danger as
he walked down to "The Clarion" office, a breathless September
afternoon, a couple of days before the school should open.

He found young Strong in his editorial room. This was a corner of the
printing-office, fenced off by a great screen pasted over with old
exchanges. Behind this, Strong sat at his table, correcting proof
energetically. It was evident that he took the editing of this little
four-page weekly rather seriously--but, then, a man must needs be
business-like to produce even four pages weekly with one assistant,
and Strong had to economize time enough from strictly editorial
functions to do a goodly share of type-setting and the rest of the
mechanics of the office.

"I beg your pardon for interrupting you, Mr. Strong," said the Judge.
"I perceive you are arduously occupied. But it becomes necessary to
confer with you with regard to the school-teacher."

The Judge was a tall and vigorously built man--a little red-faced, but
good-looking, if one did not insist on too fine a definiteness of
outline. He spoke habitually with a certain inflation of manner, and
tried to form himself upon a Southern type that was pretty abundant in
our politics some years earlier. He was, however, a native of rural
New York, early transplanted to California.

Strong turned in his chair, and sitting sidewise, rested his elbow on
the proof-sheets, holding the pencil still in his fingers.

"Well?" he said. "I thought everything was settled."

"Assuredly." Judge Garvey rested his folded arms upon the pile of
books stacked at the rear of the table, and leaned over them in a
friendly way. "Mr. Coakley is to arrive Sunday evening, and will
begin the term on Monday morning, to the great satisfaction, I
can guarantee, of all concerned. A slight and merely temporary
embarrassment has arisen, with respect to which a few words will
make it all right. In point of fact, the young woman with whom we
previously held correspondence--who, you will remember, broke her
engagement with us to take a more advantageous position--is here."

The Judge stopped for question or comment, but as Strong waited for
explanation, he went on:

"She has, it appears, failed after all to secure that, and come here
expecting to fall back upon our school, not having heard that it was
engaged."

"Well, that's unfortunate for her," said Strong, "but you can't ship
Coakley now."

"Your views coincide exactly with my own, my dear sir." The Judge
straig