Show I I i TldE BROWN MOUSE ij HERBERT T QUICK I I Copyright The Tho by Merrill Bobbs-Merrill Company CHAPTER XV XV Continued 13 13 Sure I said Bald Pete We Ve no nomore nomore nomore more sense sen Q than to to let let any one In Clumb Come Gome In the waters water's fine We aint proud Well said Clumb dumb l If this feller Is IsI s I g goin Int to d do school work or of this kind I want ant In the district to too toor W Well ll come com to that one of these days said Jim The district is too small W Wilbur Smythes Smythe's car stopped at the distant gate and nd honked for him him him-a a signal l which broko up p the Uie party Hask Haakon on Peterson passed the Ule word to the colonel and Mr Bronson for a abo aboard abound bo bound board rd meeting the next nex evening The rIe picnic broke up In a dispersion of ot staid married couples to t their te r homes and you young g fo folks ks In top buggies to dances and displays of ot fireworks In the surrounding surrounding surrounding sur sur- rounding villages Jim walked across the fields to his home neither home neither old nor young having neither sweetheart with whom to dance dance nor farm to demand labor laborIn In Its Inex Inexorable inexorable In In- ex ch chores res He turned after atter cra crawling lIng through a wire fence and looked longingly y at Jennie as she was suavely assisted Into the car car by the frock-coated frock lawyer la You saw what he did said the colonel Interrogatively vely as he and his daughter sat on the Woodruff veranda velanda that evening Who Vho taught him the supreme wisdom of ot holding back his troops when they grew too wild for tor attack attack attack at at- tack He may lose them said Jennie Not s so said the the colonel Individuals Indi of the Brown Mouse type al always always always al- al ways succeed when they find their en en- And I believe belies e a Jim has sound round his Well Well sald said Jennie I wish his envIronment environment environment en en- would find him s some m clothes Its It's a shame the way he has to go looking Hed He'd be nice nice-a nice appearing pearln If he was ed dressed anyway Oh then you you haven't heard hear the news said the colonel Jims going to have his first to measure suIt suit for tor Ames mes It Its It's s all all' fixed making It asked Jennie Gustaf Paulsen the Dane that's Just opened a shop In town A uA Dane queried Jennie he Bettina's uncle said the colonel Jocularly Jocular jocular- ly seeing as s how BettIn Bettina's s 's Mrs Haneen's Haneen's Han- Han een's pens daughter Clothes are rather important but the difference between a suit made Dade by Atkins the taU tailor or and one built by Gustaf Paulsen the new Danish craftsman could could not be supposed to tobe tobe tobe be crucially lly Important even when designed designed designed de de- de- de signed for for- fora a very dear friend And Jim was scarcely that that that-of of course not Why then did the thee coun county superIntendent superintendent dent hastily hasUly run to her room and cr cry Why did she say to herself that th the Hansens were very good people and well to and It would be a fine j e thing for Jim and his mother mother and and q then cry some more l CHAPTER XVI Jim Goes to Ames Jim had never felt more more the upstart uneducated fed hand farm-hand than wh when he was Introduced d to o that audience e at Ames by Professor protessor Withers 5 nor more completely disgraced d t thaix i when he lie concluded his remarks Even ven the ap- ap us' us was was t to him a kI kindly effort on the he part of the audience to to comfort hIm ilm In his failure His only solace alias W was B the look In Jennies Jennie's eyes Young man said an old farmer fanner who wore thI thick k glasses glasses' and looked Dutch burgomaster I want to have ve a little talk with you you Tl This is isis is Is Mr of ot Potta Pottawatomie t mie county said the dean of the college col col- lege ege Im glad to meet y you m said JimI JimI Jim I I 1 can talk to you you now fro uNo said Jennie I kno know Mr will ec excuse se you until after dinner We Ve have have a Ut little le party for Mr Dir I Irwin and we shall be late I if we dont don't hurry Wh Where re can I see you at after er supper as ed Mr Easy It was to sa satisfy Mr Hotmer and nd Jim was carried off to a dl dinner ner given by County Superintendent Jenale Jennie Jennie Jen Jen- nie ale to Jim the dean dean- Ie n Professor Withers Withers Withers With With- ers and one or or two others others and and a a wonderfully select and distinguished company it seemed to Jim Jennie seizes seized a n moments moment's opportunity to say You did beautifully Jim everybody rays ays so I f failed I said Jim You know I failed I couldn't remember my here feasting I IWa speech I cant can't stay Wa want t to get out ant In fn the snow of ot the You made the best address meeting and you did It because you forgot your speech Insisted Jennie Does oes anybody else think so to believe believe be be- learn You must Why Jim have done Even liven lieve In what you It was the best lie He C Con n Bonner says says Bays he didn't think