Show Brown mouse 3 ti Bt Eg HE HERBERT QUICK ht by The Merrill Bobba Company CHAPTER Continued 14 14 What Kind of a proposition did that man Hofmeister wake snake your you T he Inquired In In- He asked rne rm about you and andI I told him youre you're a n crackerjack JimNo JimNo JimNo Jim Im much obliged replied fellow No use In back a that's tr ln to make of himself himself himself him- him self said Bonner That aint good politics nor good sense Anything to him He ITe offered me a n salary of seventy- seventy five dollars a month to take charge of ot othis his school said Jim Well Weil said Con well wen be sorry to lose yeh yeti but you ou cant can't turn down anything anything any any- thing like that I 1 dont don't know said Jim I haven't decided Bonner scrutinized his face sharply as ns If to find out what sort of game he was pla playing Well IVell said he at nt last I UI hope you youcan youcan can cnn sta stay with Ith us o 0 course Im I'm licked and I never squeal If the rist of the district can stand your kind of I can cnn And sa say Jim here here he grew still more mysterious mysterious ulf If you do stay some of us would like to have you be enough of a Democrat to go Into the next nest convention fr county superIntendent superintendent Why replied Jim I 1 never thought of ot such a thing I Well Yell think of It said Con The county's close and wid a poplar young educator an educator an a n farmer too It might be done Think of It Jim was almost dazed lazed at nt the number number number num num- ber of propositions of which he was now required to think and think and Bonner's Bonners Bonners Bonner's Donners Donner's Bon Bon- ners ner's lid did did not at nt first Impress him as having nn anything thing back of It but blarney He ne was to find out later Inter however that the wily Con had made up his mind that the ambition of Jim to serve the rural schools In a larger sphere might he used for the purpose of bringing to earth what he regarded as ns the soaring political ambitions of the Woodruff family To split the forces which had defeated Mr Ir Bonner onner In his own school district with the very ery Instrument used by the colonel at the last school election elec elec- tion that tion-that that to Mr Bonner Donner would be bea a fine thing Jim had scarcely taken his seat In Inthe Inthe inthe the car facing Jennie Woodruff and Bettina Hansen In the Pullman when Columbus Brown Drown of ot the road district and only across the way from residence In the school district came down the aisle and called Jim to the smoking smoking room Did an old fellow named Hoffman from Pottawatomie county ask you to leave us and take his school he asked Mr said Jim yes yes he aiu Well Vell said Columbus I dont don't want to ask you ou to stand In your our own light but I hope you OU wont won't let him toll you off there amon among strangers Were We're proud of you oJ tm and we dont don't want to lose you ou Pr Proud ud of him I Sweet music to the underlings underling's ears I Jim blushed and stammered The fact Is said Columbus I know that Woodruff district Job big bib enough for you ou any more but we can make It bigger If you'll stay I believe we can pull off a deal to consolidate consolidate consolidate con con- some of them districts and make you ou boss bobs of It the whole shooting match I appreciate this dumb Clumb said Jim but I dont don't believe you ou can cnn do It Well Vell think of It said Columbus And dont don't do o an anything thin till you talk with me and a f few w of the other bo boys s. Think of ot it again A fine home-coming home It was tor Jim with the colonel waiting at nt the station with a double sleigh and the chance to ride Into the snowy country in the lame tame seat with Jennie Jennie n a chance which vas ns blighted by the colonels colonel's placing Bettina and Nils Hansen Hanson in the broad rear seat and Jim In front with himself The colonel would not allow him to get let out and walk when he could really have reached home more quickly b by JoIng so no he set the Hansens down at their thell door took Jennie home and then drove e the lightened sleigh h merrily to the humble cabin of the tile rather excited young schoolmaster Did you make any deal cal with those people down In the western part of the state asked the colonel Jennie wrote me that youve you've got an offer No said Jim and antI he told toll the colonel about the proposal of Mr Ir Well V ll li said the colonel in m my capacity of eyed wild reformer Ive I've made mule up my mind that the first four miles In the tile trip is to make the rural teachers teacher's Job joh a bigger Job Its It's got gotto gotto gotto to be a n. mans man's size womans woman's size job or we cant can't get real men and real women to stay In the work I think that's a statesmanlike formulation of it said Jim Well said sahl the colonel dont turn turndown turndown turndown down the Pottawatomie county Job until we ire hove have a hance fiance to se see what we wo can do Ill I'll get some kind of a a meeting together and what I want nn you to do is to use this offer as ns a n club over this helpless school district I What we need Is to be held up Do Dothe Dothe Dothe the Jesse James act Jim i iI I cant can't Colonel I ITes Yes Tes you can too Will you try It I uI want to treat trent everybody