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About Heppner herald. (Heppner, Or.) 1914-1924 | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1924)
Tiies'day, March 25, 1924 THE HEPPNEK HERALD, HEPPNER, ok on Page Three iMiiiiiniiiiiiiniiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiM We BROWN MOUSE By HERBERT QUICK nlllllllllllllllllilllllllllllltiiilH.illllllllll? (Copyright by The Bobba-Merrill Company) CHAPTER XXII And So They Lived And so it turned out quite as If It were In the old ballad, that "all In the merry month of May," and also "all in the merry green wood," there were great doings about the hold little promontory where once stood the cab In on the old wood-lot where the Slmms family had dwelt. The brook run about the promon tory, and laid at Its feet on three sides a carpet of blue-grtss, amid clumps of trees and wild hushes. Not far afield on either hand cuine the black corn-land, but up and down the lluffy sides of the brook for some distance on both sides of (lie King dragged highway, ran the old wood lot, now regaining much of the un kempt appearance which character ized it when Jim Irwin had drawn upon himself the gentle rebuke of Old Man Simms for not giving a whoop from the big road before coining into the yard. The cabin was gone, and In its place stood a pretty little bungalow, about which blossomed lilacs and peonies and roses and other old-fashioned flowers furnished by Mrs. Irwin. For this was the teacher's house or schoolmanse for the new consolidated Woodruff dis trict, and the old Simms wood-lot was henceforth to be the glebe-land of the school manse. Jim turned over and over In his mind these new applications of old, historic, significant words, dear to every reader of history "glebe-land," "schoolmanse" and It seemed to him that they signified the return of many old things lost In Merrie England, lost In New England, lost all over the English-speaking world, when the old publicly-paid clergyman ceased to be so fur the servant of all the peo ple that they refused to be taxed for his support. Was not the new kind of rural teacher to be a publlcly-pald leader of thought, of culture, of prog ress, and was he not to have his manse, his glebe-land, . and his "liv ing?" And all because, like the old clergyman, he was doing a work In which everybody was Interested and for which they were willing to be taxed. Perhaps It was not so high a status as the old ; hut who was to say that? Certainly -not Jim Irwin, the possessor of the hew .kind of "liv ing," with its "glebe-land" and Its "schoolmanse." He would ljave rated the new as at least quite as high as the old. From the brow of the promontory, a ight concrete bridge took the pretty little gorge In the leap of a single arch, and landed the eye at the bot tom of the front yard of the school- , house. Thus the new Institution of life was In full view of the school- manse veranda, and yet shut off from it by the dry moat of the brook and ; Its tiny meadow of blue-grass. ' , Across the road was the creamery, with Its businesslike unloading plat form, and Its addition In process of construction for the reception of the machinery for the co-operative laun dry. Not far from the creamery, and also across the road, stood the black smith and wheelwright shop. Still farther down the street were the barn, poultry house, pens, hutches and yards of the little farm small, as were all the buildings save the schoolhouse It self, whlh wag bullded, as it should have been, for the future. And even the schoolhouse, when one thinks of the uses to which It was to be put kitchen, nursery, kindergnr ten, banquet hall, theater, moving pic ture hall, classrooms, manual training rooms, laboratory and counting room and what not, was wonderfully small Colonel Woodruff said far too small though It was necessarily so large as to be rather astonishing to the un expectant passer-by. The uneipectant passer-by this May day, however, would have been espe cially struck by the number of motor cars, buggies and surreys parked In the yard back of the creamery, along the roadside, and by the driveway rnnnlng to the schoolhouse. People In numbers had arrived by five o'clock In the afternoon, and were still coming. They strolled about the place, exam ining the buildings and grounds, and talking with the blacksmith and the butter-maker. Gradually they drew Into the school house like a swarm of bees into a hive selected by the queen. None of them, however, went acrosg the concrete bridge to the schoolmanse, ?ave M1-. Sinisis, who crossed, consulted with Mrs. Irwin about the shrubbery ami flowers, and went back to Buddie and Jinnie, who were good children but nutchally couldn't be trusted with so many other young ones withouten some watchln'. "They're coming! They're coming!" This was the cry borne lo the people in and about tfie schoolhouse by that nuns nunatru uu vtuuiu ue cuiieu Hans Nllsen. Hans had been to the top of the little hill and had a look toward town. Like a crew manning a rigging, or a crowd having its picture taken, the assemblage crystallized luto forms de termined by the chances of getting a glimpse of the bungalow across the ravine on posts, fences, trees and hillocks. A motor