Show we MOUSIE W rt 11 cuz KB V r cof co f mv SYNOPSIS CHAPTER 1 jennie woodruff contemptuously refuses to marry jim irwin young farm hand band because became of 0 his hl alna financial elal condition and poor prospects prospect lie Is intellectually above his station and has advanced ideas concerning concertin con cernin the possibilities of export expert school deac teaching ing tor for which he Is in ridiculed by man many y CHAPTER IT II more as aa a joke than otherwise jim Is selected as teacher of the woodruff district school CHAPTER III jim in his new position sets gets out to make stanch friends of hi his 1 pupils especially two boys newton bronson and bu buddy addy simms the th letter latter tho the son of a shiftless farmer colonel wood woodruff run jennies father has little faith in jims ideas of improving rural educational methods ho he nicknames hini him the brown mouse in if 11 of an anecdote CHAPT ERIV jims conduct of the school where ife he endeavors to teach the children the wonders of nature and some of the scientific methods oe of farming tarm lne me ae well as book learning Is condemned CHAMER CHAITER V jennie woodruff Is no minted for tho the position of county superintendent of schools the school board grows bitter in its opposition to jim and his innovations CHAPTER VI at a public n jim r roundly 0 condemns the methods ol 01 of teaching ng in the rural schools and makes no friends thereby CHAPTER VII nr A delegation delegall n of 0 prominent women condemn jims methods of teaching but he Is stoutly defended by hia pupils especially newton bronson Ur onson CHAPTER VIII jim has christmas i dinner at colonel woodruff woodruffs and listening list t to him jennie begins za to do some ta concerning his ability and als prospects IX in tho the evening jim as an well as he knows how bow courts jennie 31 without however making huoh though she Is quickly losing or er poor opinion of him charter CHAir TER X M jennie elected county supe of schools receives to so many complaints from rom people of the district concerning concern lne jims methods of teaching that she finds herself corn com spelled formally tor mally to ask for his resignation after the eho has left jim is visited py iby colonel woodruff who ho strongly burges surges him to refuse to resign and k offers to back him jim agrees to stick for a while at least CHAPTER A meeting of the mahool board wh which fc had been gathered to get jim Is confronted by jennie him lie he conducts an examination of his pupils at the meeting TM to prove that he Is not neglects neglecting n 9 their book learning learn lne by the introduction e of other subjects which he co considers n of importance the splendid s snowing mado made by the children converts many who had doubted to his views CHAPTER XII the novel ideas idea which jim has introduced have been talked about outside the county and he Is visited by professor withers extension lecturer at the state university who invites him to deliver an address at the next annual meeting of the fa farmers mer institute CHAPTER XIII professor withers ts Is impressed by many of the innovations if e ns made bar by ir iraln w in and so anfor informs s co colonel lonel W woodruff oo 00 and jennie somewhat to the astonishment of both T the he colonel suggests to jim that he the colonel sek election to the school board replacing cornelius bonner implacable enemy of jim irwin your mother herp here jim she asked ive been looking all over the crow d and cant see her she here answered jim 1 I was in hopes that when she broke loose and went to your christmas dinner she would stay loose but she went home I 1 and settled back into her rut too bad said jennie shed have had a nice time it if slie she had come yes said jim 11 1 I belleve believe she would 1 I want help said jennie our hamper amper la Is terribly heavy ri please easel 1 it was rather obvious to sirs mrs bonner that jennie was throwing AIng herself at jims head but that was an article of the ronner bonner family creed since the decision which closed the hearing at the court house it must be admitted that the young county superintendent found tasks which kept the schoolmaster very close to her side sit down jim said sirs mrs woodruff youve earned a lite ile of what hat weve got its good enough what there la Is of 41 im sorry said jim but ive a prior engagement it and theres enough of it such as it I 1 rm im sorry borry said jim but ive a prior engagement why mint biml protested jennie ive been co counting on you dont desert file mel I 1 im awfully sorry said jim but I 1 promised ill see you later one might have thought judging by the colonels quizzical smile that he was pleased at jennies loss of her for former in er swain well have to invite him longer ahead of time said he be hes getting to be in demand jim seemed to be in demand a fact that jennie confirmed by observation lie ile received a dozen invitations its as he passed th the e groups seated on the gross grass one of them from mrs cornelius bonner who saw no particular point in advertising disgruntlement ahe children ran to him and clung to his hands bands young girls gave him sisterly smiles and such trifles as chicken drumsticks drum sticks pieces of cake and like tidbits ills passage to the numerous group at ol a square table under a