Show I I 1 I THE BROWN MOUSE I I Bt i HERBERT BE QUICK Copyright br h. The Th Bobbt Merrill Bobbi-Merrill Com Company t L CHAPTER XV XV Continued 13 13 are J I 1 said Pete We alai no C sense than to let any ono one In Jn Jb Come In the waters water's fine We Ve proud I 1 ell fell said Clumb If f this feller isdo Is Isto Tto to io do school work of ot this kind at t In the district too eIl H ll come to that one of ot these said Jim The district is too 1 u i bur bur Smythes Smythe's car stopped at it the thet it t gate and honked for him him him-a a which broke broko up the party on Peterson passed the word vord to Colonel lonel and Mr Bronson for tor a the next evening The Thet t c broke up In a dispersion of ot staid ed d couples to their homes and folks In top buggies to dances splays of at fireworks In the surf sur- sur f 1 lug ng villages t e walked T across the fields to his p 1 neither old nor young having er sweetheart with whom to dance arm arm to demand labor in Its In In- I ler le e chores He turned after ing through a wire fence and yd longingly at Jennie as she was 11 assisted into the car by the coated Boated lawyer u saw what he did said the i el l interrogatively as he and his hister ter ter sat on the Woodruff veranda m evening Who taught him the thee Sine e wisdom of ot holding back his when they grew too wild for at- at J 1 f f z 1 may lose them said 1 Jennie t ot of so 80 said the colonel IndI I s of ot the Brown Mouse type al al- succeed when they find their en en- eat en-eat ment mente And I belle believe e Jim has hasell his 1 tell ell said ald Jennie I wish his en en- t i ent would find him some clothes the way he has to go ng g. g Hed He'd be nice-appearing nice 1 if he dressed anyway cr I i 1 then you haven't heard the If sald the colonel Jims going t ve his first to measure suit snit I fames meso mes Its It's all nil fixed lips lip's making It lt IU asked Jennie stat staf Paulsen the Dane that's opened a shop in town j Dane pane queried Jennie lUnas lUna's tunas tuna's uncle i i herly said the colonel Jocular- Jocular I eing Ing as how Bettina's Mrs Han- Han daughter i thes are rather Important but butI I between a suit made by bye bythe l e the tailor and one built by byi it i f Paulsen the new Danish man mn could not be supposed to Important even en when del der de- de l' l FJ J 1 for tor r a very dear friend And Was liras scarcely that that- that of course not I Id then did the count county jh run to her room and cry dId Id she say to herself that the then DW n 1 were very good people and ado o J do and it would be a fine thing l m and his mother mother and and then cry it more more I II CHA CHAPTER XVI Jim Goes to Ames D R shad lad never ne felt more the upstart n sated hand farm than when he introduced T-introduced dJ to that audience at ati atie i ie t by liy y Professor Withers nor more e et ely disgraced than when he raided ded ded his remarks Even the apor ap- ap or was to him a kindly effort on fart rt of the audience to comfort comforti i ti n his failure His Ills only solace y y ic se look In Jennies Jennie's eyes one nag g man said an old fanner farmer swore wore vore thick lasses glasses and looked t to burgomaster I want to too o o little le talk with you 1 ls Mr Ir er of at U t said the dean of the tIle colto col col- J z h glad to meet you said Jim Jalk tall talk to you now said Jennie I know Mr 14 cier er errill will trill excuse you until after y t f. f Ue We hay hove have e n a 1 little a party for forty ty JIn II and we shall be late if we J y is lIu irr I Ime s me win CUll I 1 see sec you ou after supper S Mr Ir er t r. r EI t was WIlS to tl Mr er I ha iii va a carried ort od to a dinner rf lay Y County Superintendent t Jen Jen- 1 Jim Hm n. n the dean Professor With With- rd d nil nd one CIne or t two vo 0 others others and and a fully select and distinguished 11 1 It U seemed to Urn Jim Jennie I a n n moments moment's opportunity to sa say I le 1 till ld beautifully Jim everybody body ailed I said paid Jim You know Dad e ed J. J I 1 couldn't remember j er my C. C 1 I cant can't stay here feasting I IiII Ir r iII z o get on out t in the snow made the b best hest st address of the theand and you did It because you your ur nur speech Insisted Jennie anybody else think so t if f Jim I Iou Tou o u must learn to be- be 0 0 1 what you e have done Even ti inner DUel sn says s 's It was the thu best He lie J did think you OU sail hall It In n ye yel 1 S sJ advice from her s to believe n nou i ou u have Dave done done wasn't wasn't there s Ing JS new In Jennies Jennie's attitude wasn't his belief In what he Ong Ing precisely the thing which de him uch a n nuisance to the b c et i t However Jim t stop atop to answer the question r t