Show sylvia bylvia ue of nf the minute ml nute by HELEN re MARTIN copyright by br dom dodd mead co service CHAPTER V continued 12 meely decided that for at least a few weeks slie she could breathe freely and feel comparatively secure front from the danger of a visit and that very morning just after recess time as like children were trooping in from the playground lie fie walked in on at her 1 oh dear you here again she openly lamented as he without offering her ills his hand bowed rather curtly and drew onh forth a platform chair not however scaling liling himself elf while she stood a courtesy to which site she had for so ninny many months been it a stranger that it thrilled her to her amusement almost as much as st croli manners had thrilled nettle the night before im here he grimly stated s stand t it n 1 I ing behind his big chair and folding ills his arms with a resolute napoleonic air that made tier her heart sink to hear you teach geography alere I 1 stand so help we me bawd 1 she mocked at his determined mien ailen 1 I martin lutherl luther and I 1 dont leave this schoolroom until I 1 have heard you oh gee site she sighed ne set his lips and stared straight ahead of him ive had tills this school on my conscience since you yourself admitted that you cant teach we cant let these children suffer from your ex cuse me incompetence will you call a geography class miss ton did he or did lie be not hesitate over her name she could not feel sure but why this passionate interest in geography she complained arent you longing to see me teach spelling ill call a spelling class geography if you please I 1 1 I suppose she said you just want to expose me as not knowing any geography of the united states I 1 well if you call that chivalrous 1 im not here to be chivalrous but bui to lo hear you teach why wont spelling do 1 1 I I prefer geography just because I 1 jokingly pretended to think there were forty seen states instead of fifty seven and told you that when I 1 was a mere child I 1 thought the mississippi river ran east cast and west I 1 exactly aw well ell she said reflectively well sir mr creighton before I nale tabe your request into consideration will you tell me what Is the extent of your power over my job can you take it from me 1 11 I can advise your school board to take it from you but he ba hastily tily added of course I 1 dont want to I 1 id late hate like the dickens again lie pulled him himself up 1 I should greatly dislike he said primly to resort to such stringent measures better sounds more probes she encouraged him LIL be professional or die the children of the school were nu all seated now rigidly upright in the presence of that mag magnate magni nite tc the county superintendent and meely could no longer dally with the situation slie site must decide what nhat to do she might repeat the successful geography lesson slie site had bad already given that morn ing on italy though a deliberate repetition of tile the whole performance would be so astonishing to the children as to ta be to their te teacher acherl for Ve venice tilee she had given thern them the songs of the gondoliers gondo liers and impersonations of portia and sit thick for naples street beggars and coral workers for rome impersonations of caesar and mark antony with will tales of gladiators interspersed for llorence florence impersonations of savonarola and the medici much more than the lie school had been able to digest at one dose but slie site had enjoyed it feeling liow how cleverly she was doing it ill ah there was the alie rub site she did it tot too tle cle erly too professionally She collid not risk offering it to M aln creigh ton well then nothing left but to try to g give lye a goo geography graphy lesson in the pro sai pat uninteresting way she had seen scon it done in a school she had lold ls ld where here the teacher for a weary half hour had had the children telling glibly what baates enclosed other i lates hates what had the teacher called hint a 11 certain word she had used rn ill bore this man so hell leep keep away from here for the rest of his life ote determined Ze billa 11 site she addressed the brightest girl of the class that slie she sum minim d to stand before the hie bosk white while site she and the superintendent now cow sac behind it enclose the state of penn syl sylvania vunia sebilla looked blank that I 1 im in to dot do enclose repeated repeat eil meely confidently sebilla still looked unenlightened even dazed 1 I know how bow to I 1 dont know right how you metin mean enclose it meely saw she elie lad had gotten the wrong word 1 I bienn surround it tell what states mates if any surround it itoi or what bodies of 0 water or whatever dues does enclose surround or circumscribe it she explained desperately ach do you mean miss mis ton im to bound Pennsylva pennsylvanian nial lal the word yes bind it it A snort from the county was a signal for or the amazed school and they broke into a roar ot of laughter that revealed to tile the embar ravird teacher how seriously she had erred tier her face flushed cri crimson nison site she hated tills this monster sitting on tier lier platform laughing till the desk shook slie she rapped for order the school became quiet proceed she said to Zeli illa coldly pennsyl warda Is bounded on the north when had finished meely took as long a time as possible in drilling tier her to pronounce the letter V by catching tier her lower tip lip between tier her teeth she prolonged this drilling to the point of absurdity for if she culled called on any other pupil of this class to bound a state site she herself would have to keep tier her eyes glued to the map to see lint fiat they got it right with ophilla zook that lad had not been necessary for zebella could be depended upon to answer correctly she always knew tier her les lessons ons with depressing thoroughness so it was not until the poor girl became restive and resentful under tier her prolonged drilling that the teacher desisted resisted des isted hind connecticut uram 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 anything what Is an island slie she asked very pleased at 11 frants blunder for here she could be sure of tier her ground she did at least know the forms of land arid and water I 1 put rhode island said niram gazing at tier her