. 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 Massey 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 Massey
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.

"I'll find something to do, I fancy. But whether or no, it shall not
be said of me that I was afraid to face this business. I won't run
away from it."

Janice squeezed his hand privately in approv