big burr oak was quite an ovation an ovation of the significance of which he was himself quite unaware ware but jenale the daughter 0 of f a politician and a promising one herself jennie sensed the fact that jim irwin had bad won something from the people of the woodruff district in the way ui or deference still he was the gangling ill III dressed over stricken jim irwin of old but jennie had no longer the feeling that ones standing will was iome somewhat what compromised by association with him he had begun to put on something more significant than clothes something which he had possessed all the time but which became valid only as it was publicly apprehended ile he was c clearly I 1 ea aly the central figure of hla his group in which she recognized the brenconi Bren Dron soni sons those queer children from tennessee the Simm ses the Tal cotts the hansens the homing hamms and colonel wood ruffs buffs hired man pete whose other othe name Is not recorded jim sat mat down between bettina nansen a flaxen haired young brunhilde of sev seventeen entee n and calesta jennie saw him do it while listening to wilbur smythes so count account of the exacting nature of the big law practice he was building up and would have been glad to exchange places with bettina Bett lna the repast drew to a close and over by the burr oak the crowd had grown to a circle surrounding jim irwin ne ile seems to be making an address said wllbur wilbur smythe well wllbur wilbur replied the colonel you had bad the first shot at us suppose we move over and see under discussion As they approached the group they heard jim irwin answering something which ezra bronson had said you think so ezra said he and it seems reasonable that big cream erles eries like those at omaha sioux city des and the other points can cali make butter cheaper that than we would do lere here but weve the figures that show that they arent economical no mical they cant make good butter for one thing said newton bronson cockily why cant they asked olaf nansen hansen the father of bettina Bett lna well said newton they have to have so much cream that gol to ship it so far that it gets rotten on the way and they have to renovate it 11 with lime and other ingredients before they can churn chum IV it well said raymond simms 11 1 reckon they sell their butter to all we lt art an they baliet get within from aoah to seven cents a pound as much to it as the farmers fan ners creameries crea meries merles in IB wisconsin and minnesota get to fe theirs a tart fact OW said jim now how do you kids know so darned much about it queried pete huhl sniffed bettina Uett lna weve been reading about it and writing letters about it and figuring percentages on it in school all winter weve done arithmetic and geography and grammar and I 1 dont know what else on it well im agin any sc school hoolin ln said pete that makes kids smarter in farmin than their parents and their barents pArent 3 hired men gl me another swig 0 that lemonade you see said jm jim to his big audle audience ace meanwhile pouring the lemonade the creamery to Is uneconomic in several ways it ling has to pay excessive transportation charges it has hag to pay excessive commissions to its cream buyers it has to accept cream without proper Inspect inspection lon and mixes the good with the bad it makes such long shipments that the cream spoils in transit and lowers the quality of the butter it cant make the best use of the buttermilk all these losses and leaks the farmers have to stand I 1 can prove and so BO can the six or e ight eight pupils in the woodruff school who have been working on the cream question this winter that we could make at least six cents a pound on our butter if we had a operative cooperative co cr creamery and all sent our cream to it well sald said ezra bronson lets start one ril rii go in said olaf 01 af hansen we me too said con bonner there was a general chorus raf it assent jim had convinced his audience hes got the jury said wllbur wilbur smythe to colonel woodruff yes tea said gold the colonel and right here to Is where he be runs into danger can he handle the crowd when its ite with him well said jim 1 I think we ought to organize one but ive ii it nother proposition first lets get together and pool our cream by that I 1 wean mean that well all sell to the same creamery and get the best we can out of the by the operative cooperative co method we can save two cents a pound in that way and well learn to when we haw have found just how well we can lising bang together well be able to take up the co opera tive creamery with less danger pt of falling apart and falling failing handle the inquired ur mr hanson well handle it in the school answered jim schools about done objected mr bronson wont the cream pool pretty near pay the expenses of running the school all sum summer merr asked bonner we ought to run the school plant til all the time said jim its the only way to get full value of 0 the investment ment and weve corn club work pig club work poultry work and canning club work which make it very desirable to keep in session with only a weeks vacation if add the cream pool it will make the school the hardest working crowd in the district and doing actual farm work too I 1 like mr bonners suggest suggestion lon well said hackon peterson