Show o B 1 HERBERT QUICK Copyright ht by The Merrill Dobbs Company CHAPTER X VII Continued Continued 14 14 14 What Rind Kind of a proposition did that man Hofmeister you rou your 7 he inquired In in- He asked r ray rn a about out you and andI I told him youre you're a crackerjack I l Im u much obliged replied JimNo JimNo Jim No use in back back a fellow that's to make orale of himself himself himself him him- self said Bonner That aint good politics nor good sense Anything to hIm H He offered me me a salary of seventy seventy- five dollars a month to take charge of ot othis his school said Jim Well VeIl said Con well be sorry to lose yeh but you cant can't turn down any thing like that I dont don't know said Jim I haven't decided Bonner scrutinized his face sharply as If to find out what sort of game he be was playing Well VeIl Well said he at last I hope you youcan youcan youcan can stay star with us o 0 course Im I'm licked and I never squeal If 11 the rist mist of ot the district can stand your kind of I can And say Jim JIm here here he grew still sUll more mysterious if m mysterious if you do stay some of ot us would like to have you be enough of ot a Demo Democrat rat to go Into the next convention fr county superintendent Why replied Jim I never thought o of such a thing 1 l lWell Well Vell think of It said Con The county's close an and wid a poplar young educator educator an an a farmer too It mI might ht be done Think of ot It Jim was almost dazed at the number number num num- ber of propositions of which he lie was now required to think thInk and and Bonners Bonner's Bonner's Bonners Bonners Bonner's Bon- Bon ners ner's did not at first Impress him as having anything back bacle of It but blarney He was to find out later however that the wily Con had made up his mind that the ambition of ot Jim to serve the rural schools In a larger sphere might he used for the pu purpose pose of bringing to earth what he regarded as the soaring political ambitions of the Woodruff ff I fam family To split the forces which had defeated Mr Bonner in his own s school hool district with the very Instrument used by the colonel at the last school chool elec elec- election tion that tion-that that to Mr Bonner would be bea a fine thing Jim had scarcely taken his seat In Inthe Inthe inthe the car facing Jennie Woodruff and Bettina Hansen In the Pullman when Columbus Columbus Brown of the road district and only across the way wa- from residence in the time school district came down t the e aisle and called Jim rIm to the smoking room i Did an old fellow named Hoffman Horrman from Pottawatomie county county ask you to leave us and take his school he ask asked ed Mr said J Jim m yes yes he did Well Vell said Columbus I dont don't want to ask you to stand In n your own light but I hope y you U wont won't let him toll you off oft there among strangers Were We're proud of ot you firm im and we dont don't want to lose you Proud of him I Sweet music to the underlings underling's ears I Jim blushed and stammered The Time fact Is said Columbus I know that Woodruff district Job big enough for you any more but we can make it bigger If you'll sta stay I believe we can pull off oft a deal to consolidate consolidate con con- some of ot them districts and make malee you boss af or the whole shooting nia match I appreciate this Clumb said Jim but I dont don't believe you can do it Well think of ot It it It said Columbus And dont don't do anything till you talk with me and a few of the other boys Think of or of it again I IA A fine home coming It t was ns to for lor Jim with the colonel waiting at the station with a double sleigh and the chance to ride Int Into the snowy country In the lame Blame seat with Jennie Jennie Jennie-a a chance which vas ns blighted by the colonels colonel's pl placing Bettina and Nils Hansen In Inthe the broad rear seat and Jim Jm In front with wIt l himself Time The colonel would not allow him to get f out nut lt and walk when he could really h have YC readied reached home mor more quickly quIck y by doing so no he set the Ha Hansens sens down at their door took Jennie home and then drove the lightened lIghten d sleigh merrily to the humble cabin of of the time rather excited young schoolmaster Did you ou make any deal with those thos people down in the western part of the state asked the colonel Jennie ennie wrote me that youve you've got an offer No said Jim and he told the theol colonel ol nl l about the proposal of Mr W Well Vell ll said the colonel In my mT capacity of wild eyed reformer Ive I've made up my illY mind that the first four miles In the time trip Is t to make the rural tea teachers teacher's hers her's Job a bigger Job Its It's got gotto gotto gotto womans woman's size Job fob to be e a mans man's size or 01 we cant can't get real men and real women to stay In iii the work I think that's a statesmanlike formulation of It If said Jim Well Veil th the colonel dont turn turndown turndown down the Pott Pottawatomie county Job until we e hove hoy ii a chance to see what we can do Ill I'll get some kind of ot a 8 meeting tc together gether and what I want you to do Is to use this offer as a club over this helpless school district What we need is to b be held up Do Dothe Dothe Dothe the Jesse James act Jim t 1 tI I cant can't Colonel