It seemed that Isaac Ross, one of the new comers, had some weeks before selected for himself a corner seat, which, as he was not present in the morning, had been taken by George Randall, who knew nothing of Isaac’s intentions, and who now refused to give it up. A fight was the result, the most of the scholars taking sides with George, while Isaac was urged on and encouraged by John Thompson, who, though not a pupil, had come up “to see how he liked the schoolma’am.” As a matter of course an appeal was made to me, to know “if George hadn’t the best right to the seat,”
Perhaps I was wrong, but I decided that he had, at the same time asking Isaac “if he were coming to school.”
“I ain’t goin’ to do anything else,” said he, glancing towards John, who, with a wicked leer at me, knocked off one of the little boys’ hats and then threw it up in the air.
What would have ensued next I do not know, for at that moment Captain Thompson rode round the corner and called to his son, who, with mock deference, bowed politely to me and walked away. Disagreeable as Isaac Ross appeared in the presence of John Thompson, I found that when left to himself he was quite a different boy, and though he at first manifested some reluctance to taking another seat, he at last yielded the point, and for the remainder of the day conducted himself with perfect propriety.
On the whole, the afternoon passed away rather pleasantly, and at night, when school was out, I started for my boarding-place quite contented with teachers generally, and myself in particular. In passing the different houses which stood upon the road-side, I demeaned myself with the utmost dignity, swinging my short dress from side to side in imitation of a Boston lady who had once taught in our district, and whose manner of walking I greatly admired! From the window of Captain Thompson’s dwelling I caught a glimpse of two faces, which were hastily withdrawn, but I felt sure that from behind the curtains they were scanning my appearance, and I remember lowering my parasol a little, just to tantalize them! But when at last I was over the hill and out of sight, oh, how glad I was to be “Rosa Lee” again, free to pluck the sweet, wild flowers, to watch the little fishes in the running brook, or even to chase a whitefaced bumble-bee if I liked.
About fifty rods from Mr. Randall’s stands one of those old-fashioned, gable-roofed houses, so common in some parts of New England, and here, at the time of which I am speaking, lived Mrs. Ross, the mother of Isaac, or Ike, as he was familiarly called. I had never met the lady, but as I approached the house and saw a tall, square-shouldered woman leaning on the gate, I naturally thought that it might be she; and on this point I was not long left in doubt, for the moment I came within speaking distance, she called out, “How dy’ do, Miss Lee—I s’pose ’tis? You pretty well? I’m Miss Ross, Isick’s mother. He telled me that he had some fuss about a seat that he picked out more’n a month ago, and thinks he orto have. I don’t never calkerlate to take sides with my children, ’cause I’ve kept school myself, and I know how bad ’tis, but I do hate to have Isick git a miff again the schoolma’am on the first start, and if I’s you I’d let him have the seat instead of George Randall, for mebby folks’ll say you’re partial to George, bein’ that his father’s committee-man, and I’ve kept school enough to know that partiality won’t do.”
As well as I could, I explained the matter to her, telling her I wished to do right, and meant to as far as I knew how.
“I presume you do,” said she, “or I shouldn’t a’ taken the liberty to speak to you. I knew you’s young, and I felt afeard you didn’t know what an undertakin’ it was to teach the young idee how to shute. The schoolma’ams have always thought a sight of me, and generally tell me all their troubles, so I know jest how to take their part when the rest of the folks are again ’em. Was Susan Brown to school? But she wasn’t though, I know she wasn’t.”
I replied that there was a little girl present of that name, and my companion continued: “Now I’ll give up, if Miss Brown has come round enough to send, when she was so dreadfully opposed to your teaching you’ve heerd about it, I s’pose?”
I answered that “I didn’t know that any one had opposed me except Mrs. Thompson.”