Show q t dr Mev i JEN JENNIE IE IN POLITICS SYNOPSIS SYNOPSIS Jennie Jennie Woodruff refuses to marry Jim Irwin young farm tarm hand because of ot his financial condition and poor pros prose peets He is Intellectually above his station and has advanced Ideas concerning the possibilities of ot SChOOl teaching teaching- and farming for tor which he Is ridiculed by byman man many In short Jim Is an off ox He flocks by himself and reads books and has a philosophy of ot othis his own But there are latent powers In him unsuspected even by himself and Opportunity comes knocking at his door Jim JimIs JimIs JimIs Is nominated for tor school teacher as a Joke yoke The Joke results In his election He lie visits his scholars CHAPTER IV IV Continued 4 But Dut true to his belief in honest thorough borough work like a gen general ral preparIng Ing ng for battle he examined his field of ot operations His manner of d doing this seemed emed to prove to Colonel Colon l Woodruff d ruff who rho watch watched d It with keen Interest as something new In hi the world that Jim IrwIn was possibly a Brown Mouse B But ut t the colonel knew only a a part of ot ofIra's JIms JIm's performances He saw Jim clothed in slickers walking through rainstorms to the houses In the Wood- Wood nil district as greedy fork for every moment mo- mo moment mo no- ment of rain as a haymaker for shine and nd he knew that Jim made a great many evening calls caUs But he did not not know know that Jim was making what our sociologists call a n survey urvey For that matter neither did Im for books on sociology cost more than han 25 cents a volume and Jim Jiin had never ever seen one However it was a To be sure he had lo long g known everybody in the district save the he and and he was now a friend of f all aU that exotic race but there Is knowIng and arid knowing He now had note-books note full of facts about bout people and their farms He e knew new how many mony acres each family possessed pos pos- essed and what sort of ot farming each husband was doing live doing live stock grain or r mixed He knew about the mortgages mortgages mort- mort gages ages and anel the e debts He knew whether the family atmosphere was happy appy and contented or the reverse lie He e knew which boys bors and n. n l girls gi Js were were wn wayward vayward ward and Insubordinate He made madea a record of the advancement In their studies of ot all the children and what they hey liked to read He knew their favorite amusements He talked with til their heir lr mothers and n sisters sisters not not about the he s school hool to an any extent but but buton on the I weather veather the hores the automobiles I Ithe the he silo filling ma machinery hl ery and the i profits of farming RealI Really though Jennie Woodruff not see how such doings related to to school chool work worle Jim Irwins Irwin's school was runnIng full blast In the homes of the district and the time n minds of many pupils weeks and weeks before that I day dayen when en he called caned them to order on the Monday specified d in h his s contract as ashe the he first day aY of school Con Bonner who came to see the opening v voiced the sentiments of the older people when he condemned the school as ns disorderly To be sure there here were more pupils enrolled than had ever entered on a first day In the whole history of ot the school and it tt was s shanI shard hard hanI to accommodate them all nil But 7 l I That FellerII Never Do Co the directors director's criticism was wag leveled against the tr free easy air of ot the children Most of ot them had brought seed corn and a sized good-sized corn show was on view There was much argument argue argument ment as to the merits of ot the various entries Instead of a 0 language lesson from the text book Jim had given them an un exercise based on an on examination examina examination tion of ot the ears of corn The number exercises of the little chaps had been worked out with ears and kernels of corn One class in arithmetic calculated the percentage e of ot Inferior k kernels at ot tip and ond butt to tl e full full In the middle of ot the ear All An the time Jim Irwin awkward and uncouth clad In his too none Sunday Sunda suit and tr trying ln to hide behind his smile the fact that he was pretty badly frightened and much embarrassed passed among them getting get ting tang them enrolled setting them to work wasting much time and laborIng laboring labor labor- Ing lag ing like Ike a hen laden heavy vy barge In in a sea sea- way UJ That never do said Bonner Bonner Bon Bon- ner to Bronson next day Looks like like a tramp in the tIte schoolroom his best 1 gu guess ss said Bronson Half the tile kids call him Jim