you had it In n ye 11 M her to believe This advice from what you have done done wasn't wasn't there something new flew In n Jen Jennies Jennie's ales ale's attitude belief belief beUer in what he here W Wasn't his the thing which h cl doing precisely I was such lIuch a 3 nuisance e to the bad hod made him However Tim Jim county st superintendent i the question 1 couldn't stop to answer q In his mind which pepped up What does Professor Withers say he asked Hes delighted sIlly delighted silly 1 I Silly I 1 How wonderful It was to tobe tobe tobe be called In silly silly In that t tone ne neI I shouldn't have forgotten the speech If It It hadn't been for this darned bone boiled shirt and collar and for wearing wearIng wear- wear Ing ng a cravat urged Jim In extenuation tion ion You ought to ye ve ve worn them around the he house for a week ber before re coming coining said Jennie Why didn't you ask my advice I will next time Jennie said JimI Jim I didn't suppose suppose I needed a bitting- bitting rig but but I guess I did I Jennie ran away then to ask Nils Hansen and Bettina to Join their dinner dinner dinner din din- ner party She had a sudden m access of friendliness for tor the Hansens Nils refu ed because he was going out to tos s see ee e the college herds fed ted i but hut at JennIes JennIe's Jennies Jennie's Jennies Jennie's Jen Jen- nies nie's urgent request reinforced by pats and hugs Lettina consented Jennie Jennie Jennie Jen Jen- nie was very happy and and proved herself herselt her- her self elf a n beaming hostess The dean devoted devoted de de- le- le voted himself to BettIna and Bettina-and and Jim found out afterward that this Inquiring Ing ng gentleman was getting at the menal mental mental men- men tal al processes of ot a specimen pupil In one of ot the new kind of ot rural schools In n which he was only half halt Inclined ed to tobe be believe leve He thanked Jim for his speech and said It was most suggestive ive tive and thought-provoking thought and as ashe the he party broke up slipped sUpped into Jims Jim's hand a check for the hono honorarium arlum It was not until then that Jim felt quite sure that he was actually to be paid Mr was waiting to give Jim the final convincing proof that he head had ad produced an effect with his I speech D Do you teach the kind of ot school schooly y you U layout lay out In Il your talk he asked I try t to said Jim and I believe belleve I do Well said Mr the kind of ot education I In I II Il l q II t 4 J 1 1 I I I Want to Have a Talk TaIJ With You u. u kep ken school back bacle In vany fifty years ago and I made the scholars measure things and weigh things and apply appl their studies as fur as I could All AU good teach teachers rs have always done one that saId said Jim Froebel Colonel Parker they Parker they all had the Idea which w f h- h hIs Is at the the bottom of of my work learn to do by dol doing g and a connecting up the school with life lite Mh m grunted Mr I been ab able e to see h how w Latin connects connects con neets up wl with th a 1 school high Ig l kids kid's unless he cnn can find a Latin settlement and git a a job clerkin In a store But it used us Co to relate to to life lite said Jim the th life of the pe people pl wh who made Greek Gre k and Latin a part t of t everybody ver odY else's education as well as their own La Latin n and Greek were the only languages lan laD In which h anything Y worth woith Jih much Ch was written was written you know But now now Jim spread o out mit t his arms as If It to take In the whole world world s world science science lence the marvelous marvelous marvelous mar mar- literature of ot our ur tongue In the thelast thelast thelast last three centuries And to make Dake a achIld achild achild child learn Latin with all that tha I a t thousand thousand thou thou- ou- ou sand times richer icher than all the literature litera- litera ture of Latin Latin lying unused before him i i Know any Latin asked Mr Hot Hof coyer myer Jim blushed as one caught In condemning condemning condemning con con- what he be kno knows nothing a about out I I i have haye studied the grammar and read Caesar he lIe faltered but that Isn't much I had no no teacher and andI I had to too work ork pretty hard and It didn't go very well Ive had hall all the Lf Latin tIn they gave In Inthe Inthe the colleges of my time said Mr Hof Hof- myer If I do talk dialect and Ill I'll agree with you so far as to say that It would have been a n crime for me to neglect th the chemistry bacteriology physics engineering and other sciences th that t pertain to farmin I If 1 there'd been bce any such sciences when I was gettin my sc And yet said Jim some people want us to guide ourselves by the courses of at study made before these sciences existed I dont don't by hokey pokey I said cr Ill he Jf Jt you aint right I wouldn't a at s said so before I heard that but speech speech but I say so sa now now Jims Jim's face lighten up at this the theft ft first st convincing conducing evidence that be he had scored I 1 e blie too toot on Mr Ilof- Ilof myer mer that your Idee w would