.
I was not member of one of her
classes. She taught only seniors and
had yet two years to go. But five
and six times day, changing from
classroom to classroom, I had occa-
sion to pass her as she stood guard
watching us troop through the corri-
doris.
Tall, fair, big-boned as a Tyrolean.
her face was calm as a moon, but a
slightly inScrutable moon, with a Slitted
look to the eyes and a something about
the mouth that matched them AS a
grudging concession to fashion, Miss
Haswe1 wore her straight and abun-
dant yellow hair, yellow that was
almost white, pulled tightly and
chastely over a small 'rat,S a mat of
pale braids wound against the back
of her head.
Her hands, big, supple fingernails
pared straight like a mans, hung out
OF stiff white cuffs that were fastened
with gold links. Above a similarly stiff
white collar, her face shone out, placid.
blue-eyed, milky, guiltleSs of one con-
cession to curl or furbelow Broad
boned, wide-waisted, uncorseted, Miss
in her shirtwaiSt and skirt,
wide shoes with common sense heels,
dominated the thought and chatter of
groups OF us girls who had Succumbed
to her attraction.
1t was the fashion that year to
have "a crush" on Miss Haswen. limo |
cent, naive adolescentS that we were
in those pre-World war days, "a
crush" on Miss Haswell was Just that, /
innocent as 1t appeared TO be, guiltless I
of implications.
Although / never said more than
good morning, Miss Haswell," and re-
ceived a pleasant greeting in reply, |
as passed her In the hall or on my |
way to the bathroom, q few days after |
her arrival at the boarding house, |
could have told you with precision the |
comings and goings of Miss Haswell. |
knew that instead of descending |
dining room filled with hurrying school |
children, she preferred to breakfast |
upstairs, brewing herself tea on the !
gas ring as she dressed, and eating |
soda crackers out of package that |
made stiff cracking sounds as she |
lmdid the tissue paper.
I knew that on Thursday Miss Has
well remained at General high until |
5 O'Clock to attend teachers meeting; |
that on Saturday morning she attend !
I'd the Woman's club lecture series, on |
Thursday she spent the evening with |
Miss Chase, Latin teacher at General |
high, and on Tuesday that Miss Chase
spent the evening with Miss HasweI,
the hum of their voices family dis
,ernible as you passed the closed door.
knew that the st. Louis hand
laundry did Miss Haswell's shirtwaists
70 sttffly and flawleSSly, that occa-
,ionally she and Miss Chase attended
concerts on Saturday aft
srnOons at the Odeon, that she bought
1er fine quality gloves, shoes and
.atlOr- made hats at Scruggs, Wander
goort and Barneys, that the OCCASION
Il letters which came for her were
1ustmarked either st. Louis or Effing-
nam, Ind, and that she used White
Rose tooth powder which could smell
when entered the bathroom after
aex.
One Friday morning when, owing to
! core tnroat. did not attend school,