Show SOME GIRLS DONT DON'T KISS BEGIN HERE Ruth Wilson teacher is in disfavor because she has broken the rule against dating and petting and has become the subject of gossip in m the school district Rolf Rol Harwood and Jim Bailey are arc rivals and stage a fIstfight fist fistfight fistfight fight over a date with her Her friend Cor Coral l Brown accuses her of double crossing and leaves her Ruth is desperately desperately des des- in need of or her job and submits sub sub- mits mils to the thc friendship of th the whom she despises I Ruth momentarily expects a summons sum sum- mons from the president of the board and forthwith dismissal Then she meets a new friend CHAPTER EIGHTEEN I FEW EW THINGS ARE WORTH I CRYING FOR Miss Hatcher moved in to occupy the room with Ruth She was a thin serious faced woman who Ruth decided decided de de- must be about 40 years old She told Ruth that she had taught 20 years and she site seemed to be he very cordial as though she wanted to talk about herself herselt Ruth was surprised I Meeting her at the Dillons' Dillons table in the school corridors or at the tedious tedi ous teachers' teachers meetings Ruth had thought Miss Hatcher very drab and uninteresting She found her to be any anything thin but that on closer acquaintance Indeed Miss Hatcher was a rather pretty woman woman wooman wo woo man in a serious quiet fashion She had lovely long brown hair streaked slightly with gray a regular mane of or it never bobbed and she liked to sit in her print prim old fashioned nightgown ln and brush her hair very carefully every night and then braid it in two long lone neat plaits A CONFIDENCE A queer contrast to Coral in her hoydenish Turkish pajamas with her fly ly away rebellious locks scattered over the pillow Did you want to teach that long Ions Ruth asked one night shocked and awed as every young teacher is when she hears a colleague mention having taught five live or 10 or 20 years ears whatever whatever what what- ever the span No teacher ever goes into the teaching profession for life life life- that is willingly proclaiming her hel decision decision de do- from the very start Yet more than 50 per cent of the young youn women who enter the profession profession sion never leave it until they retire with or without without but but mostly without an an old age pension I didn't plan to stay Opal Hatcher said I planned to teach a year or two I-I I I was engaged to be married Ruth waited She knew that a confidence confidence con con- was coming from the older woman I NEVER DID The years ears stretched on i My father I died My mother was an invalid I put off off getting getting married I taught Tour four our years the years the time went quickly Bob wanted me to marr marry him hint but I I always said Lets wait another year I and things will vIll be dif different erent I Well I waited Things were vere dif dIC dif dif- ferent The war came on and Bob wanted me to marry him before he went I would have done it then but mother held me back She said I was foolish What if I married him and tI then n he went away What i if some thing happened to him him and and there was a child Well I listened to what mother had to say and Bob went off to the war var He never came back Ive I've been beena a teacher all these years I dont don't mind the teaching I love It it-if it if Idever Idever Id I'd Idever ever had anything else I knew a girl She was just a little young oun thing when her husband went away They'd been married only a few weeks weeks- the older womans woman's voice faltered and I Ruth could see in her eyes the bitterness bitterness bitter bitter- ness of ot the memories that haunted he her Well he never came back either cither I He got his like his like Bob Bob in in the Argonne She's a teacher now too But she's got his baby her baby her baby and his She brought her husbands husband's body back home She can go to his grave rave I cant can't even go 10 to Bobs Bob's grave even if it I could find it Im I'm just an old maid school teacher I never belonged to Bob BITTER SMILES Opal Hatcher stopped her sudden udden stream of oC confidence dabbed at her eyes a bit and smiled smiled smiled-a a bitter smile I dont don't know why I tell you all this Miss l Wilson I hardly know you ou but Ive I've guessed youre you're in trouble trouble about about your our sweetheart Marry him hint honey and quit worrying about teaching school There isn't a school in this world worth a girls girl's sweetheart to her What if he di dir did beat up that smart y fellow I You knew what hat happened Miss Hatcher smiled Well was there anyone alon along the countryside who didn't know now she parried I knew all about it of or course Everybody Every Every- body else did too That looking good prince of a fellow Jim Bailey is perfectly per per- crazy about you ou Our esteemed and honored superintendent super super- is too and anyone with half an eye cyc can tell what whal that eit city chap thinks of oC you Youre joking Miss Hatcher Ruth said but the warm interested friendliness of or the older woman touched i her heart IM 1 AFRAID Im not joking Its It's no joking that three