Show i 5 1 sylvia S IV la of the minute ml nute by HELEN R MARTIN copyright by dodd doaa weed meal t co C service CHAPTER V continued 12 neely meely decided that for at least a few weeks slie she con could areat breathe e freely and feel compa secure front from the danger of a visit and that very morning just after recess time as the children were trooping in from the playground he walked in on lier her oh dear you here again I 1 she openly lamented as he without offering her his bis ban hand bowed rather curtly and drew forth a platform chair not however seating himself while she stood a courtesy to which she had for so many months been a stronger stranger that it thrilled tier her to her amusement almost as much as st croix manners had thrilled nettle kettle the night before im here lie he grimly stated standing behind his chair and folding his arms with a resolute napoleonic air that made her heart sink to hear bear you ton tench geography here I 1 stand so help me gabill the she mocked at his determined mien martin luther I 1 and I 1 dont leave this schoolroom until I 1 have heard you oh gee she sighed he set his lips and stared straight attend ahead of him ive had bad this school on my conscience since you yourself admitted that you cant teach we cant let these children suffer from your excuse me incompetence will you call st geography class miss alss ton did he or did he not hesitate over her name came she could not feel sure but why this passionate interest in geog geography rd liby she complained arent you longing to see me teach spelling ill call a spelling class geography if you please nicase 1 I suppose she said accusingly you just want ft 16 expose me as not T lowing any geography of the united 8 s a ibn l c if I 1 you call that clil cheval vall tk V S AL not lit hae ha e to be chivalrous but bul to henr bear you teach why wont spelling do 1 I prefer geography just because I 1 jokingly pretended tended to think there were forty seven states instead of fifty seven and told you that when I 1 was a mere child I 1 thought the mississippi river ran cast and festl exactly well she said reflectively well mr creighton before I 1 take your request into consideration will you tell me what Is the extent of your power over toy my job can you ton take it from me 1 I can advise adilee your school board to take it from you but he hastily added of course I 1 dont want tol to id hate like the dickens again he pulled himself up 1 I should greatly dislike he be said primly to resort to such euch stringent measures better sounds more professional she encouraged him ee be professional or die the children of the school chool were all seated now rigidly upright in tile the presence of that magnate the county superintendent and meely could no longer dally with the situation she must decide what to do she might repeat the successful geography lesson she had already given that morning on italy though a deliberate repetition of the whole performance would be so astonishing to the children as to be embarrassing embar rasing to their teacher for venice she had ghen them the songs of the gondoliers gondo liers and impersonations of portia and shylock tor for naples street beggars find and coral workers tor for rome impersonations of caesar and mark antony with tales of gladiators interspersed tor for florence impersonations of savonarola Sao narola and the medici much more than the school had been able to digest at one lose dose but she had enjoyed it feeling how low cleverly she was doing it ah there was the rubi rub she did it too cleverly tk too professionally she could not inot risk offering it to marvin crelghton well then nothing left but to try to ghe a geography lesson in the pro sat sal uninteresting way she had seen it done in n a school site she had bad adsit d where the teacher for a weary half hour had had bad the children telling it lelly what states enclosed other ivales ates what had the teacher called al that at a certain word she had used ill bore tills flits man so hell keep away from here for the rest of tits his eifel she determined Ze sebilia Zeb bilia llla she addressed the brightest girl ot of the class that she summoned to stand before the desk while she ehe and the superintendent now sat sal behind it enclose the state of perm perin Bil vanla sebilia looked blank that im fm to do enclose pennsylvania repeated meely confidently sebilla still looked unenlightened even ven dazed 1 I know how to I 1 dont know right how you mean enclose itt neely meely lawshe saw she had gotten the wrong word 1 I 1 mean surround it tell what states it if any surround it or oc what bodies of water or whatever does enclose surround or circumscribe III she explained desperately ach do you mean miss ton im to bound pennsylvania the alie word ics bind it A snort from alie county superintendent ten dent w was as a signal for the amazed school and they broke into a roar of 0 laughter that revealed to the embarrassed teacher how seriously she had erred her face ace flushed crimson site she hated this monster sitting on her platform laughing till the desk shook I 1 she rapped for order the school became quiet proceed she said to sebilia coldly pennsyl warda Is bounded on the north dorth when sebilla had finished meely took as tong long a time as possible in drilling her ter to pronounce the letter V by catching her lower lip between her teeth she prolonged this drilling to the point of 0 absurdity for it if she called on any other pupil of 0 this class to bound a state she herself would have to keep her eyes glued to the map to see that they got it right with sebilia zook that had not been necessary for sebilla could be depended upon to answer correctly she always knew her lessons with depressing thoroughness so it was not until the poor girl became restive and resentful under her prolonged drilling that the teacher desisted resisted des isted dind bind connecticut luram she at last proceeded most reluctantly connecticut Is bounded on the north by massachusetts on the east by rhode island oh come an island cant bind an anything y what Is an island hiram she asked very nery pleased at hirama