Show I The Mouse I A BROWN MOUSE SYNOPSIS SYNOPSIS Jennie Jennie Woodruff refuses to marry Jim Irwin young farm hand because of his Ills hist t i financial condition and poor pros pros- Ho Is intellectually above his station and has advanced Ideas concerning the possibilities of ot school teaching and farming farming- he is ridiculed led for tor which by many In short Jim is an off art ox He flocks by himself and reads books and has n R philosophy ophy f of his own But there thero are latent powers In him unsuspected even by himself and Opp Opportunity comes comes knocking at his door Ioor Jim Jimis is nominated for school teacher as a Joke CHAPTER II II Continued 3 The president followed usage when 1 be he said I If theres there's no objection It will be so ordered Prepare the ballots ballots bal- bal lots for n a vote ote on the election of teacher teach teach- er er Mr Secretary There was no surprise In view of the nomination of ot Jim Irwin b by the blarneying Bonner when the Secretary smoothed out the first ballot and read James E E. E IrwIn one But when the next slip came forth James JamesE E. E Irwin two the he board of directors of ot the thc Woodruff Independent district w were re stunned at the slowly dawning knowledge that they had made an election 1 I Before they had rallied the secretary drew from the box the third and last ballot and read James E E. IrwIn three President Bronson choked as he announced announced an an- the tIle result result choked choked d and and stammered stammered stam- stam and made ver very hard Weather eather of It but he went through with the motion as we all run In our grooves The ballot having shown the unanimous unanimous election of James E. E Irwin I declare declare de de- clare him elected j He dropped into his cl chair while the secretary a very methodical man drew from his portfolio a a contract duly luly drawn up up save the name and sig nature This he calmly filled out and passed over to the president pointing to the dotted line Mr Bronson would have signed his own warrant death-warrant at that moment not to mention a perfectly perfectly per per- legal document and nud signed I With Peterson find md Bonn Bonner r 1001 looking on I stonily The I secretary I signed and shoved shored the contract over oYer to Jim Ir- Ir I Sign there th rc he her said I Jim looked It over oTer saw the other r signatures and felt an Impulse to tor o of r f dodge odge the whole thing Then hen he thought of Jennie Woodruffs Humph I and I and nd he signed Move we adjourn sai said Peterson No 1 so ordered 1 said t Mr Bronson ronson The s secretary and Jima Jim went out while the directors waited What the Billy Billy Billy- began Bonner and finished lamely What for did you vote for the dub Ez I voted for him replied Bronson because he fought for my boy this afternoon I didn't want It stuck Into him too hard I wa wanted t d him to have one ne vote An I wan wanted ted him to have wan vote too said Bonner I thought the only dang fool on the board board an an anJie Jie he made a that aimed wan Vote but vote but fr the love of that dub fr tr a teacher What come over ocr you H Haakon you Haakon-you you voted fr him t too o Ay wanted him to have one vote too said Peterson And In this wise Jim became the teacher in the Woodruff district district all all allon on an n account of Jennie Woodruffs Woodruff's Humph I 1 CHAPTER III What Is a Brown Mouse Immediately upon the accidental election of Jim Irwin to the position of teacher of ot the Woodruff school he he developed habits somewhat like a ghosts ghost's or a bandits That Is he heI I walked of nights and on rainy days On fine da days s 's he lie worked In Colonel Woodruffs Woodruff's fields as of ot yore ore Jims Jim's salary alary was to be Just for nine months' months work In the Woodruff school and he was was' to find himself and himself and and his mother Therefore he lie had to Indulge In Jn his loose habits of night walking and roaming about after hours only onh- or on holidays and In foul weather The Simms family being from the mountings of Tennessee were ra rather her startled one night when Jim IrwIn homely stooped and ana sIlently si silently silently si- si appeared In their family circle about the front door They rhey had lived where it was the custom to give glye a whoop from the big road before one passed through the palms paUn's and up to the house Otherwise how was one oneto one to know whether the visitor was friend or foe From rom force torce of habit Old Man lan Simms started for his rack gun-rack at Jims Jim's appearance appearance ap up- but the smile and the low slow speech so much like his own In some respects ended that Stranger said Mr lr Simms after greetings had been een exchanged youre oure right welcome but In my kentry you'd oud find It to walk In way lIo How f so queried m 3 Irwin moren likely git gt shot up some replied Mr lr Simms onless you whooped from the big road I didn't v nl that replied JimIm Jim Im Tm Ignorant of ot the customs of ot other countries you rather Id I'd 1 whoop from the bl big road road nobody nobody elso else wUl I 1 reckon replied Mr l Simms that all we-all will have ha to accommodate to the ways wars Evidently Jim was the SImms' SImms first S By HERBERT QUICK Copyright by The e Bobbs Merrill Company J caller since