said Bouner Bonner all right With me ate replied Bronson l The UTIle room was as noisy as a caucus caucus cau cau- cus was Banners Banner's next Indictment and the nure flure was all over corn like a 11 hob hog pin Oh I dont don't suppose he can get getaway away iway with It assented Bronson disgustedly disgustedly dis dis- II but bur that boy of mine Is as as' as tickled us us' us usa asa a colt with the whole t thing ing Says hes he's goin this winter because Jim dont don't keep no order said Bonner He lets Newt do doas doas doas as as he lie p pleases eases First time hes he's d to do anything but deviltry de pi protested Bron Bron- son Oh I suppose fall down and well we'll have to lire fire him but him but I wish we ye could coul git a good teacher that wo would t git it hold of of Newt the way he be seems to tol 1 1 CHAPTER V The Promotion of Jennie If Jennie Woodruff was the cause of ot Jim Tim Irwins Irwin's sudden irruption Into the educational al field by her ber scoffing Humph I at the Idea of a farmhands farmhand's farmlands farmland's farm farm- lU lands hands s ever ever being able to marry she also gave him the opportunity to knock down the tile driver of ot the big motorcar motorcar mo mo- and perceptibly elevate himself himself him him- self sill In 10 the opinion of If the isle neighbor bor- bor hood lood while filling falling his own heart with s something like shame The fat man who had said Cut it out to his driver was Mr 1 Charles Dilly a busin business ss man mon In the village at atthe atthe the time extreme opposite corner of the county Mr Dilly was a candidate for county treasurer and wished to be beno no nominated ln fed at the approaching county co convention In his ills part of the county lived the county superintendent superintendent-a a candidate for He was Just a plain garden or field county superintendent superintendent su su- su of schools no better and no worse than the general political run of them but he had local pride enlisted enlisted en en enlisted listed In his cause and was a a. a good politician Mr Mi Dilly was in the Woodruff district district dis dis- dis to bu build ld a backfire against this conflagration of the county He lIe expected ted to use Jennie Woodruff to light it withal That is Is' while denying th that t he wished to make any ony deal or trade ev trade every every ry candidate in every convention n always alwa s says saYf th that that that- lt- lt lie he wished to say to Miss Miss' Woodruff and ond her father that If it Miss Woodruff would permit her ber name nome to be used for forthe forthe forthe the office of o- county sup superintendent of schools a goodly group of delegates could be selected in the other cor corner er of the county who would be glad to reciprocate on any favors Mr Charles J. J Dilly might receive in the way of votes for county treasurer with bal bal- ballots ballots ballots lots for Miss Jennie Woo Woodruff ruff for superintendent superintendent su su- of ot schools Mr Dilly never inquired as to Miss Woodruffs Woodruff's abilities as as as' an ed educator cator That would have been eccentric Miss Woodruff never asked herself hersel if site she knew an anything about rural education which especially fitted her for the task for was she not a popular and successful teacher teacher and and was not that enough So are the tine officials wino who supervise and control the education education education tion of the farm children of America When Jim started home from putting out his team the day after his first call coll on th the Shams Simms family Jennie was waiting at the gate to b be congratulated congratulated congratulated con con- on her nomination I III Soure youre oure hope elected Jim said holding the hand hund she had bad extended but theres there's no doubt of ot that They say not replied Jennie but father believes In ln working Just as if we didn't have a big majority for tor the ticket Say a n word for tor me wh when n on your our pastoral rounds All right said Jim what shall I Isay Isay I i say soy you'll do for tb the schools Why so said ill Jennie rather perplexed perplexed perplexed per per- Ill urn be he fair lu in my examinations examina of ot teachers try to keep the unfit I teachers out of the schools visit schools us as often us I can and why und why what does any good superintendent do I III never ne heard of u a good county superintendent said Jim Never Ne heard of ot on one why one wh why Jim Irwin Ir Ir- win iI I II I OIl dont don't believe there Is an any such thing persisted Jim and If It you duno do du dono dono no more than thun you jou OU sa say bay you'll be oft off the same piece as the rest Your s system stem wont won't