evet fairly said eaid Jim Including Mr Horm er I dont don't know what to do hardly I Well Wen Ill I'll get the meeting meeting- together meeting together said Bald the colonel and in the m meantime meantime mean mean- an antime time think of what Ive I've said I I Another thing to think c. c of off I Jim rushed into the house and surprised surprise hU ilia mother who had bad expected him t to o arrive after a Ii slow v walk from town I through the snow Jim caught her In his arms from which she was released released released re re- leased a moment later Inter quite flustered and blushing Why James said she you seem excited What's happened Nothing mother ho he replied except except except ex that I believe belle theres there's Just a possIbility possibility possibility pos pos- of ot my being a n success in the world world I IMy IMy My boy my boy boyl I said she laying her hand on his arm If it you were to todIe todie todie die tonight you'd die the greatest success any bo boy ever was was was-It If your mother is un any Judge Jim kissed her went and up to his attic to change chang his clothes Inside the waistcoat was a n worn envelope which he lie carefully opened and took from It a letter much creased from many It was the old letter from rom Jennie written when the comical comical com com- ical Ica mistake had been made of makIng making mak mak- ing him the teacher of or the Woodruff school He Ife read only the sentence In which Jennie Tennie had told of ot her fathers father's Interest In Jims Jim's success ending with the underscored words Im for you too I wonder wOMer said Jim as ns he went out to do the evenings evening's tasks I wonder wonder wonder won won- der If she Is s for me I CHAPTER Old Man Simms Speaks Youn Young McGeehee 1 Simms was loitering loitering loitering loiter loiter- ing along the snow snowy r way to the schoolhouse schoolhouse schoolhouse school- school house bearing a n brightly scoured tin pall pail two-thirds two full tull of water He had been allowed to act net as ns water superintendent superintendent super super- of the Woodruff school as ns a reward of merit said merit said merit being an nn essay essny on which he received credit In both Inn language and geo geography on Har liar Harvesting Harvesting vesting Wheat In the Tennessee Moun Moun- This had been of ot vast interest Interest Interest Inter Inter- est to the school In view of the fact that the were the only pupils In the school who ever seen In use that supposedly-obsolete supposedly harvestIng harvesting harvest harvest- Ing Implement the cradle Buddys Buddy's essay essny had been passed over to the class In United States history as the I tl t i Were Proud of You Jim evidence of ot an eyewitness concerning farming conditions in our grandfathers grandfathers' grandfathers grandfathers' grandfathers grandfathers' times The Pete Colonel Woodruffs Woodruff's hired man halted Buddy Duddy at the door Mr 11 1 SImms I believe he saidI said I reckon you ou must be lookin for formy formy formy my brother na Raymond mond sun sub said Buddy I am lookin a said Pete impressively impressively for Mr McGeehee Simms me sa said lei Buddy but I gains gain's been do dam doin In wron wrong suh soh II I I have a message here said Pete for Professor James E. E IrwIn Hes He's what-ho what within there aint he Hes Inside I T reckon said sahl Buddy Duddy Then will you ou be so kind and con- con as to stoop so low as to lump jump ump so high as to give JIve him this leter letter letter let- let ter er asked Pete Buddy took the letter and was considering considering con con- of his reply to this remarkable speech when Pete gravely rn el saluting passed on rather congratulating himself himself himself him him- self on having staged a n very good burlesque of the dl dignified l ed manners ol or those hose queer mountaineers the I The note was from the colonel i Please e come to the meeting tonight and when you ou come come corne prepared to I. I hold hoM the district up If we cant can't meet I the Pottawatomie county standard of ot we ought to lose you ou Everybody Every- Every body ody hod In the district will be there late Come Some late so you ou wont won't hear yourself j talked about about I I should recommend thirty nine and war It was a crisis no doubt douht of that and the responsibility of the situation rather sickened Jim of the task o of I teaching ani Only one one thing kept him from front dodging the whole Issue and remaining re re- at home the home the colonels colonel's mat mat- ter-of-fact ter assumption that Jim TIm had become master of ot the situation IIo could he flee when this old soldier was fighting so valiantly for him In the trenches So Jim went ent to the meetIng meet meet- Ing I How could he impose conditions on the whole school district How flow could the colonel expect such a thing of him And how could anyone look for anything anything anything any any- thing but scorn for tor the upstart field field- hand from these men who had for s so many years made him the butt o otheir or of their gooi natured good natured but none the less contemptuous ridicule Who was he anyway to lay down rules for these substantial and successful men men men-he he who had been for all an the years of his life at their command subservient to their demands for their