men are arc crazy about the same girl girl so so crazy that two of them stage an old fashioned caveman's battle But everybody's down on me because be cause of oC it ft Im I'm afraid to meet Mr Dillon simply scared stiff stice of what hes he's going to 10 say or do You needn't be You haven't done anything wrong Just hold up your head like nothing had happened Maybe I wouldn't have felt relt so badly Ruth confessed i if it hadn't been for Coral Miss Coral Miss Brown Brown my my roommate She went to Mrs Dillon asked to have her room changed because because be be- cause she didn't want to room with me mc an any longer I know all about that too Coral Brown went to school to me inc That was as over in Four Mile district the first place I ever taught I was vas there eight years Coral was one of the youngsters just growing up TEARS SItes always been a wilful self selfish elfish girl and always wild about Jim Bailey almost since the first day she ever saw him him She told me that they were engaged engaged en I guess they were were were-lf if Coral had anything to say about it iL Jims Jim's mother moth moth- er cr was worried worried worried-she's she's one of my best friends The last girl in the world she wanted for a law daughter was vas Coral Brown Blown I know that she was happy when Jim went off oct to school and they broke it off oct Well I just wanted to tell you that I understand I everything youre you're up against and Im I'm for ou I want to be your friend There were vere tears in Ruths Ruth's eyes when she clasped the hand of th the older woman Coral had meant her moving to hurt and humiliate Ruth but it had failed of or its purpose It had brou brought ht her a real friend Kate Kale Wilsons Wilson's biweekly letter to her daughter aught r was not very cheerful Im sorry we got our hopes all up about Daddys Daddy's job she said In part for it seems that the new plans plaits have havo fallen Callen through The people who were going to take over the factory and reopen it have decided that this isn't the year to start an any new venture So they've c given cen en it up Daddy was wasso wasso wasso so disappointed But I told him that we didn't have much to worry us Theres another spring coming and another chance at work In the meantime meantime mean mean- time youve you've got a job and you can help Weve We've got a place to live anc and thank goodness I canned a lot of fruit and raised most of the vegetables well we'll use this winter r. r Were We're mighty well off or in comparison to some other folks There was a great reat deal more along the same line ambling I-ambling meant to be cheerful but every line ine of it struck terror into Ruth Wilsons Wilson's soul What if lC she lost her job She couldn't lose her job that wa was all she just She dreamed that night that the president of the school board came cameto to her with all his pompousness Your contract is canceled Miss Wilson he said haughtily But it cant can't be It just simply cant can't be She wakened wakened crying Coral would have slept motionless through any such disturbance Bunot But Bu not Ruth Wilsons Wilson's new roommate Opal Hatcher reached out a firm capable hand to the girl Turn over dear she said and go to sleep Whatever it Is it isn't worth crying about Few things ever are NO SATISFACTION It seemed that Ruths Ruth's dream was not to come true Days passed and Mr Dillon never once mentioned the Sunday night episode It wasn't any satisfaction to Ruth to note that big Jim Bailey no longer drove the school bus Dillon had evl evi dently made good his threat and z a athin thin meek man by the name of Mathias drove the bus It save gave ave Ruth Rutha a lonely feeling every ery time tinte she went down to discharge her duties o of help help- in log ing the children unload She wondered how big bie Jims Jim's blackened blackened black black- ened eye had got cot along and what he was doing if it had been a great creat disappointment disappointment disappointment dis dis- dis- dis appointment to him to lose the bus driving job What was it he meant mean to buy with the money money money-a a tractor or or pay for the new car At any rate it chagrined Ruth to know that she had been the cause o ohis or of his losing the job As the days slipped on without sec see ing Jim she had begun to be a bi bit ashamed of the way she had reproved him After ACter all aU just as he pointed out Ro Rolf Roif had been the one to start the argument not Jim JIM JI AND CORAL Rolf Rolt wrote a Ion long letter It started out in an angry fashion and ended very apolo apologetically asking Ruth if he hemi mi might ht come to drive her home at the end of oC the school month And Ruth wrote a n very curt note in response Im coming on the interurban inter interurban urban this time lime positively she said and felt quite righteous about her decision But that was before beCore the evening that Jim Bailey all dressed up like a sheik with every even trace of oC the black and blue gone from his eye called callec boldly at the Dillon door and asked the astounded head of the house to see Coral Brown To be continued Has Das as Jim Had a Change of Heart |