Show r The fhe own Brown mouse Eg HERBERT QUICK Merrill Bobba-Merrill Company F pr cht ht 1 br i Tho The THEY'LL GET JIM BY Jenal Woodruff rr to marry Jim h- h refuses I e farm hand because of ot his young Randal condition and poor pros pros- i He HC is Is Int intellectually above bove advanced station and hoe has u S hit hi s concerning the possibilities if Idea school hC 01 teaching and farming of BC which ICh he ho i Is ridiculed lay bY for tor Is off orr ox In n short Jim an on 5 many by himself and reads flocks s Se JIe bOO books S and has a a. philosophy o of oT But there are latent h his own In him unsuspected even PO powers by himself and Opportunity comes at ot his door Jim Is kl knocking g cd for school teacher school ns as nominated na m n joke mk k Tho Joke results in his Election elec JOU Ho Ito visits his scholars j Ie Is Is nominated for county tl of schools Jim elm pea speaks s leaks at a public meeting con cern ural Ing rural school CHAPTER VII continued 6 If- If e ton explained for the tenth tIme had done so many things that teacher rocher was supposed to do and undone so many things that were bound by custom to 10 to form dorm that Newtons Newton's father and Mr oner and Mr Peterson had made Their heir minds that they would c call callon on to him to resign and If it he lie wouldn't ey would turn him out In some someWhat If What wrongs wrong's he done comm committed I J ked kd ed Raymond I 1 dont don't know v what wha t air supposed to do In this airy but Mr Jim seems to be t the l enough Inshore enough teacher I ever see I life He dont don't teach out of ot the books book's school board adopted replied replie B But t he makes up better lessons lessons' sTd r red ed d' d Raymond Raymond- An all the things things' do In la school heps us make a ain ain ain in in i He begins at eight In the mornin an he has some of us re till half halt past five live and comes c ln n the evening And every Sat- Sat day lay some of the kids are doin doln n 11 ething at the schoolhouse Tl They ey dont don't pay him for overtime lt ey queried Ra Raymond mond Well they orto orb of him qi Well they'll Well li they'll turn him out I I Im Navin more fun school than I ever ever an an that's why lEth you on this trapping JUt they'll get Jim all right I II I rm Im having something iJ 11 replied Raymond My liMy pap has haser er understood this ken kentry try an an we- we 1 Ji Jis Ji's as s had bad times but Mr jn n I have studied out how I can canIe canIke lie Ike a livin next year year and and pays we kin go on the way Mr a II S says Ill I'll work for Colonel Wood- Wood la Ti rt part of the he time an pap kin kink l k ke corn In the biggest field It ItS It'S S 'S we didn't do our work right last an tan in a couple of years ears with Increase of the an the thed d we ve kin get under plow h was vas still an hour before nine nine nine- le Ie en the rural school traditionally ikes kes up up when when the bo boys s 's had hud stored lr traps In a shed at the Bronson rne and me and walked on to the school school- u 5 se e. e That rather scabby and d ce was already humming th lb industry of a sort In spite of If c hostility Of the school board and ande e aloofness of the patrons of the hoot the pupils were clearly Inter- Inter t ted In Jim Irwins Irwin's system of rural Never had the attendance so large or regular and one of e Reasons reasons for sessions before nine l I after ter four was the Inability of the Icher her to attend to the needs of ot his nes In to the five fire and a half halt hours I kd d school hours 12 day passed Four o'clock came L order der that all might reach home r SUpper there was no sta staying ex- ex hat Newt Bronson and Ra Raymond mond monds r ns as s remained to sweep and dust schoolroom and prepare kindling ahe the next mornings morning's fire fire fire-a a work P dad nad Ild taken upon themselves so a anable as s enable able the teacher to put on th the e boards such outlines for the morl mors mor mor- s 's l s class work as might be required yas as writing on the board a lis list t constituting a spelling exer exer- I 1 The They were not from textbooks grew Brew naturally out of the stud study of o i feed eed wheat cockle morning convolvulus 1 viable via vla 4 sprouting y weed Iron an and d lIke Lkc c. c A tap was heard at the door SImms opened It Ped ailed three women and women and Jim IrI Iras Ir- Ir I new as ns be he looked at them that tha t ae 8 greeting a deputation a and d felt fell tit It meant meant a struggle For the they y the ue the Iv wives s of ot the members of ot th the e I ol 1 board lIe He placed for them th the e 1 available available chairs and In the abR abI abany ab ab- R I or of any for himself remained remains d J 1 ng g before them a gaunt shabby shabby- g g revolutionist at the bar o of f Usage sage and fixed public opinion Peterson e was a tall tal 1 and woman spoken slow and ond dl dig dig- g I and u Jim felt an instinctive re reer rei re- re i for tier her er personality Mrs Irs Branas Bron Bran was as a good motherly woman woma A A for her I housekeeping and to for r church activities She 1 looked oke d er r nt at her sou son and his friend frien d r and than at the schoolmaster r. r onner was the only one who o i hands with Jim but he sense