t ld please our folks He Ive e been the standpatter laUer In n our par parts parts mostly s mostly on yn English andt nI and rl t k II say say German What dye say to comin down and our school scho l Weve We've got a two two room room affair and I was made madea a committee of ot one to find a teacher I I 1 I dont don't see how how how- Jim stammered stammered stam stam- merell all taken aback by this new breeze of ot recognition We cant can't pay much said You have charge of ot the line dis-cip-line it Iri hi the whole school and teach In Number Number Number Num Num- ber Two room Seventy-five Seventy dollars a a month Does It appeal to ye Appeal to him i And yet how about the Colonel Woodruff th the Hansens and Newton Bronson v no now Just lust getting a firm start on the upward up up- Yard ward path to usefulness and real happiness happiness hap haIr How co could ld he lea leave e the lItt little e crude puny structure on which he he had been working working working-on on on which he had been merely practicing practicing for for tor a and year remove re remove remove re re- move to the new field Im afraid I can cant can't cant t said Jim IrwIn but but If youre you're only frail traid you cant can't said Mr th think Ink It t over Ive I've got your post office address on this program and well we'll write you a a formal offer We may spring them figures a little Think It over You mustn't think said Jim that weve we've done all the things I mentioned ed edIn In my talk or r that I haven't made mad any mistakes or r failures Your county superintendent didn't mention any failures said Mr Hof HUf- of- of myer Did you talk with her about my work worle Inquired J Jim n suddenly very c curious rIous Mh D. D Then I r dont don't see see seewhy why you want me Jim Jim went on Why asked Mr I had not said sald Jim that she had a very high opinion of my my work I I didn't ask ask her about that that s said Mr though I guess she thinks well of f It I I asked her what you are to do and do-and and what sort of ot ofa ofa ota a fellow you are I was favorably favorably- Impressed Im lm pressed but she didn't mention any failures We haven't succeeded In adopting a successful system of selling our cream said Jim I bell believe eve we can cando cando do It but bu we Val Wai said Mr I as Id I'd call that a failure The fact tact that y youre you're ure of at It shows ts youve you've got the right Well We'll write y ye and pay your way down to look us o over r. r Were We're a pretty good crowd the neighbors think CHAPTER Think of It Ames was an Jim Inspiration Inspiration JIm IrwIn received from the great agricultural college more mor real education In this one trip than many students get from a four years' years course couise In its halls for tor he had had spent te ten years In getting ready for the experience The great farm of ot hundreds o of of acres all an under lInder the management management management man man- of ot experts the beautiful campus campus campus cam cam- pus the commodious classrooms and laboratories and especially th the barns the greenhouses gardens herds and flocks filled filled him with a a. a sort of apostolic apostolic apos apos- Joy Every scho school l said he to Professor Protessor Withers ought to be doing a good deal of ot the work have you to todo do here Ill admit said professor that much nuch of ot our work In agriculture Is Is pretty elementary Its Intermediate school work said Jim Its wrong to to force boys and girls to leave their thel homes hOlIes and live In Ina ina a college to get getso so much of what they sh should have hav before tore th they're ten years old Theres something In In what you say said ald the professor but some experiment station men seem to think that agriculture In the common schools will wUl take fr from JD the young men and women the felt need and therefore the desire desire to come com to the college If you cant can't give give them anything better than school high work said Jim that will be so se but If f the scIence science sd- sd ence and art of ot agriculture Is what I think It Is It would o ld make them hungry for the advanced anc ll work that really cant can't be done at home TO To make the children wait until they're tw twenty Is Is Isto s sto to deny them deny them more than half halt what the college ought t to give them them and and make them pay t for r what they dont don't get get I think youre you're right said the pro pro pro- fessor Give us the kind of ot schools I ask for cried Jim and Ill I'll fill a college like this In every congressional district In Iowa lowa or Ill I'll force you you to tear this down and ond build larger arger More nearly Nippy happy and rather shorter short short- er of ot money than h he had recently been Jim Journeyed home among th the companions companions com com- from his own neighborhood In a n frenzy of at plans for tor the future Mr had dropped from his mind until Con Bouner Bonner his old enemy drew him aside In the vestibule of ot th the train and spoke to him lilo In the m mysterious manner peculiar to politicians TO BE DE CONTINUED |