almost in horror aint no island finger on the map slie site could see for herself now that it gasn wasn it and turning hot arid and cold with fill consternation ster stern nation atlon she yet tried to save herself very good allram 1 I was trying to catch catali yon oa up tip of course we at all know how it came to be called fin an island zebella Zeb llla cut but Zebil ln her standby stand by failed her there she dl did not know ill ask the class said sleety meely hastily to look that up for next lesson slie site feared slie she was not succeeding in tier lier plot to bore the superintendent she saw in a 11 quick side glance that lie ile looked anything but bored indeed he fie seemed to be enjoying himself probably hed stay the rest of the dayl olt oh how she hated and de lint him conceited pedagogue after a few more states had been bound her eyes and linger finger fastened alic while to the map slie she heaved a sigh of relief anti and dismissed the class to I 1 their heir seats now you ve had your hearts desire anil and hare heard me teach geography what further slie she inquired with dignity can I 1 do for you 1 I loave leave it ft to you lie he bowed making no tame mine whatever to go slie she decided to call up a refi reading fling class there were no ser serious loul pt pitfalls ralis for tier lier in american aan alcan literature liura ture that Is it if she could trin manage nage to resist helst tile the temptation to bet act out the lesson in ense case it happened to be a piece as the hie pupils would say that lured her to a dramatic execution of it slie site settled that danger by ordering the class to turn to a speech of theodore and too late site she realized tier lier mistake the speech abounded in political allusions bilich none but bill a kalhe american would understand if f only no one asked any questions they so seldom did mant roana jest curlo curiosity gity about anything but it would be just like tin the perser perversity sIty or of vito fate to inspire one of thorn them to show off before the superintendent A land hand was raised the lie youngest little girl in the class ilease tae a se miss Is s sc aliat lot dues dows U G A it tap mean in meely beamed with pleasure tor for this was a question she blie could as luck would have it wit with I 1 convirse alk ing intelligence she rejoiced that little becky had bad been moved to ask it the 0 A R Is a society of american women she blithely replied the granddaughters of the american revolution bev ol ullon ution whose ancestors came over in the mayflower 0 0 0 0 0 well said meely icily as she stood with the superintendent t behind tier desk at the end of the lie morning session 1 I suppose that awful conscience of yours will wil force you to advise the lie school board to discharge me for incompetence I 1 they were practically alone now those of the lie pupils who did not go 90 home for the noon meal having gone out of doors to eat their luncheon mr crelghton creighton shook his fits lead no mo I 1 cant ile be expected always to act disinterestedly for the good of society im only linnian human after all and yours Is the only schoolroom ive ever visited that bored me to death whenever im dull and need a riot of fun I 1 con can lust just drop in here and hear bear you beach teach geography no I 1 cannot rise to such beg heights fits of altruism as to recommend your dismissal I 1 its asking too much im only hu i well believe me she retorted resentfully sent fully not get a chance to sit round here making fun of me ill resign nl 1 she turn turned away haughtily but site she was too good an actress not to know that site she was not tall enough to look haughty impressively aud and suddenly without warning she blie found herself crying desperately she fought to control herself more mortified at such a childish display than she could possibly feel over perfectly excusable ignorance of a vast patchwork quilt of states or of the line fine distinctions ions lons between american alphabetical symbols D A R s and G A Rs RB I 1 useless information anyway I 1 cut but the strain of the morning had been beell too much for her and slie site could not stop crying iter breath came in little gasping sobs her shoulders heaved blie lie fumbled for her handkerchief and not finding it she jerked open a desk drawer dragged out a towel arid and burled tier her face in it oil oh but my child you poor kid sir mr Creig titon unprofessional y and ami very remorsefully exclaimed 11 1 I want to hurt your feelings olt oh please he h begged in distress laying a reassuring hand on her arm ano come come dont cry t youre not going to be thrown out of your schoot and I 1 swear I 1 wont tough laugh at you yon any anymore more 1 she wiped tier her nose and h her er eyes with a corner of the towel 1 id I better resign slie site said dolefully or ile be lying awake nights thinking of all the education those children are missing just because you were too weak to withstand a girls tears well he said ruefully though gently you have got roe me up a tree you know I 1 how flow you ever got tit a kutz town normal school diploma on oi your knowledge of united states geography slie she showed signs of weeping again so he hastily veered ot off all right lets never mention geography again I 1 I 1 do admit that tile pupils in your school are more alert and wideawake than any adv children in the cour county ityl I 1 there that comfort you r site she smiled dazzlingly through her tears olt oh but thru then im a success as a te teat nIter her since the viziole purpose of if teaching children must be to brighten 7 up their wits not to stilly states and names into them 1 it Is not ahat I 1 pour into them but what hat I 1 lend lead them to give out 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 so if be good and get down to hard work here cut but indeed I 1 do these t things it in gs I 1 no do yet do not leave the higher matters matter 8 of the spirit undone I 1 do assure you ile he look looked ed skeptical sl but ei I 1 did nut feel it babe to pursue the subject i tier her bright eyes looking too ready to tears again asnen im keeping yoji you from eating your lunch lie suddenly said reaching reluctantly lucan luct antly ailt ly for his in hat tit and coat coal TO BE CONTINUED X X xvi I X exe X lexe X H Xe Z Z X I S X |