Miss Bayley did not take advantage of his pause to defend her action, and, still further angered by her calm, he went on, his high-pitched voice growing louder, if that were possible. “I’d like to know where from you got your authority,—you, an upstart teacher we don’t know nothin’ about. Who was it told you to spend money that’s not yours buying new books that we don’t need for this here school?”
So indignant had been the self-important little man, and so loud his voice, that he had not heard the arrival of a horse and buggy without, nor was he aware that another listener had stopped in the doorway to await the end of the tirade. When the speaker paused to take a breath, the newcomer stepped into the school-room, saying in a voice, the calm, even tones of which did not betray the just anger that he felt: “Mr. Archer, may I answer the question you have just put to Miss Bayley? I, Samuel Clayburn, head of the governing board of education in this district, gave our teacher full authority to purchase whatever she believed was needed to further the interests of this little district school, and I am indeed glad to find that she is now introducing progressive methods.” Then he added, in a pleasanter tone, for it was hard for the portly banker to be unkindly severe: “Mr. Archer, I regret that the delivery of mail in the mountain sections is so dilatory, otherwise you would have known by now that I have decided to devote more of my time to the schools in the outlying districts, and so will no longer require your aid. I will bid you good-morning.”
The stocky, florid man was clenching and unclenching his hands, and almost bursting with indignation. When the quiet voice ceased speaking, he blurted out with: “It’s an outrage, that’s what it is! A cooked-up scheme of this here new teacher’s to oust me from a place that’s rightfully mine. But I’ll get even. I’ll take my darter out of this here school. Come along, Jessie, I won’t have you pizened by no such corruptin’ influence.”
With a toss of her curls, the little girl flounced out of the door, closely following her irate father, and they were soon heard to drive away.
“Miss Bayley,” the banker said, “I regret this most unfortunate incident. Last Saturday, immediately after your departure from the bank, I wrote Mr. Archer that I would no longer need his services, but the stage probably has not as yet passed his place. Realizing that something of this very nature might occur when he did receive the letter, I decided to drive over, knowing that otherwise you would have to bear alone the brunt of his wrath.”
“Thank you,” Josephine Bayley said simply. “I am indeed sorry to have been the cause of this unpleasantness, but really, Mr. Clayburn, I do believe that the other pupils can now have a much better chance.”
The banker nodded, “I am sure of it,” he said, as he smiled about at the solemn faces.
“My pupils,” Miss Bayley said to them, “this gentleman is Mr. Samuel Clayburn, of the board of education, and he it is who made us a gift of those attractive new readers that have pleased you all so much.”
Carol and Dixie arose at once, and the others shyly and stragglingly followed. Then curtsying, as Miss Bayley had taught them to do when she introduced a visitor, in a faltering chorus they piped, “Good-morning, Mr. Clayburn.” But it was Dixie who thought to add, “And thank you for the books.”
“You are very welcome, and I’m sure you’ll make good use of them,” was the genial reply. Then, turning again to the girl-teacher, he added: “I hope no further unpleasantness will result from this, Miss Bayley, but if there does, report to me at once. You can telephone to me from the inn.”