mountain and plain. But wherever man would rest and hide his head and
heart, giant care comes with a club and the huntress misfortune finds
her way with a full quiver.

Mary, who had done no wrong and expected no punishment, when she
returned home, found these two unbidden guests awaiting her. Her eyes
were opened to see sorrow; which all the world knows.

The following morning when she walked up to the school house door the
children stood in groups talking in subdued tones. The little girls for
the first time since the early days of the term failed to rush forward
and greet her. She rang the bell; they came in slowly and rebelliously,
the big boys last of all. Several of the children, among them those of
one of the trustees, were absent.

Tim Fields, a lanky, overgrown boy of sixteen, after having been
reproved, continued talking to his desk-mate. When Mary told him he must
behave or go home, he arose and, starting towards the door, said: "I
guess I will go anyway; pap said, last night, he didn't think a
convict's daughter oughter handle this here school and he was going to
see the trustees and the county superintendent and git ma's sister in."

A few minutes later, Luigi Poggi, whose seat near the window overlooked
the creek, saw him on the bank throwing small boulders at a flock of
geese.

He raised his hand, and snapping his fingers to attract attention,
asked, and was given permission, to go to the spring for a bucket of
water. When out of sight of the teacher he whistled for Tim and walked
on slowly down towards the spring, until he came to a dusty, bare spot
in the path under a tree, where the boys played keeps.

"Tim, what did you say that to teacher for; she's good to all of us?"

"What you got to do with it, you Dago?"

"This," and he struck Tim in the face with the empty water bucket.

They fought in the sand path for about five minutes; when Luigi,
throwing Tim face down, rubbed and bumped his head in the sand until Tim
could scarcely breathe through his bleeding nose and his mouth choked
with dust and sand.

When he said, "'nuff," Luigi let him up, and returned to the school
house with a dirty, scratched face, but a full bucket of spring water.

"Luigi, what made you so long?"

"I fell down."

"Are you hurt?"

"No'm."

"Go down to the creek and wash your face."

"Yes'm."

On Friday morning not more than half of the school were present.

Saturday afternoon the county superintendent ca