I Yes es you can too Will you OU try It itrI I want to treat everybody fairly said Jim Including Mr I II II dont don't t know what to do hardly I Well Ill I'll get the time meeting together said eaid the and In the m meantime mean man an antime time think of what Ive I've said I Another thing to think VI of I Jim rushed Into the house and surprised I bi his WI mother who had expected him to arrive after a slow walk from town through the snow Jim caught her In his arms from which she vas tins as released released re re- leased a mom moment t later Inter quite flustered and blushing Why hy Jam James s said she you seem excited What's happened Nothing mother he replied ex cx except cent that I believe theres there's just a n possibility pos pos- of m my being a success in the thc world I IMy My boy my boy l 1 said she laying her hand on his arm If you were todIe todie to todie die tonight you'd die the greatest success any boy ever was was was-It If your our mother is any Judge fudge Jim kissed her and went up to his attic 1 to change hange his his- clothes Inside the waistcoat was a worn envelope which he carefully opened and took from It a letter much creased creaked from many It was vas the old letter from Crom Jennie wr written when the com comical comical com com- ical leal mistake had been made of ot mak mak- making making ing him the teacher of oC the Woodruff I school He r read nd only onty the sentence in which Jennie had told of f her fathers father's interest In Jims Jim's success ending with the underscored words Im Tm for tor you too I wonder said slid Jim as he went out to do the evenings evening's tasks I I wonder wonder won won- der If she Is for me I P CHAPTER Old Man Simms' Simms Speaks Youn Young McGeehee 1 Simms SImms' was loiter loitering ing lag along the snow snowy way to the schoolhouse schoolhouse schoolhouse school- school house bearing a brightly scoured tin pail pall two-thirds two full of water He had been allowed to act as water superintendent super super- of the Woodruff school as a reward of merit said merIt said merit being an essay essny on which he received credit In both language and geo geography raphy on Harvesting Harvesting Har liar vesting Wheat In the Tennessee Mountains Moun Moun- This had been of v vast st interest interest inter inter- est to the school in view of the fact that the were the only pupils in In Inthe the school who had hr ever seen In use that supposedly obsolete harvesting harvestIng harvest harvest- Ing Implement the cradle Buddys Buddy's essay had been passed over t to the class In United States Stales history as the I f. f ap apt t 1 Were Proud Proud Proud-of of You Jim evidence of an eyewitness concerning farming c conditions in oar grandfathers grandfathers' grandfathers grandfathers' grandfathers grandfathers' times The ess Pete Colonel Woodruffs Woodruff's rufIs rufI's hired man halted Buddy at the door Mr SImms I believe he saidI saidI said I reckon you TOU must be lookin for form formy formy m my brother na Raymond mond suh sun said Buddy I am a said Pete Impressively shely for Mr McGeehee Simms me said Buddy but I been doln doin wrong sun sub I 1 I have a message here here said Pete ete I for tor Professor Professor- J James mes E E. Irwin lIes lIe's I what-ho what within within there ant aint he Hes inside I reckon said said Buddy Then will you be so kind and con- con as to stoop so low as to Jump so high as to give give- him this lett letter letter let let- t ter r asked aked Pete ete Buddy took the tle lett letter letter- r. r an and was considering con coni of his reply to fo this remarkable speech wh when fi P Pete te gra gravely ly saluting passed on rather congratulating himself himself him him- self on having staged a very good burlesque of the dignified manners manners' of those thos queer mountaineers the Sl The Time note was from the colonel colon l Please Pl se come com to the m meeting etIn tonight and when you come com come ome prepared to hold 1011 the district up If we cant can't a t meet the Pottawatomie at ne county standard st standard rd of i iW W wages we ought to tp lose you Everybody Everybody Everybody Every Every- body In lri the time district will be there Come dome late so you TOU wont won't hear yourself talk talked d I I should recommend nine thirty and und war paint It was a a crisis n no doubt of of i that and the responsibility of the situation rather sickened Jim of ot the time t task st of teaching On Only one thing tiling kept pt him from fromn dodging the time whole Issue and remaining remaInIng remaining re re- re- re at home the home the colonels colonel's mat mat- ter of assumption that Jim had become roaster master r of ot the situation How could he flee when this old soldier was fighting so vallan valiantly y for him hIni In the trenches So JIm went to the meet meet- Ing How could he Impose conditions on the whole school district n How w could the colonel expect such a n thing of ot him And how holy could an anyone one look for tor anything anything any any- thing but scorn for the upstart field field- hand from these men who had for tor so many years years' made him the butt o ot of their natured good but none the less contemptuous ridicule Who was he for these anyway to lay down rules substantial and successful l men men