blunder for here she could be sure of her ground she did at least know the forms of land and water I 1 cut but rhode island said niram gazing at her almost in horror aln aint no island her finger on the map site she could see for herself now that it and turning hot and cold with consternation ster nation she yet tried to save herself very good hiram I 1 was trying to catch you up I 1 of course we all know how it caroe came to be called an island Ze bIlla but Ze sebilla Zob llla billa her standby stand by failed her there slie she did not knowl ill ask the class said sicely neely ha hastily 1 to look that u up for next lesson she feared she was not succeeding in her plot to bore the superintendent slie site saw in a quick side glance that lie he looked anything but bored indeed he seemed to be enjoying himself probably hed stay tile rest of the dayl day I 1 oh how she hated and despised him conceited pedagogue after a few more states had been bound her eyes and finger fastened the while to the map she heaed a sigh of relief find and dismissed the class to thir seats now youve had your hearts desire and have heard beard me teach geography what further she inquired with dignity can I 1 do tor for you 1 I leave leae it to you lie bowed making no move moie what whatever eier to go she decided to call up a reading class there were no serious pitfalls for her in american literature that Is it if she could manage to resist tile the temptation to act out the reading lesson in case it happened to be a piece as the pupils would say that lured her to a dramatic execution of slie she settled that danger by ordering the class to turn to a speech of theodore Roosevel ts and too late slie site realized lier her mistake the speech abounded in political allusions which none but a native nathe american would understand it if oil no one asked any questions they so seldom did manifest curiosity about anything but it would bo be just like the perversity perer sity of fate to inspire one of them to show ot off before the A hand wits was raised the lounges little girl in fit tile hie class please Il case what does G A it oleaf amrani neely beamed with pleasure for tills this was a question she could as luck would have it answer with confine ing intelligence she rejoiced that little becky had been moved to ask it the 0 A R Is a society ot of american women she blithely replied replie d the granddaughters of 0 the american rev kev citation whose ancestors came over in the Mavi mayflower lower 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 vell said meely icily as she stood with the superintendent behind her desk at tile the end or of the morning mornin session 1 I suppose that awful conscience of 0 yours wll will force you to advise the school board to discharge me for incompetence they were practically alone now those of the pupils who did not go home for the noon meal having gone out of doors to eat their luncheon sir mr crelghton creighton shook tits his head no I 1 cant be expected always to act disinterestedly for or the good of society im only human after all and yours ls Is the only schoolroom ive ever visited that bored me to death I 1 whenever im dull and need a riot of fun I 1 can just drop in here and hear bear you teach geography no I 1 cannot rise to such heights of altruism as to recommend your dis dismissal its ask ing too much I 1 im only hu well believe me she retorted resentfully sent fully not get a chance to sit round here making fun of roe me ill resign she turned away haughtily but she was too good an actress not to know that she was not tall enough to look haughty impressively and suddenly without warning she found herself crying desperately she fought to control herself more flod fled atsuchi at such a childish display than she could possibly feel over perfectly excusable ignorance of a vast patchwork quilt of states or of the fine distinctions linc ions lons between american alphabetical lea symbols D A 11 s and G A Rs I 1 useless information anyway 1 cut but the strain of the morning had been too much for her and she could not dot stop crying her breath came in little gasping sobs her shoulders heaved she tumbled fumbled for her handkerchief and not finding it she jerked open a des desk k drawer dragged out a towel and burled her face in it oil oh but my child you poor aidt mr crelghton ally anil very remorsefully exclaimed 1 I want to hurt burt your our feelings oh ob pl please easel he begged in distress laying a reassure reassuring ing hand on her arm come come come dont cry youre not going to be thrown out of your school and I 1 swear I 1 wont laugh at you any more she wiped her nose and her eyes with a corner of the towel id better resign she said dolefully or be aing awake nights thinking of till all the education those children are missing just because you vv were re too weak to withstand a girls tears well he said ruefully though gently you have got me up a tree you know I 1 how you eer er got a kutz town normal school diploma on your knowledge of united states geography she showed signs of weeping again to so he hastily veered olt off all right lets never mention geography again 1 I 1 do admit that the pupils in your school are more alert and wideawake than any children in the county I 1 there that comfort you site she smiled dazzlingly through her tears oh but then im a success as a tench teacher cr since the whole purpose of teaching children must be to brighten up their wits not to stuff states and names into them I 1 it Is not what I 1 pour into them but what I 1 lead them to give out I 1 ali ah yes but theres a lot of necessary drudgery in teaching which cant be sidestepped side stepped my child which really must be done dome so if be good und arid get down to hard work here but indeed I 1 do these things I 1 do yet do not leave the higher matters of the spirit undone I 1 do assure you ile he looked but evidently did not feel it safe to pursue the subject hor ber bright eyes looking too ready to shed tears again im keeping you ton from eating your lunch lie he suddenly said rea reaching ebing re luct antly for its his hot and coat TO UE HE CONTINUED |