sensed d e little eyed black I eal nl ed Irishwoman man n commander of ot the expedition n ESt ft Id t I him for for such hJ lie knew It t to tor 0 r d ou o 14 may mar thInk It strange of us s J after hours said she but ut anted d I e to t speak peak to tott you OU teacher r the I children here tit bf WISh tt more re of ot the P parents would woul d bOf o f t j Y v c call lV said Jim At At any hour of the das tt Or nJ night either elther I dare say suggested sug sug- Mrs Bonner I i 1 hear youve you've tho 3 scholars here bere at nil all hours Jim fim Jim smiled his Ills slow patient smile We Ve do break the union rules rule I 1 Iguess Iguess guess Mrs Bonner said he there seems to be c more to do than we car can get got done during school hours What w we came for for I Mr r. r Irwin Is Is' Isto to object to the way the teach Ins In's being corn done done corn and wheat and hogsand hogs hogsand hogsand and the like instead of the Ue i schools was made to teach I can see an au anthe the whole district can see that Its It's easier ensler for tora fora si a man that's been beena a n farm farmhand hand to 10 teach hand farm knowledge I than the schools was set up to teach but If so be he hasn't the i book education to do the the right thing we think he should i get out and give glue a areal real teacher a a chance j What am I r neglecting asked Jim mildly t l e Mrs Airs Bonner seemed unprepared forthe for forthe the qu question and sat for an instant mute Mrs firs Pete Peterson Interposed interposed her attack while Mrs Bonner might be recovering recovering recovering re re- covering her wind We people that have had a hard time she said in a precise way which seemed ito to show that she knew exactly What hat she wanted dont want our our children taught about nothing but work We want our children to learn nice things and go to high school and after a while to the Arent your our children happy In school chool Mrs Peterson I dont don't send them to school to to-be to be happy YIm replied Mrs Peterson calling him by the name most familiarly famil famil- familiarly known to all of them I send sena them to learn to be higher people than their lather father and mother That's what America means S be higher people people higher higher than han their parents parents higher higher than their teacher they'll eacher they'll be efficient farmers and efficient farmers farmers' wives They'll t 1 r f 1 We Object to the Way the Being Done be happy because they will know how v to use use more brains in farming t than Ian any lawyer or doctor or merchant can possibly use In his business Its a fine thing said Mrs Bonner coming to the aid of her fellow soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers to work hard hald for a lifetime an raise nothing but a family of farmers A fine thing I They will be farmers anyhow cried Jim In spite of your our efforts efforts- efforts efforts- ninety out of every ery hundred of them And of the other ten nine will be wage-earners wage In the cities and wish to God they were back on the the farm and th the hundredth one will s succeed In the city The guns of Mrs Irs Bonner and Mrs Peterson were silenced for fOl a moment and Mrs Bronson after gazing about at nt the typewriter the f the exhibits of weed se seeds ds the Babcock Babcock Babcock Bab- Bab cock milk tester and the other un- un scholastic equipment pointed to the list of words and the arithmetic problems on the board Do you ou get them words from the speller she asked No t o said he we get them from a alesson alesson lesson on seed wheat Did them examples come out of an arithmetic book examined cross-examined she No said sold Jim we used problems problem s we ve made ourselves We Ve were figuring profits an and losses your our cows Mrs firs Bronson 1 I Ezra Bronson said Mrs Bronson loftily dont need any help helD In telling what's a aa good cow He was farming before you ou was born I Like fun he dont don't need help I Hes He's going to dry old Cherry off bit and fatten fatten fat rat ten her for tor beef and he can make tasks more money on an the cream by beefing about three more of ot em The Babcock Babcock Bab Bab- cock test shows they're there just boarding on us without paying their board I IThe IThe The delegation of matrons ruffled like a group of ot startled hens at this interposition which was Newton Bronson's Bronson effective seizing of the opportunity opportunity op op- to Issue a progress ss bulletin In the re research earch work on the Bronson dalr dairy herd Newton tit 1 said his mother dont don t Interrupt me when Im I'm talking to th the e S Well then said sold Newton dont tell the teacher that pa knew which cows were good and which were poor If It any anyone one In this district u wants tints to know about their cows craws they'll have to come cows to this shop And I can tell you rou that It'll till pa pay em to come too tea If It f they're going to make anything selling gelling cream Walt until spill we get out our reports re re- reports ports on the herds ma I 1 IThe IThe The women were rather stampeded by this onslaught of the Irregular troops troops especially especially Mrs firs Bronson I SI She Ie felt a flutter of ot pride In her son but It was strongly mingled with a motherly motherly