car came OTcr the hillock, ran down the road to the driveway to the schoolmanse and drew up at the door. Out of it stepped Mrs. Woodruff and the colonel, their daughter, the county superintendent of schools, and Mr. Jim Irwin. Jennie was dressed In a very well-tailored traveling costume, and Jim in a moderately well-tailored business suit. The fact that when they reached the threshold Jim picked Jim Picked Jennie Up and Carried Her In His Arms. Jennie up In his arms and carried her In, will enable any good detective to put one and one together and make a pair which comes pretty near telling the whole story. By this time it was nearly seven, and Culista Simms came across the charmed bridge as a dispatch-bearer, saying that If Mr. Jim and Miss Jen nie didn't mind, dinner would be suhved right soon. It was cooked about right, and the folks was gettin' right hungry an' such a crowd! There were fifteen in the babies' room, and for a while they thought the youngest Ilamm young one had swal lowed a marble. She would tell 'em they would be right over; good-by. There was another cheer as the three elderly and the two younger peo ple emerged from the schoolmanse amMook their way over the bridge to the school side of the velvet-bottomed moat, but It was shut off like the vlhrnHnn of n hell nMnnpn In water hv the smiuen rusn 01 toe snomers into the big assembly room, now filled with tables for the banquet. And here the domestic economy classes, with their mothers, sisters, female cousins and aunts, met them, as waiters, hat snatchers, hostesses, floor manager! and cooks, scoring the greatest tri umph of history In the Woodruff dis trict. For everything went off like clockwork, especially the victual and such victuals! There was quantity In meats, breads, vegetables and there was also savor. There was plenty, and there was style. Ask Mrs. Haakon Peter son, who yearned for culture, and had been afraid her children .wouldn't get it if Yim Irwin taught them nothing but farming. She will tell you that the dinner which so many thought of all the time as supper was yust as well served as If It had been in the Chamberlain Hotel In Dos Moines, where she had stayed when she went with Haakon to the state convention. Why shouldn't It have been even better served? It was planned, cooked, served unil eaten by people of Intelli gence and brains, In their own house, as a community affair, and In a com munity where, if any one should ask you, you are authorized to state that there's as much wealth to the acre as in any strictly farming spot be tween the two oceans, and where you are perfectly safe financially in dropping from a balloon In the dark of the moon, and paying a hundred and fifty dollars an acre for any farm you happen to. land on. Why shouldn't things" have been well done, when every one worked, not for money, but for the love of the doing, and the love of learning to do in the best way? Some of these things came out In the speeches following the repast and some other things, too. It was probably not quite fnir for I?. B. Hannn to Incorporate in his wishes for the welfare and prosperity ani so forth of Jim and Jennie that stale one about the troubles of life, but he wanted to see Jennie blush which is a mutter of fact he did; but she failed to grow quite so llery red as (lid Jim. 15ut 1. B. was a good fel low, and a Trojan in his work for the cause, and the schoolmaster and superintendent of schools forgave him. A remark may be a little broad, and still clean, and B. B. made a clean speech, mainly devoted to the In creased value of that farm he at one memorable time was going to sell be fore Jim's fool notions could be car ried out. Colonel Woodruff made most of fht JJj Right now! Settle the whole cigarette question forever by rolling your own fromMBULL". You get more flavor, more en joyment, more tobacco taste, more quality and much more for your money. (100 for 15 cents) (gO a nove poinm wmcn i nave sieneu from him. He had begun as a re forms Ute ia life, be Mid, feat be would leave It to them If he hadn't worked at the trade steadily after en listment. He had become a follower of Jim Irwin, because Jim's reform was like dragging the road in front of your own farm it was reform right at home, and not at the county seat, or Des Moines, or Washington. He had followed Jim Irwin as he had followed Lincoln, and Grant, and Blaine, and McKinley because Jim Irwin stood for more upward growth for the average Americas citizen than the colonel could see any prospect of getting from any other choice. And he was proud to live in a country like this, saved and promoted by the greut men he had followed, and In a neighborhood served and promoted, If not quite saved, by Jim Irwin. And he was not so sure about It not be ing saved. Every man and nation had to he saved anew every so often, and the colonel believed that Jir.i Ir win's new kind of rural school is just as necessary to the salvation of this country. "I am about to close my speech," said .the colonel, "and the small service I have been able to give to tills nation. I went through the war, neighbors and am proud of It ; but I've done more good in the peaceful service of the last three years than I did iu four of fighting