34
U niversity
of
O regon M onthly
neral. The girls were charmed with this.Mpry and often talked
in abated voices of the loss of that noble young life.
One day, much tp the surprise of those who learned it, she told
that he was,killed on a Western cattle-ranch; a d a y s later, ac
cording to her story, he had lost, his life in rescuing a child from
drowning. This discrepancy caused some.comment, especially when
it was found that many of her stories were inconsistent. The little
English teacher,shpok her, head and the .principal looked grave. In
cident after incident happened to increase | the snspigipn that had
keen awakened against Miss Devon. ¡Several times her room-mate
lost money very mysteriously; a- story drifted back to school after
a vacation, that she had claimed*'«) be on intimate, terms with a
young man whom in reality she had never met. The teachers soon
began to, consider Miss Devon as a,very artful hypocrite, but they
could not condemn, too strongly so gentle and sweet^m pered a
deceiver.
don’t care,” maintained the girl of the bows to a group
gathered in her room, “I believe it will turn cart all right and I
just hate anybody who says mean things,about h e r ^ ^ ’m going to
stand by her no matter what happens. She’s worth all the rest of
the teachers put together. hJbne of them could have graduated at
nineteen.” And the girls nodded a decided assent. ,
At last, however, the crisis came. Miss Devon called., one, day,
-upon a maiden lady who lived near the school. Before leaving,
-she asked if she might speak for a few minutes alone with the lady’s
brother, an unmarried man of about fifty- Although the request
was strange, the good lady called her brother and left the room.
When he' 'fentefedj,, &iss Devon approached him ¡with a sad little
smile.
“Mr. Bensop” she said, “I am sorry to .grieve you, but I must
tell you that | ?cannot accept your offer;<pf marriage, I have con
sidered it well, and, although it.pains me to give you such a blow,
I pannpt do otherwise.” ,
The gentleman gaveher a peculiar lqok, murmured some in
coherent reply and ushered her out.
A few hours later Mr. Benson was shown into the office of the
principal of Harmon Hall.' He astonished that gentleman with the
story ©f his recent encounter, and confided, to him that he had never
dreamed of marrying the, young teacher and could hardly believe