men-he he who had been for all aU the time years of his life at their command subservient to their demands for tor labor theIr labor their underling underling under under- ling The season wa was s nearIng spring and It was a mild night The windows windows windows win win- dows of the schoolhouse were filled with heads evidencing the presence of ot a crowd of or almost unprecedented size and the sashes had been thrown up for ventilation and anel coolness As Jim climbed the back fence of 01 the schoolyard he hc heard a burst of ot applause ap ap- lause from which he ho Judged that some ome speaker had just finished his re- re narks marks There was silence when he came cam alongside the window at ut the right Ight of time of-time the chairman's desk a silence broken by time the voice of Old Man Ian Simms sa saying in Install Chairman IThe I IThe The chair said the voice of Ezra Bronson recognizes Mr Simms Jim halted In Indecision He was not expected while time the debate was In progress There Is no rule of or manners or morals however forbidding eavesdropping eaves caves dropping during the proceed proceedings proceedings-of of or a public meeting Therefore he listened to o the time first and last public speech ot of Old Man SImms Ah Aim aint no speaker said Old Man Ian Simms but Ah Aim set here and und be quiet an an go home tome an face my ole woman an my boys an sayin saIn a word fo to the best friend any family evah had Mr Jim IrwIn Applause Maybe Ahll AhU be bethought bethought bethought thought to speak hyah bein beinas as Ah Aim aint no an some may thInk hink Ah dont don't dont pay no taxes but seem as how weve we've took the Blanchard Blanchand Blanch Blanch- and ard farm fann a hundred an sixty acres for or five an move In a week from we pay taxes In our rent Ah Aim reckon an that may be come to feel teel that you you all all wont won't think hard of me If Ah Al speak what we we-uns we uns feel so strong about Mr Jim Irwin Old Man SImms finished this exordIum exordium exordium ex ex- ex- ex with the rising inflection which denoted a direct question as to 10 his status In the meeting Go on on 1 Youve got as good a right as any anyone anyone one onel I Youre all nIl right old man 1 Such exclamations as ns these c came me to Jims Jim's ears with scarcely less gratefulness grateful grateful- ness than to those of Old Man BImms Simms who who stammered and went onAh on Ah Alm thank you all kindly Gentlemen an ladles ladies when Mr Jim Irwin found us we was scandalous pore an nn we was pore pore we we was low Cries of No No uNo-No No I Yes we was when a man gets ets In a new place hes he's got to lift up to what folks does where hes he's come to or hell he'll make a place fer lowern anybody else In Inthe Inthe Inthe the mountings we was good people we done the best we could an anthe anthe anthe the best any anyone one done but hyah we was low-down low people we hated the people that had mo mo mo mo moland moland land mo mone money an nn an mo friends than what we had My little wasn't respectable In their clothes My chil- chil dern was t an but Iwas I i iwas was the most of f all Ahll leave it to Colonel Woodruff If I was good fer a plug of or a bakin of ot flour at any sto In the county Was WasI I Colonel Wasn't I perfectly less an There was a ripple pf laughter In Inthe Inthe inthe the midst of which the colonels colonel's voice was heard saying I guess you were were Mr Simms I guess you were but but but- said Old Man Simms as asIf Lie If the colonel had given a really valuable valuable able abl testimonial t to his character I Isho Isho sho was I kindly 1 An now what am I good fer I get anything any ny thing I want at the stores I git a little money at the time bank if f I got to have It Youre just as good as any man In Inthe Inthe inthe the district said the colonel You dont don't ask for more than you can pay and you can ret net et all nIl you YOJI ask said Mr Simms gravely What Ah Alt tell you all is right ladles ladies and gentlemen An whit what has made mad the change In we-uns we ladies ladles and gentle gentl gentlemen men Its It's the wuk of Mr Jm Irwin with my boy nam Raymond nd th the best boy any man evah hed and my Calista Calista Ca Ca- lista an Buddy an Jinnie an with me an my ole woman I lIe He showed showed us how to get a toe-holt toe Into this new kentry He En the children what orto be did by bi a farmer in lowny Ioway He lie d done ne' ne lifted us up an made people of us Be He done showed us that you all all ou-all Is good people an not what we thought yo you was what he learned in 8 school hool my boy na Raymond mond an me made as as goo good crops crops' as as we could last summer an andone andone andone done right much wuk uk outside We got the tIle name of ot bein bean good farmers an ang angood angood g good d an nn when Mr Mr Blanchard moved to town he me said he le was glad to give us his fine farm for five years Now see what Mr Jim Irwin has hns done for u pack o 0 outlaws and out out- casts o 0 out from the that was us us in lu the thee mountings well we'll i be e livin In a h house use with two s 's an a tub made ci crock crock ock Well We'll be in In d debt bt a whole lot lot un an we owe It to o Mr Jinni Jim Il Irwin in that we got the credit to git in n debt with an the courage to togo go on und mind git |