and campaigning. Tl" i the way I feel about what we've done In Con solidated District Number One." (Vo ciferous and long-continued applause.) "Oh, Colonel !" The voice of Angie Talcott rose from away back near the kitchen. "Can Jennie ke.ep on bein' county superintendent, now she's mar ried?" A great guffaw of laughter reduced poor Angie to tears; and Jennie had to go over and comfort her. It was all right for hor to ask that and they ought not to laugh at Angie, so there! Now, you're nil right, and let's talk about the new schoolhouse, nnd so forth. Jennie brought the smiles back to Angle's face, just in time to heur Jim tell the people amid louder cheers that he had been asked to go into the rural school exteifrion work in two states, and had been offered a fine salary in either place, but that he wasn't even considering these of fers. And ubout that time, the chil dren began to get sleepy anil cross and naughty, and the women set In motion agencies which moved the crowd homeward. Before a bright wood fire which they really didn't need, but how else was Jim's mother to show off the little GENUINE fl replace r pal jiin mm amine, inry bad been together for a week now this belnt; their homecoming and had only begun to get really happy. Jim sat looking Into the fire, ob livions of It. When Jennie spoke, her voice seemed to emanate from Jim's shirt front. "Did yon hear," said she, "what Angle Talcott asked?" "M'h'm," said Jim. "Well," said Jennie, "now that I'm married can I go on being county superintendent?" There was a long silence. "Would you like to?" asked Jim. "Kind of," said Jennie; "if I knew enough about (hingsTo do anything wortli while; but I'm afraid that by rising to my full height I shall always just fail to be able to see over any thing." "Yim've done more for the schools of the county," said Jim, "in the last year than any other county superin tendent has ever done." "And we shall need the money so like so like the dickens," was Jennie's rejoinder. "Oh, not so badly," laughed Jim, "except for the first year. I'll have this little farm paying as much as some quarter sections when we got squared about. Why, we can make a living on fids school farm, Jennie or I'm not fit to be the head of tha school." There was another silence, during which Jennie took down her hair, and wound It around Jim's neck. "It will settle itself one of these days anyhow," said he at last. "There's enough to do for both of us right here." "But they won't pay me," she pro tested. "They don't pay (he ministers' wives," said Jim, "and yet, the min isters with the right sort of wives are always the best paid. I guess you'll be in the bill, Jennie." Jim walked to the open window and looked out over the still landscape. Down in the little meadow grew the dreaming trees, their round crowns rising as from a sea not quite to the level of the bungalow, their thrifty leaves glistening in the moonlight. Across the pretty bridge lay the silent little campus with lis Twentieth cen tury temple facing Its chief priest. It was all good, without and within. He went across the hull to bid his mother good night. She clung to him convulsively, and they had t heir own five minutes which arranged matters for these two silent natures on the new basis forever. Jennie was In while before the niiintel when ho reforrwl. cn rP t ) ) j EIGHT CENTS A Sinning m me inscription mereon: -"Let Us Cease Thinking So Much of Agricultural Education, and Devote Ourselves to Educational Agriculture. So Will the Nation Be Made Strong." "Why didu't you put It In Latin?"! she inquired. "It would have had soj much more distinction." "I wanted it to have meaning In stead," said Jim. "And besides, nobody who was at hand was quite sure how to turn the Latin phrase. Are you?" Jennie leaned forward with her el bows on her knees, and studied It. "I believe I could," said she, "with out any pony. But after aft, I like It better as It Is. I like everything, Jim everything !" IT1IE END. ''.ffirjj IX THE CI lit I IT COI KT OP THE STATE OE OREOOX Vov Morrow County Cccilc M. Dempsey, Plaintiff. f SUMMON soy, I ndant. Thomas V. Penips Dofendn IN THE NAME OF THE STATE OF OREGON: You are hereby re quired to appear and answer tho, plaintiff's complaint filed herein, against you in the above entitled court and cause, within six weeks from the date of the first publication of this summons; and if you fail to appear and answer said complaint, for want thereof the plaintiff will ap ply to the Court for the relief prayed lor-in her complaint, which is as fol lows, to wit: That the bonds of mat rimony now and heretofore existing between tho plaintiff and the defen dant be dissolved and forever held for naught, and that the plaintiff have an absolute divorce from tlu defendant. This summons Is served upon you by publication thereof for the period of six woel;! in. the Heppncr Herald, a weekly newspaper of gene.ral circu lation, printed and published at Heppncr, Oregon, by order of Hon. W. T. Campbell, County Judge oE Morrow County, State of Oregon, made and entered on the 3rd day oC March, 1024. The date of first publication U March 4, 1924. WOODSON & SWEEK, Attorneys for Plaintiff, Address: Heppncr, Oregon. 45-51 BAG, J