the they had settled on the little brushy tract whose hills and trees reminded them of their moun moun- Low hills to be sure sur with only a footing of rocks where the creek had cut through and not man many trees but bu down In the creek bed with the oaks elms and elders box ar arching overhead the could Imagine themselves beside some run falling Into the French Broad or the Holston The creek bed was a withdrawing room In which to retire from the eternal black soil and level cornfields of Io Iowa The soil was so poor In comparison compari compari- son with those black uplands upland's that the owner of ot the old wood-lot wood could find no renter but It t was better than tine tile soil In the mountains and suited the lonesome m much ch more than a better farm would have done The They were not of ot the thc Iowa people not understood not their equals they equals they were pore and expected to stay pore while pore while the Iowa people all seemed to be either well well-t well well-to-do do or expecting expecting expecting ex ex- ex- ex to become so Jim Irwin asked Old Man Mun S Simms about the fishing In the creek creeks and whether there was an any duck duc shooting spring rind and fall We git right smart of these little pan fish said Mr Simms an Calista done shot two butterball ducks about tater tater tater-l time Calista blushed but blushed but this stranger so much like themselves could not see seethe seethe seethe the rosy suffusion The Tine allusion gave him a chance to tolo look k about him at the family There was a boy of sixteen a girl the girl the shooting duck-shooting younger than Raymond a a girl of eleven named Virginia but called Jinnie and and a smaller lad who re- re rejoiced rejoiced re re- in the name of McGeehee l but was mercifully called Budd Buddy Calista squirmed for something to tn say sar Raymond Ra runs a line o 0 traps when hen the tine furs fur's prime she volun volun- Then came a long talk on traps and andt t trapping shooting hunting and the jo joys s 's of the mountings mountings during during which Jim noted the Ignorance and poverty of the Tie The clothing of off th the girls was was' not decent a according to local standards for while Calista wore wor a skirt hurriedly slipped on Jim was quite sure sure and and not without evidence to support his views vIews that that she had been wearing when he arrived ed the same same regimentals now displayed by Jl Jinnie a Jennie a pair of ragged blue of overalls Evidently the were wearing r d i io Y I o d. d I f 1 I Old Old Man Simms Started for His Gun what they had and not what th they desired de de sired The father was was faded patched gray and earth earthy and the boys looked better jetter than the rest solely because we expect boys to be torn torn and and patched Mrs Mrs Simms was Invisible ex except ept as a agra gra gray blur be the rain barrel In Inthe Inthe inthe the midst of which her pipe glowed with a regular ebb and flow of embers On the next rainy day Jim called caled again and secured the services of Baymond Ray Bay Raymond Raymond mond to help him select seed seed corn lie He was going to teach the school next winter and Ind h he wanted to havea have a se seed seed- d- d corn frolic the tine first day ay Instead of waiting until the last last and and you had to get seed corn while It was on the stalk If you Ou got the best No Simms could refuse a favor to the fellow who was so much like themselves themselves' themselves themselves them them- selves selves' and who was so greatly Interested interested Inter Inter- ested In in trapping hunting and th the Tennessee mountains so so Raymond went with Jim and with Newt Bronson Bronson Bron Bron- son and five more the they selected Colonel Colonel Colonel Colo Colo- nel Woodruffs Woodruff's seed corn for the next year ear under the colonels colonel's personal superintendence In the tine evening the they looked the grain over on the Woodruff ruff lawn and the colonel talked about corn and corn se- se s se lection They had supper at half past six and Jennie waited on them them them-hav- hav having ling ing assist assisted cd her mother In the co cook cook- k- k lug Ing It was quite a festival Jim IrwIn was as the line least conspicuous per person on In the gathering but the color c colo colonel lonel lo- lo nel midi who who was a seasoned politician d become become be- be observed that the tine hand farm had come a fisher of men linen and und was angling for the souls of these boys and their Interest In the school Jim was careful careful careful care care- ful not to tp flush the tine covey but every I bo boy received from the next winters winter's teacher some confidential hint as to plans and ami some suggestion that Jim was rel relying ln on the aid and comfort of ot that particular boy New Bronson especially was leaned on as fiS a strong staff starr and a aery very ery present help In time of ot trouble As Asfor Asfor for Raymond Ramond Simms It was clearly b best t to leave him Mm alone All this talk of corn selection and related things was new to him and he be drank It In j I v I ad-I thirstily He had an inestimable advantage advantage ad ad- vantage over Newt In that he was starved while Newt was surfeited with advantages for tor which he lie had no use Jennie said Colonel Woodruff aCt after r the