pod Doti u Up uY In Jn his mIn l rr 1 What does Professor Withers say he asked Hes delighted silly delighted silly p lit liS Silly lily 1 How wonderful It was to be called sillY ln silly in that tone I shouldn't hll have ve forgotten the speech If it hadn't been for this darned boiled shirt and collar and for wearIng wearIng wearing wear- wear Ing a cravat urged Jim in extenuation tion i You ought to ve ye worn them around the house for a week before coming said Jennie Why didn't you ask my advice I will next time Jennie said Jim I didn't suppose I needed a bitting- bitting rIg but but I guess I 1 did 1 Jennie ran away then to ask Nils Nits Hansen and Bettina to join their dinner dinner dinner din din- ner party She had a sudden access of ot friendliness for the Hansens Nils NUs refined reu-ed because he was going out to see the college her herds s fed but at Jennies Jennie's Jennies Jennie's Jennies Jennie's Jen Jen- nies nie's urgent request reinforced by pats and hugs consented J Jennie Jen Jennie Jen- Jen n- n nie was very happy happ and proved herself herself her her- self a beaming hostess The dean devoted devoted devoted de de- de- de voted himself to and Bettina-and and Jim found out afterward that this InquirIng Inquiring inquiring ing gentleman was getting at the mental mental mental men men- I tal processes of a specimen pupil In I one of ot the new kind of ot rural schools In which he was only half halt Inclined to believe belle He thanked Jim for his speech and said It was most suggestive suggestive suggestive tive and thought-provoking thought and as the party part broke up slipped sUpped into Jims Jim's hand a check for tor the honorarium It was not until then that Jim felt quite sure that he was actually to be paid Mr was waiting to give Jim the final convincing proof that he had produced an nn effect with his speech Do liDo you teach tench the kind l. of school you la lay out In your our talk he asked I try to said Jim and wand I believe I Ido do Well said Mr Hom er the kind of ot education I L bliese in n. n Il Iq I q l r rr y r 1 t I l I Want to Have a Talk With You Vou kep ken school back In fi fifty ty years ago and I made the scholars measure things and weigh things and apply their studies as fur as I could All good teachers have M always done that said Jim Froebel Colonel Parker they Parker they all nil had bad the idea which Is at the tile bottom of ot my work learn to do by doing and connecting up the school with life Mh m grunted Mr I 1 been a able le to see how Latin connects connects connects con con- up with a school high-school kids kid's life life life- unless s he lie can cnn find a Latin settlement and git a Job clerkin in a store Of But it used to relate to life said Jim the life Ufe of ot the people who made Greek and Latin a part of ot everybody e else's education as well as us their own Latin and Greek were the only languages languages lan Ian in which nIl anything worth much was written you know But now now Jim spread out his arms as if to tike take t in tile the whole world world science science the marvelous marvelous marvelous mar mar- literature of ot our tongue In the thelast thelast thelast last three centuries I And to make a achild achild achild child learn Latin Lutin with ith all that a thousand thousand thou thou- sand times tunes richer than all the literature literature literature litera litera- ture of ot Latin LaUn lying unused before him Know uny any Latin LaUn 1 asked Mr h Ilof- Ilof of- of myer Jim blushed as one caught In condemning condemning condemning con con- what he knows nothing about have studied the I I 1 I grammar faltered but and read Caesar he that Isn't much I 1 had no teacher and andI I had to work pretty hard bard und and It didn't go ver very well Ive had bad all nil the Latin thc they gave Inthe in inthe the Ule colleges of m my time said Mr Hof Hot m myer er If I do talk dialect and Ill I'll agree with you so far as to say sar that thai It would have been a crime for tor me to neglect the chemistry bacteriology ph physics engineering and other sciences that pertain to lf if If there'd been nn any such sciences when I was get gettin tin Ill my v And yet said Jim some people want us to guide by the courses of study made before these sciences existed I dont don't by hole hokey I said ald Ill be e du dun dag If you O right I 1 wouldn't a n said so before I heard that speech speech hut but I sa say so now nw Jims Jim's face lighted ur no at this the first convincing evident evidence e that he ho hud had scored I too we wet t on Mr not Hot m myer cr that t your idea Ide would please our folks Ive I've been the standpatter In our parts parts mostly mostly on English h and ond I Isay say say German What dye