Part 25 (2/2)

ter be hurried. We gotter git a lawyer--and a good one. I dunno but Mr. Haley will refuse to plead and the case will hatter be taken to a higher court. Why, Jedge Little! this here means life an' repertation to this young man, and his friends aren't goin' ter see no chance throwed away ter clear him and make them school committeemen tuck their tails atween their laigs, an' skedaddle!”

”Oh, very well, Jason. We'll set the examination for next Sat.u.r.day, then?”

”That'll be about right,” said Uncle Jason. ”Give us a week to turn around in. What d'ye say, Mr. Haley?”

”I'd like to have it over as quickly as possible,” sighed the young man. ”But I think you know best, Mr. Day.”

He could not honestly feel grateful. As they got into the car again to whirl up the hill to the Day house for supper, Nelson felt a little doubtful, after all, of Mr. Day's wisdom in putting off the trial.

”I might just as well be tried, convicted, and sentenced right now, as to have it put off a week,” he said, after they reached the Day place.

”They've got me, and they mean to put me through. A demand has been made upon the committee through the State Board by the owner of the collection of coins. The value of the collection is placed by the owner at sixteen hundred and fifty dollars, their face value--although some of the pieces were rare, and worth more. There is not a man of the quartette that would not sell his soul for four hundred and twelve dollars and fifty cents!”

”_Now_ you've said a mouthful!” grunted Marty, in agreement.

”That's a hard sayin',” Mr. Day observed judiciously. ”They're all--th' hull quadruped (Yes, Marty, that's what I meant, 'quartette,') of 'em--purty poor pertaters, I 'low. But four hundred dollars is a lot of money for any man ter lose.”

Nelson was very serious, however. He said to Janice:

”You see now, can't you, why I can not teach any longer? I should not have done it this past week. I shall ask for my release. It is neither wise, nor right for a person accused of robbery to teach school in the community.”

”Oh, Nelson!” gasped the girl despairing.

”Hi tunket! I won't go to school--_a-tall_, if they don't let you teach, Mr. Haley,” cried Marty.

”Of course you will, Marty,” said the schoolmaster. ”I shall need you boys right there to stand up for me.”

”Well!” gasped the very red lad, ”you kin bet if they put Miss Pearly Breeze inter your place, I won't go. I've vowed I won't never go to school to no old maid again!”

”Wal, now you've said it,” sniffed his father, ”and hev relieved your mind, s'pose ye bring in some wood for the settin' room stove. We need a spark o' fire to take the chill off.”

Meanwhile Nelson was saying: ”I will resign; I will not wait for them to request me to get out. If you will lend me ink and paper, Janice, I'll write my resignation here and hand it to Ma.s.sey as I go home.”

”But, Mr. Middler----” began Janice.

”Mr. Middler is only one of five. He has no power now in the committee, for the other four are against him. Cross Moore and Ma.s.sey and Crawford and Joe Pellet mean to put it on me if they can. I think they have already had legal advice. I think they will attempt to escape responsibility for the loss of the coin collection by prosecuting and convicting me of having stolen the money. They were not under bond, you know.”

”It's a mess! it's a mess!” groaned Uncle Jason, ”whichever way ye look at it. What ye goin' ter do, Mr. Haley, if ye don't teach?”

”I'd go plumb away from here an' never come back to Polktown no more!”

declared the heated Marty, coming in with an armful of wood.

”I feel as though I might as well do that, Marty, when I hear you speak,” said Nelson, shaking his head. ”What good does it do you to go to school? I have failed somewhere when you use such poor grammar as----”

”Huh! what's good grammar?” demanded the boy, so earnest that he interrupted the teacher. ”That won't make ye a civil engineer--and that's what I'm goin' ter be.”

”A proper use of English will help even in that calling in life,” said the schoolmaster. ”But seriously, I have no intention of running away.”

”Ye don't wanter be idle,” Mr. Day said.

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