party had broken up Im losing the best hand I ever had mad and Ive I've been sorry sorry Im Imn glad hes he's leaving you said Jennie H He ought to do something except except except ex ex- work In the field for wages Ive had no Idea he could make good as us a teacher teacher and and what Is there thereIn In it If It he does What has he lie lost If h he doesn't rejoined Jennie And why cant can't he make good 1 The school boards board's against him for forone forone forone one thing replied the colonel fire him If It they get a chance The They're re rethe the stock laughingstock o of the tine country for tor hiring him by mistake and th they're re ir- ir But B t after seeing him perform tonight I wonder if he cant can't make malie good If It he could feel like anything but butan butan butan an underling hed he'd succeed said Jen Jen- nie his heredity stated the colonel whose live stock operations were based on heredity Jims a scrub I suppose but he lie acts as If he might turn out to be a Brown Mouse What hat do you mean menn pa scoffed Jennie a Jennie a Brown Broun Mouse louse I 1 IA IA A fellow In Edinburgh said the colonel crossed the Japanese waltzing waltzIng waltzIng waltz- waltz Ing mouse with the tine common white mouse Jims Jim's peddling ff father ther was a n waltzing mouse no good except to I Jump from one spot snot to another for no good reason Jim's Jims mother Is an al albino albino albino al- al I bino of ofa a woman with all the color washed out In one wa way or OJ another Jim Jhn ought to be a mongrel and ande Ive I've e alwa always S considered him one But the Edin Edinburgh fellow every evert once in a awhile while got out of his variously colored waltzing and albino hybrids a brown mouse It wasn't a common house mouse either but a wild a-wild wild mouse unlike e eany any he lie had eV ever er seen It ran away and bit and gnawed and raised hob It t was what hat we bre breeders ders call a Mende- Mende linn Han segregation of genetic factors that had been In the and albinos all an the time tIm time their their original wild ancestor ancestor an an- r of the tine woods woods' and fields If Jim turns out to be a brown mouse moese he may be a bigger man than any of ofus ofus us Anyhow Im I'm for him Hell have to be a big man miln to make anything nn out the of-the of the Job of a country country- school teacher said Jennie Any jobs job's as big as the man who holds It down said her father Next day Jim rec received a letter from Jennie Dear Jim Jim It ran Father says you ou ar are sure to hayea have n a hard Bard time tim tl a e. e school b beards ards ard's against you and nd all that But he lie added Im for Jim anyhow anyhow any any- how mow i I thought you'd like to know this Also he he said said Any Jobs Job's as big bigas as the man who wino holds It down And AndI I believe this also and Im I'm for you rou too You are doing wonders even ven before before before be be- fore the tine school starts in getting the pupils Interested in a lot of things which while they dont don't belong to school work will make them friends of ot yours ours I dont don't see how this will help hell you much but its it's a fine thing and shows your Interest In them Dont Don't be too original The wheel runs easiest In the beaten track Yours Jennie Jennies Jennie's caution made no impression on Jim Jim but but h he put the letter away and every evening took It out and read the words Im for you too tool I The colonels colonel's dictum Any Jobs Job's as ns big as the tine man who holds it down was an truism to Jim ilm It reduced all Jobs to an equality and it meant equality In Intellectual and spiritual elop de development nent It didn't mean for Instance Instance instance In In- stance that any job was as good as another In making It possible for a aman aman aman man to marry marry and and Jennie Woodruffs Woodruff's Humph 1 returned to 1 kill and drag dragoff dragoff dragoff off her Im for you too I CHAPTER IV The First Da Day of School Jim Irwin was full of his Emersons Emerson's Representative Men and his his his' Carlyles Carlyle's Caryle's Car- Car Jyle's Jyles French Revolution and the theother theother theother other old-fashioned old excellent good bood literature which did not cost over 25 23 cents a volume and he lie had pored long and with many thrills over the pages of Matthews Matthews' Getting On In the World His view of efficiency was that it is the capacity to see opportunity opportunity opportunity where others overlook it and make the most of at it All through his life lite he had had his own plans for becoming great And AndaU Andall Andall all aU the time he was footed bare-footed Ill Ill- clad and dreamed his dreams to the accompaniment of ot the growl of ot the tine plow cutting the roots under the brown slice furrow-slice or the of the milk In the pall pail At twenty twenty eight eight he tic considered those these dreams over As for this new employment he be saw no great opportunity In it He went Into the small mean paid Ill task as asa asa asa a part of the days day's work with no knowledge of ot the stirring of ot the tine nation for Cor a different sort of rural school and no suspicion that there lay nn any highway to success In life He rather wondered why he lie had allowed Jennies Jennie's sneer to sting him Into the |