say to comin down and our school Weve We've got a two-room two affair and I was made madea a committee of ot one to find a teacher I I 1 I dont don't how how how- see Jim stammered stammered stammered stam stam- all taken aback by this new breeze of recognition We Ve cant can't pay much said You have charge of ot the line dis-cp-line In the whole school and teach In Number Number Number Num Num- ber TWO To room Seventy-five Seventy dollars a n month Does It appeal to ye Appeal to him I r And yet how about the Colonel Woodruff the Hansens and Newton Bronson now Just getting a firm start on the upward upward up up- ward path to usefulness and real happiness happiness hap hap- How could he leave the little crude puny structure on which he had been een working workIng workIng-on on which he had been merely practicing practicing for for a year and remove remove re reo move to the new field 1 Im afraid I cant can't cant can't said Jim Irwin but butI but I If youre you're only fraid you cant can't said Mr think It over Ive I've got your post office address on this program and well we'll write you a formal offer We e ma may spring them figures a little Think It over You mustn't think said Jim that weve we've done all nil the things I 1 mentioned In my talk or that I haven't made any mistakes or failures Your count county superintendent didn't mention any failures said Mr Hof Hot myer Did you ou talk with her about my work 1 inquired Jim suddenly very curious ohm Then I 1 dont don't see why you want me Jim went on Why asked ed Mr I had not supposed said Jim th that at she had bad a very high opinion of ot my work I didn't ask her about that said Mr though I guess she thinks well of it I asked her what you ou are to do jo and what sort of ofa a fellow you are I was favorably Impressed Impressed impressed Im Im- im- im pressed but she didn't mention any failures We haven't ha succeeded in adopting a successful system of ot selling our cream said Jim I believe we can cando cando cando do it but we hav nt Val Wai said Mr I as Id I'd call that a failure The fact tact that youre you're of ot it iG shows youve you've got the right Well We'll write ye ya and pay your way down to look Iok us over Were We're a pretty good crowd the neighbors think CHAPTER CHAP Think of It Ames was an Inspiration Jim Irwin ln received from the great agricultural college collese more real education In this one trip than many students get from a four years' years course In its halls for tor he had spent ten years In getting read ready for tor the experience The great grent farm of hundreds of ot acres all under the management management management man man- of ot experts the beautiful campus campus campus cam cam- pus the commodious classrooms and laboratories and especially the barns the greenhouses gardens herds and flocks filled him with a sort of apostolic apostolic apos apos- toile Joy Every school said he to Professor Withers rs ought ou ht to be doing a good deal of the work you JOu have to do here Ill admit said the professor that much of our work in agriculture Is pretty elementary Its lilts Intermediate school work said Jim Its wrong to force boys and girls to leave their homes and live In Ina a college to get so much of what the should hu have ve before the they're re ten years old Theres something In what yon you sa say said the professor but some experiment station men seem to think that agriculture In the common schools will take from the young oung men and women the felt need and therefore the desire to come to the college If It you OU cant can't give them anything better than school high-school work said Jim that will be so but If f th the science science ence and art of agriculture Is what I r think It is It would make them Hungry for the advanced work worl that cant can't be done at home borne To make th the children wait walt until they're twenty Isto isto Is la lato to den deny them more than half halt what the college ought to give them them and and mako make them pay for what they dont don't get I think youre you're right said the pro pro- fessor lessor Give us the kind of schools I ask for tor cried Jim and Ill I'll fill 11 It college like mw this In every ery congressional district In Iowa lown or Ill I'll force you OU to tear this down and build larger More nearly b hippy and rather shorter short short- er of money than he be had recently been Jim journe Journeyed ed home borne among the companions com com- from his own neighborhood In a n frenzy of ot plans for the future Mr er had dropped from his mind until Con Bonner his ol old l enemy drew him hint aside In the vestibule of ot the train and spoke to him In the mysterious manner peculiar peCullar to politicians TO BE liE CONTINUED |