h wondered if the task of
teaching was worth while.

A good teacher must not be vindictive; and Ruth was trying her best to
keep alive the spark of mercy and compassion that threatened to burn
itself out.

Despite her apparent calm--the outward sign of cold self-control--Ruth's
face revealed indications of the terrific struggle that was going on
within her. Her face was pale, and though her eyes seemed to smile,
there was a gleam far back in them that suggested thoughts of force,
instant, vicious. Also there was wrath in them--wrath that threatened to
break with volcanic fury.

The girl was of medium height, and yet she seemed to be almost tall as
she stood on the platform. She was erect, her head was held high. She
was slender, with a gracefully rounded figure, but as she stood there,
her muscles straining, her chest swelling with the passion she was
trying to suppress, she must have appeared Amazonic to the culprits
whose crimes had goaded her to thoughts of corporal punishment.

It was not difficult to single out the culprits. There were two, and
they sat defiantly in their seats, sneering their contempt of the
teacher's wrath, advertising their entire disregard for the restraining
influence of rules.

Both were boys. The larger, freckle-faced, with an uptilted nose and
belligerent eyes, was fully as tall as Ruth. He was broad and muscular,
and it was evident that consideration for his size was one influence
that had thus far delayed the punishment he no doubt merited.

It was evident, too, that the culprit suspected this, for as Ruth's
hesitation continued he grew bolder and more contemptuous. And now,
having divined that Ruth would not attempt to inflict the punishment she
meditated, the young man guffawed loudly.

"Shucks," he sneered, winking piratically at his brother-culprit; "she's
tryin' to run a whizzer in on us. She ain't goin' to do _nuthin'_!"

"Jimmy Singleton; you advance to the platform!" Ruth's voice came
sharply, quavering with the passion she had been suppressing until now.

She stood rigid until "Jimmy" got out of his seat with elephantine
deliberation, and shuffled to the edge of the platform, where he stood,
grinning defiantly.

Ruth raised the lid of her desk and took out a formidable willow branch,
which she had cut only the day before from a tree that grew beside the
Wolf near her cabin, in anticipation of the present incident.

She had known for many days that she would have to p