Show FLOYD GIBBONS adventurers club 9 AIani maniac ac in school by FLOYD GIBBONS famous headline hunter S SUPPOSE for the sake of argument that you had to choose between being confronted in a lonely spot by a ruthless crafty murderer who hated you or an armed irresponsible maniac who even know you which would you choose man llan fears the unknown and not knowing the mental processes of 0 a lunatic I 1 think I 1 would prefer to go up against the known danger of the most cunning murderer dont you mrs fannie al foot have that choice as this true adventure will show when fannie was only sixteen she taught in a little district school 1 in the mount mountains lins of vermont the schoolhouse school house stood in a lonel lonely y hollow at the foot of a towering mountain in a wild and isolated spot ten pupils were in her charge all young children who lived over the mountain the children came to school in an old buckboard wagon pulled by a gentle old horse and driven by the oldest boy schoolmarm school marm learns about bears fanny lived a mile from the schoolhouse school house bouse and walked morning and afternoons through the woods to her furnished room at noon children and the teacher ate their lunches from dinner palls by the side of the brook and laughed at stories of bears that ate up little red riding hoods and goldie locks A bear wont hurt you the mountain youngsters told their teacher from the city unless you pester him there was nothing in those wild woods fannie says that frightened those nature loving kids and soon she began to feel the same way but one day while the sun shone brightly overhead something came out of the woods that sent the cold chills of horror and dread to the young teachers heart bears the only frights brights around here it was during the recess period after lunch the children were romping and playing lq iq the yard fannie sat at her desk preparing the next lesson suddenly one of the rushed into the schoolhouse and pointed excitedly to the edge of the woods fannie glanced out and her heart she says came into her mouth A strange man stood staring at the children in a way that alarmed her tattered rag rags gs draped his tall powerful form and a shock of long unkempt hair hung down on ills his shoulders ue ile was barefooted bare footed and in his hand carried a heavy knotted jub club the man watched the children playing for a moment and then with a silly laugh bounded among them as though to join in their play despite his bis without a word he shuffled to an empty desk size he iros as active as a c cat t ile he giggled as the frightened children ran from him and swung ills his ca club ab wildly about abou t him just missing their little heads bends fannie says that she could see at once that the man was either drunk or crazy with fear clutching at her throat she rang the school bell for the children and with them marching as though he were one of the pupils came the strange man fannie know what to do she was trying hard not to show her fear to the pupils but a close view of the man she says simply terrified her I 1 teaching book kearnin to a madman 0 she could see now by the wild light in his sta staring ring eyes that he was not drunk slie she lid had a maniac on her hands bands and prayed to god tor for strength to protect tier her charges the children went to their seats their little faces pale and tense the man stood looking about him in a dazed way without a word he shuffled to an empty desk and squeezed his huge bulk into it and then began the strangest class ever taught by a schoolteacher school teacher fannie realized that tile the ragged strangers diseased mind had find gone back to his school days lie he clutched the club in his hand band still but sat staring at tier her like a little boy of six the teacher decided to humor mill him and at tile the billue time try to quiet the fears of tier charges she picked up a book and holding its pages with both hands to tilde bide their trembling she rend read a story As slie site rend read cainnie listened hopefully for the sound of horses hoofs along alone the country road it if someone would only come but no one did come at last it was time to go home she dismissed the class as though nothing was wrong the children hurried nervously for their wraps and as they did the thing the teacher dreaded happened the insane man started to leave too this would never do the children above all must be protected protect edy fannie never hesitated she walked right up to the mans desk and pointed a stern finger at him you must stay after school she ordered well sir it worked tile the deluded man luan hung ills his head bead and the children asling no n time were soon raffling off iler her charges were sire safe but fannie was now alone with a maniac madman proves just one more unruly pupil she waited united until the file buckho ind was out of earshot should she run and trust to her licen heels no the nian man could easily catch tier her better keep up the delt delusion ision of school ans the mins mans ebes still bored liers hers with abat awful stare abat ir if tic lie suddenly tay change anil become violent site she pulled herself together anil and picking up tip a first render reader walked right up lip to him here she said sternly go home now and study your lesson for tomorrow mechanically the man tock the book and stood up he towered over fannie and clutched his club and then by golly he walked right out the door like a dutiful little boy and disappeared into the woods wow I 1 fannie was lit fit to be tied by the lime the mountaineers came and got her they took her home and then scoured the woods for the cause of it all they find the stranger for a whole month fannie says and when they did he was dead and in ills his rl rigid id band clutched in death was the little first reader I 1 0 service |