moth moth- erly desire to spank him The tation rose with n a unanimous feeling I that the they had bad been scored upon Cows I 1 scoffed Mrs 1 Peterson If It I i we leave you In this Mr Ir Irwin our children will know noth nothing ng but I cows and hens and soils and grains grains- and where will the the culture come In 1 I Culture 1 I exclaimed Jim Why why after ten years of ot the sort of school I would give you OU If I were a better teacher and could have ha my wa way way way- Dont b bother ther Jim said Mrs Bonner Bonner Bon- Bon ner sn sneeringly you you wont won't be teaching the Woodruff school schol that long All this time the dark r faced dark ed Cra Cracker ker had been glooming from a corner earnestly seeking to fathom the wrongness wrongness wrongness wrong- wrong ness he sensed in the gathering Now he came forward J I reckon I may be making malting a mistake mis mis- mistake take fake to say anything said he fr tr we-all we Is strangers heh an an were we're pore b but t I must speak out for Mr I Jim I must I Dont Don't turn him out folks fr hes he's c done one onemo mo fr us than even any anyone one done In the world d I What do do you mean asked asker Mrs Peterson I mean said Raymond that when Mr Jim began talking school tous to tous tous us we was a pore no count lot without without without with with- out with to any with to talk about except our our wrongs an our enemies ene cne I rotes mies and and the l meanness meanness of u tile the e Iowa folks You see we didn't understand you you ou all An now we have hope We done got hope hop from from this school Were We're gain to make good In the world Were We're getting education Were We're all to use books My little sister will be as good as anybody If you'll just let Mr Ir Jim alone in this school school- as good as an any one An Ill I'll hep pap get a farm tann and well we'll work and think at the same time an be happy 1 CHAPTER VIII Jennie Arranges a Christmas Party Miss Jennie Woodruff of the Woodruff Woodruff Wood Wood- ruff district was a n sensible country girl Being sensible she tried to avoid But she did feel some little sense of Increased Importance Importance tance lance as she d drove her fathers father's little runabout over the smooth earth roads in the crisp December weather Just before Christmas The weather Itself was stimulating and in the little car visiting the one hundred or more rural schools soon to come under her supervision supervision supervision super super- vision she rather fancied the picture of herself clothed In more or less authority authority au au- and It over her little army of teachers Mr Haakon Peterson was phlegmatIcally phlegmatIcally i cally conscious that she made rather an agreeable picture as she stopped her car alongside his top buggy to talk with him She had bright ht blue eyes fluffy brown bro hair a complexion whipped pink by the breeze and she smiled at him ingratiatingly Dont you Jou think father Is lovely said she He lle is going to let me use the runabout when I visit the schools That will be good said Haakon It will save you IOU lots pf of time I hope you ou make malie the county pay for the gaso gaso- line I haven't ha thought about that sal said Jennie Ever hodys been so nice tomeI tomeI to tome me me-I me I want to give as well as receive Wh Why said Haakon you will begin to receive when your salary begins begins begins be be- gins In In Oh no 1 said Jennie Ive received received received re re- much more than t that at now I You dont don't know how proud I feel So many nice plen pion men I never knew before and all ray my old friends like you ou working forme forme for forme me In the convention am and at tl the e polls just as If I amounted to something And you dont don't know how proud I feel said Haakon to have In n county county- office a n little girl I used to hold on my lap Haakon was a rather richer manthan man manthan manthan than the colonel and not a little proud of his ascent to affluence A mild- mild spoken voiced soft-voiced Scandinavian he lie was quite completely Americanized and his Influence was alwa always s 's worth tift fifty to sixty Scandinavian votes In any count county election He lIe was a Ii good party man and conscious of being entitled entitled en en- titled to his voice In party part matters This seemed to him an opportunity for exerting a n bit of political Influence enc said he this man Yim Irwin n needs eds to be lined up Lined d up What do you ou mean The way he Is doing In the school said Haakon Is all nil wrong g. g If It you cant can't line him up he will make you trouble We must look ahead Everybody E has his friends and Yim Irwin has his friends If It you have trouble with him his friends will be against you ou when we e want ant to nomInate nom nominate nom nom- mate you OU for a second term The county Is getting close If we go to conn without your our home delegation delegation delegation tion It t would weaken you and If It we nominate you jou ou ever every piece of trouble like this cuts down n your our You ought to line him up and have hav him do right But he Is so funny said Jennie He likes you said uld Haakon You Youcan Youcan can enn line Une him up I guess that's so to so-to to a wild- wild eyed reformer TO BE CONTINUED I |