y N IV E R & T T Y Ó.t» O R E G O N M O N T H L Y
25
’ How happy I was when I started out one mòrnìng early in Oc
tober to teach my “first term of school 1 ■ At a distance of a mile away
I could see the little white sch'ool-house set half-way up on a sloping
hill and almost sUrtouriaed by tall dark fir trees. y I walked along
thè road s lo w l/ that I might meditate on the future happiness that
was in stdfe fox me as teacher óf the dear little children, and of the
good influence J yshonjd have òh them ; an d ' of the wonderful results
(^'should obtain- B.y introducing city methods of .teaching intq, this
school which waè-tso far away from what I called civilization! So
deep w às’iùy reverie that I did nqjwhear the .songs--of- the b ird ^ o r
notice the dew-laden flowers along the' roadside, till I was startled
fiy the merry laughter of two "little girls coming pell-mell down the
road to meet me. -Each carried^ a large bunch pf white and purple
Cosmos bloSsohiS, which-they, p'r,esenfpd‘without ceremony.
“Ychi^re the new- teacher, ain’t yóui/Y I smiled' and nodded
‘^èsY I
*‘~?“T'knew it w^s ydu and told Hannah so. My. papa’s the school-
director that m etwbù at the station. He said you was pig and sad
lookin’. My name’s Delilah Almira Brown, but I dbn’t ‘know what
grade I ’m in, ’cause mama said you’d put us all back anyw ay/- Alt
new teàchefè ptit the bcfiòlars back.”
After this burst of confidence, she rook- my Hand and walked
along set my "Side? I Hannah was. quieter than her little friend .but
managed to s a y ;-/“M-y papa w&s‘ school-director, too,, when my t i g
brother George went-to school. H e’s graduated nòw.’
‘?Yes,’ added Delilah, “Hannah’s brother Géorge. used to go to
see Miss Parker that teeched last term. Mama said she hoped1 you
wasn’t the kina tp'have beaus running to see you/’
Thus, amid conversation ©f this sort, we reached the gate where
another’surprise awaited, m e.^A bout fifteen boys of all sizes bad
been anticipating my approach from their look-out .on the top rail
of the fencè. Jusfe a&I was about tò e h te r one lad of about, fifteen
years said en treating!/;/ “Kint I fing the bèll
w a s my job last
yéaf.”
.
•
This .seetneif t®/ arouse th/.ppfirage oi th’e rest, for they were off