give us any ant better better schools we have have ot of the old sort sort und and we need u a new kind Oh Jim Jim I Dreaming as as' as of yore ore Why cant can't you be practical 1 What do you ou mean by a new v kind of ot rural school It would be correlated with rural life lite It would get education out of ot the things the farmers and farmers' farmers wives are interested In as a part of their lives J Jennie nole looked serious after aner smothering smothering smothering ering a n laugh Jim said suld she u youre oure going to have haye a hard enough time to succeed in the Woodruff school if It you confine yourself to methods that have been tested and found good But nut the old methods urged Jim have been tested and found bad Sh Shall 11 I keep to them 1 They have made the American pe peo Deo people pIe what they are said Jennie Jenne Dont be unpatriotic Jim liThe They have educated our farm tarm children children children chil chil- dren for the cities s said ld Jim This county Is losing population population and and Its It's the best hest est count county In the world Pessimism sm never wins said J Jennie Jen Jen- en- en nie u Neither elther does hoes blindness blindness answered Jim It Is losing the farms their dwellers and swelling the cities with witha n a l proletariat I For some time now Jim had ceased to hold bold Jennies Jennie's hand band and th their Ir sweetheart sweetheart sweet sweet- heart days das had hud never ne seemed farther away Jim said Jennie Jeanie I may be elected elected elect elect- ed to a position in which I shall be obliged to pass on your our acts as teacher teach teach- er In er-In In an official way I mean I 1 hope hopet t they Jey will be Justifiable Jim smiled Us ids slowest and saddest sadde t smile If they're not Ill I'll not ask you to condone them said he But Butt first I Ii i Good Night Said Jennie Curtly they must be Justifiable to me Jen ren- nie Good night said sald Jennie curtly and left him Jennie I I am nm obliged to admit gave I sc scant t attention to the new career upon career upon which her old sweetheart seemed tobe tobe to tobe be entering She was In politics and aDd was pla playing the game as became becam the daughter of pf a local local politician Col Albert Woodruff went South with the army as ns a corporal in and rind came back a u lieutenant H His s title of colonel colone was conferred by appointment as a a member of th the staff stair of ot the g governor long years ago ogo when he was county nu auditor He was vas not a rich man as I Imay Imay may have ha suggested but but a a well-to-do well farmer whose wife did her own work much of f the time not because the colonel hire I could not afford to help elp but for tor the time reason that hired girls girls' were hard to get The Time colonel having s seen en the glory of the coming of t the L Lord rd in iii the triumph of his side In the great war war was Inclined to think that all reform had c ceased and was as a political standpatter stand stan patter patter patter-a a very honest and ond sincere one Moreover lie he was influential eno enough gh so that when Mr Cummins or Mr Dolliver came into the tine county on political political po po- po errands Colonel Woodruff had bad always been called Into conference He was of the old New England Englund type believed believed believed be be- very much in here heredity it very much In the thc theol theory that whatever Is IsIs isIs isis Is right In so far as It has bos secured mone money or power A er very respectable honest American American Ameri Amerl can con tory was the colonel fond of ot his political sway s and rather rather soured by bythe bythe bythe the fact that It was passing from him He had now brol broken en with Cummins and Dolliver as as' he had hind d done me years ago with Weaver Wea and later with Larrabee and and this breach reach was very Important to him whether th they were greatly concerned concerned concerned con con- about about It or not Such being her family history JennIe Jennie Jennie Jen Jen- nie was something of ot a politician her her- self She Sine was In no way surprised when approached b by party managers on the subject of ot accepting the tine nomination nomination nomi nomi- nation notion for county superintendent of schools Colonel Woodruff could deliver de do- liver some delegates cJ gotes to his daughter aughter though lie he rather rathel shied at nt the proposal pro pro- at nt first but on thinking It t over warmed wormed somewhat to the notion of ot having a u Woodruff on the county pay payroll payroll roll once more I ut I want a new kind of rural school but I dont don't see any prospect prospect prospect pros pros- TO BE CONTINUED |