who had jolted joined the group ay tank we better have a meeting of the board and discuss it IL well weil darn it said columbus drown brown 1 I 1 want in on this cream pool and I 1 uve live outride the district 1 well let you in dumb clumb said the colonel surel sure I 1 said pete we halat no more sense than to let any one in dumb clumb come in the waters fine we aint proud I 1 well said dumb clumb if this feller Is coln to do school work of this kind I 1 want in the district too well come to that one 09 0 these days said jim the district Is too small wllbur wilbur smythes car stopped at the distant gate and honked for him a gag glenal which broke up the party haakon peterson passed the word to the colonel and mr bronson for a board meeting the next evening the picnic broke up in a dispersion of staid married couples to their homes and young folks in top buggies to dances and displays of fireworks in the surrounding villages tim jim walked across the fields to his home neither old nor young havi having ng neither sweetheart with whom to dance nor farm to demand labor in its inexorable chores he turned after crawling through a wire fence and looked longingly at jennie as she was suavely assisted into the car by the frock coated lawyer you saw what he did said the colonel interrogatively as he and his daughter sat on the woodruff veranda that evening who taught him the supreme wisdom of holding back his troops when they grew too wild for attack 7 he may lose them said jennie not so said the colonel individuals of the brown mouse type always succeed succeed when they find their environment viron ment and I 1 bellene believe jim has found his well owell said jennie 1 I wish his environment viron ment would find him some clothes its a shame the way he has to go looking hed be nice appearing it if he was dressed anyway oh then you heard the news sold said the colonel jims going to have his first made to measure suit tor for amen its all fixed chos making iti it asked jennie gustat gustaf paulsen the dane just opened a shop in town A daner dane queried jennie he Bettl nas uncle atherly Il said the colonel jocularly seeing as how bettinasi Bettl Bet tinas nas mrs nan ilan sens daughter Clot clothe bes are rather important but the difference between a suit ninde made by atkins the tailor and one built by gustaf paulsen the new danish could not be supposed tu to be crucially important even when designed for a very dear friend and jim was scarcely that of course hotl not I 1 why then did the county superintendent dent basil harthy ly run to her room and cry why did she say to herself that the hansens were very good people and well to do and it would be a noe flue thing for jim and hla his mother and then cry some gome more CHAPTER XVI jim goes to ames tim jim had never felt more the upstart uneducated farril farm hand than when he was introduced to that audience at ames by professor withers nor wore more completely disgraced than when he be concluded conclude a his remarks Fe bem fem marks ar iks even thi the e applause was to him a kindly effort on the part of the audience to comfort him in his failure ills only solace was the look in jennies eyes young man said an old farmer who wore thick glasses and looked 1 I want to have a talk with you like a dutch burgomaster 1 I want to have a little talk with you this Is mr hoffmyer of ale county said the dean of the college im glad to meet you said jim 1 I can talk to you now no said jennie 1 I know mr hoffmyer will excuse you until alter after dinner we have a little party tor for mr irwin and we shall be late it if we dont hurry burry where can I 1 see you after sup supper perr ailed sir mr easy it was to satisfy mr hoffmyer Hof Ilof myer and jim was carried off to a dinner given by county superintendent jennie to jim the dean professor withers and one oi or two others and a wonderfully select and distinguished company it seemed to jim jennie seized a moments momen tB opportunity to say ay you did beautifully jim everybody says so 1 I fai failed ledl 1 said bald jim you know I 1 failed I 1 remember my speech elch I 1 cant stay slay heri here feasting eaas ling I 1 want to get out in the snow you made the best address of th alie e meeting and you did it because you forgot your speech insisted jennie toes anybody else think so why jim I 1 you must learn leam to believe in what you move hove done even con bonner says it was the best ue he says he think you yoi had bad it in ye I 1 this advice from her to believe in what you have done there som something Athing new in jennies attitude here his belief in what lie he was doing precisely the thing which bad made him such a nuisance to the county superintendent however jim stop to answer the question which popped up in his mind what does professor WI withers th era say he asked hes delighted silly I 1 silly I 1 how wonderful it was to be called silly in that tone 1 I have forgotten the speech if 11 it been tor for this darned boiled shirt and collar and for wearing a cravat urged jim in extenuation you ought to ive ve worn them around the house for a week before coining said jennie why you ask ny my ad advice alcer 1 I will next time jennie said jim 1 I suppose I 1 needed a bitting rig but I 1 guess I 1 did P 1 jennie ran away then to ask nils nila nansen |