the--"

"That I try to persuade you not to take your child out of school when
you can well afford to keep her there. That's what you have to tell the
Board."

Mr. Getz stared at her, rather baffled. The children also stared in
wide-eyed curiosity, realizing with wonder that Teacher was "talkin' up
to pop!" It was a novel and interesting spectacle.

"Well, anyways," continued Mr. Getz, rallying, "I'll bring it up in
Board meeting that you mebbe leave the scholars borry the loan of
novels off of you."

"But you can't prove it. I shall hold the Board to their contract. They
can't break it."

Miss Margaret was taking very high ground, of which, in fact, she was
not at all sure.

Mr. Getz gazed at her with mingled anger and fascination. Here was
certainly a new species of woman! Never before had any teacher at
William Penn failed to cringe to his authority as a director.

"This much I KIN say," he finally declared. "Mebbe you kin hold us to
that there contract, but you won't, anyways, be elected to come back
here next term! That's sure! You'll have to look out fur another place
till September a'ready. And we won't give you no recommend, neither, to
get yourself another school with!"

Just here it was that Miss Margaret had her triumph, which she was
quite human enough to thoroughly enjoy.

"You won't have a chance to reelect me, for I am going to resign at the
end of the term. I am going to be married the week after school closes."

Never had Mr. Getz felt himself so foiled. Never before had any one
subject in any degree to his authority so neatly eluded a reckoning at
his hands. A tingling sensation ran along his arm and he had to
restrain his impulse to lift it, grasp this slender creature standing
so fearlessly before him, and thoroughly shake her.

"Who's the party?" asked Mrs. Getz, curiously. "It never got put out
that you was promised. I ain't heard you had any steady comp'ny. To be
sure, some says the Doc likes you pretty good. Is it now, mebbe, the
Doc? But no," she shook her head; "Mister's sister Em at the hotel
would have tole me. Is it some one where lives around here?"

"I don't mind telling you," Miss Margaret graciously answered,
realizing that her reply would greatly increase Mr. Getz's sense of
defeat. "It is Mr. Lansing, a nephew of the State Superintendent of
schools and a professor at the Millersville Normal School."

"Well, now just look!" Mrs. Getz exclaimed wonderingly. "Such a tony
p