. . . 185

CHAPTER XXI.
Miss Nancy Sawyer . . . . . . . . . . 192

CHAPTER XXII.
Pancakes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

CHAPTER XXIII.
A Charitable Institution. . . . . . . 203

CHAPTER XXIV
The Good Samaritan. . . . . . . . . . 212

CHAPTER XXV.
Bud Wooing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

CHAPTER XXVI.
A Letter and its Consequences . . . . 220

CHAPTER XXVII.
A Loss and a Gain . . . . . . . . . . 224

CHAPTER XXVIII.
The Flight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

CHAPTER XXIX.
The Trial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

CHAPTER XXX.
"Brother Sodom" . . . . . . . . . . . 249

CHAPTER XXXI.
The Trial Concluded . . . . . . . . . 254

CHAPTER XXXII.
After the Battle. . . . . . . . . . . 269

CHAPTER XXXIII.
Into the Light. . . . . . . . . . . . 274

CHAPTER XXXIV.
"How it Came Out" . . . . . . . . . . 278

The Hoosier School-Master.

CHAPTER I

A PRIVATE LESSON FROM A BULLDOG.

"Want to be a school-master, do you? You? Well, what would _you_ do in
Flat Crick deestrick, _I'd_ like to know? Why, the boys have driv off
the last two, and licked the one afore them like blazes. You might teach
a summer school, when nothin' but children come. But I 'low it takes a
right smart _man_ to be school-master in Flat Crick in the winter.
They'd pitch you out of doors, sonny, neck and heels, afore Christmas."

The young man, who had walked ten miles to get the school in this
district, and who had been mentally reviewing his learning at every step
he took, trembling lest the committee should find that he did not know
enough, was not a little taken aback at this greeting from "old Jack
Means," who was the first trustee that he lighted on. The impression
made by these ominous remarks was emphasized by the glances which he
received from Jack Means's two sons. The older one eyed him from the top
of his brawny shoulders with that amiable look which a big dog turns on
a little one before shaking him. Ralph Hartsook had never thought of
being measured by the standard of muscle. This notion of beating
education into young savages in spite of themselves dashed his ardor.

He had walked right to where Jack Means was at work shaving shingles in
his own front yard. While Mr. Means was making the speech which we have
set down above, and punctuating it with expectorations, a large brindle
bulldog had been sniffing at Ralph's heels, and a girl in a new
linsey-woolsey dress, standing by the door, had nearly