labor labor their underling underling under under- ling The season was nearing spring and it was a mild night The windows windows windows win win- dows of the schoolhouse were filled with heads evidencing e. the presence presence of a crowd of ot almost unprecedented size and the sashes had been thrown up for tor ventilation and coolness As AJ Jim climbed tho the back fence of ot t the a schoolyard h he heard A burst of applause applause ap ap- applause from which he Judged that some speaker had Just finished his re ra marks There was when h he came alongside the window at the right of the chairman's desk a silence broken by the voice of Old Man Simms saying Chairman 1 I Tho The chair said the voice of Ezra Bronson recognizes Mr Strums SImms Jim halted In Indecision H was not expected while the debate was in pro progress ress There Is no rule of manners or morals however forbidding eavesdropping eavesdropping eavesdropping eaves eaves- dropping during the proceedings of a public meeting Therefore he listened to o the fir first t and last public ImbUe speech of or orOld Old Man SImms Air Ah aint no speaker said Old Man Ian Shams Simms but Ah set here and be bo quiet an go home an face my ole woman an nn my bO boys 8 an nn sayin a word fo to the best frIend any family evah evall had Mr Jim Irwin Applause Maybe Ahll AhlI be bethought bethought thought to speak hyah bein beinas belnas as Ah Ali aint no an some may thInk hink Ah dont don't pay no taxes but seem as how weve we've took the Blanchard Blanchard Blanch Blanch- ard farm fann a n hundred nn an sixty acres for five an nn move in a week from we pay taxes in our rent Ah reckon an nn an er that may be o Ah come to feel teel that you all wont won't think hink hard of me If Ah Ali speak what uns we-uns feel so strong about Mr Jim Irwin Old Man Ian Simms finished this exordium exordium exordium ex ex- ex- ex with the rising inflection which denoted a direct question as to his status In the meeting Go Goon on Youve got as good a right as any anyone anyone anyone one Youre all right old man I Such exclamations as fiS these came to Jims Jim's ears with scarcely less gratefulness grateful grateful- ness than to those of Old Man SImms who who stammered and went onAh on Ah Ali thank you all kIndl kindly Gentlemen an nn an ladies ladles when Mr 1 Jim Irwin found us we was scandalous pore an we was pore pore we we was low don Cries of No No No I Yes we was when a man gets In a u new place hes he's got to lift up to what folks does where hes he's come to or hell he'll make a place fer lowern anybody else In Inthe Inthe Inthe the mountings we was good people we done the best we could an an anthe anthe the best any anyone one done but hyah we was low-down low people we hated the people that had mo moland mo moland moland land mo mo money an mo mo friends than what we had My Iy little wasn't respectable In their clothes My Iy chil- chil dern was an but I Iwas Iwas Iwas was the most of all Ahll leave It to Colonel Woodruff If I was good fer a plug of or a bakin of flour at nt any sto In the county Was Vas WasI VasI I Colonel Wasn't I perfectly less an nn There was a ripple of laughter In Inthe Inthe inthe the midst of which the colonels colonel's voice was as heard saying I 1 guess you were Mr Simms I guess you were but but but- said Old Man Ian Simms as asIf asIf asif If the colonel had given a really valuable valuable valuable able testimonial to his character Isho I Isho Isho sho was kindly I An now what am nm I good fer I 1 get anything anything any any- ny- ny thing I want at the stores I git a little money mone at the bank If 11 I fot to tn horn P It If co Youre Just as good as an any man Inthe in inthe inthe the district said the colonel You dont don't ask for more than you can pay and you ou can Yet et all you ask said Mr SImms gravely What Ah tell teU you all Is ri right ht ladles ladies and gentlemen An what has made the change In we-uns we ladles and gentlemen gentlemen gentle gentle- men Its It's the tho wuk of Mr Jim Irwin I with my boy Raymond namond the best boy any man evah e hed bed and m my Calista Ca- Ca CaI I Usta lista an Buddy an Jinnie an with me fin nn my ole woman lIe He showed us how to get a toe holt t Into this new ken kentry try He the children what children what or orto to be did by a farmer In loway Io He lIe done lifted us up an made people of us He done showed us that you-all you is good people an not what we thought you was what he lie learned In school my boy Ha Raymond mond an an me made as good crops as we could last summer an nn andone andone done llone right rig much wuk outside We Ye got the name of bein good farmers an angood angood good Mr Ir Blanchard moved rao to town he said he lie was glad to give us his fine farm for five years Now see what Mr Jim Irwin has done for u n pack o 0 outlaws and out out- casts o 0 out from the that was lu wa in us In the mountings well we'll be oe in a house with two an nn a tub made crock Well We'll be In debt a whole lot lot nn an we owe It to Mr Jim Irwin that we got the cr credit dit ditto to git In debt with an the courage to togo togo go on und and git out agin Applause Ah Ali could to pa pay Mr Jim Tim Irwins Irwin's Irwins Irwin's Ir- Ir wins win's salary If Ah could An theres there's enough men nien h hyah nh tonight |