Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1919 — A CITY TEACHER [ARTICLE]

A CITY TEACHER

By HELEN PATTERSON.

•Copyright, McClure Newspaper Syndicate.} Slowly the big ear stopped in front of the white schoolhouse that was perched upon a low hill. It was after school hours nnd there was nothing that indicated the house bad been filled with noisy boys and girls only a half-hour before. “Yes. this is the very place,” said the occupant of the ear aloud. — “Not inuch changed, either, since I ate in* dinner un that rock, barefooted and happy—r-New paint, shades and a hall give it a more ifiodern appearance. I wonder if the old desks are inside. I’m going to investigate.” mid suiting his actions to his words he was soon testing the hall door. To his surprise- . it yielded to his touch. "Janitor must he a little careless,” he thought, as he crossed the narrow hall and entered the schoolroom. In the dusk of the short, wintry afternoon he could seethat the room had changed. New desks, blackboards, pictures and sash curtains gave it an unfamiliar aspect.' The fire was not wholly otit In the big stove, and as the man warmed his fingers he became conscious that he was not alone. Turning, he faced the teacher’s desk. A slip of a girl, with traces of tears on an unusually pretty face, sat behind it, watching him. a moment the man looked at .her, and then in a kindly voice asked: “Lonesome?” “No,- not entirely that,” replied the girl, winking hard to keep back the tears. “Discouraged and tired?” he continued. “Yes.” quickly answered the girl. “Ah!” said the man. pausing to draw a chair nearer to the stool, “but I don’t believe it’s nearly as bad as you think.” “Yes, it is. This morning I was just as happy, thinking of all the beautiful Christmas stories I was going to teach the children and what a good time we would have illustrating them.” “And what marred your plans? Weren’t the children Interested?” “Interested? You ought to have seen them; but it’s a member of the school board. He had to visit us this afternoon and spoil everything. He didn’t want me elected because I had always lived in the city and this was my first year of teaching. Outside of a few small summer resorts I know nothing of the country, but I argued the children would be ignorant of city life, and I could give them that.—This—afternoon we had practical arithmetic, original problems. Some of the prices of grains, pigs (live weight), wood and fertilizers the older children didn’t agree on, and I knew nothing about them. Mr.P gave us the correct places. After school was dismissed he asked me if it would not he as well to acquaint myself with what the boys nnd girls were interested in. The new superintendent is a young man, and this is his first year also. Of course he will do just what the school board tells him to do, and I shall be asked to resign, and you don’t know how I hate to go home because I’ve failed.” “J think I do,” answered the man with a kind smile. For a few minutes they talked, the man telling humorous experiences that had happened when as a little boy he Jiad sat on the long board that served as a seat, and vainly tried to make his feet touch the floor, until the girl forgot about her troubles; then he took her to her boarding place. It was not until the car was out of sight that the girl"remembered she did noT" know the man’s name. Two weeks quickly passed. Busy wTfh' her'wbfki 'fhe'glrr had almost forgotten the new .superintendent, and that she had intended resigning her school. She faithfully studied farm products and could satisfy the most exacting member of the school board on their market values. School had just been dismissed. The girl, picking up papery was singing softly to herself, “O *Little Town of Bethlehem,” when a small boy who had been, clapping erasers rushed into the room. “Miss M ! Miss M !” he cried. “The new superintendent is out here in the dandiest car!” “Hush. Robert,” she said as she turned to greet the superintendent, who had followed close after the boy.' Slowly the color receded from her face only to rush back in a burning blush ns she looked at the man in front of her. “Miss M ,” he was saying in the same kind voice that had haunted her for two weeks, “I really intended to get here earlier, but a bad tire tained me. However, I thought I would get here before school dismissed. but/j’m ten minutes too late.” “Why—you are—if you are Mr. C , the superintendent, it was unfair,” said the girl, her eyes flashing. “Yes, I guess it was,” replied Mr. IC- , "but really, Miss M , it wasn’t an official visit and I had forgotten the fact myself untjil it was too late. So let us forget it and begin again today." “I can’t. It was so childish and stupid of me.” * "If your work is finished Td like very much to help make you forget by taking you for a ride. The air is cool and bristf? Besides I Wftnt to‘tell you your resignation will not be accented —at least this term.” “Say,” remarked precocious Robert a few minutes later, as he watched the big car out of sight. “I’ll het Miss M- won’t teach very long. She-ife Just the bestest, prettiest girl I know, »nd that’s the dandiest car.”