was all so
new and wonderful to them! They had not been used to caring what they
were to study. Now it almost seemed interesting.

But when the day was done, the school-house locked, and Bud and Margaret
started for home, she realized that she was weary. Yet it was a
weariness of success and not of failure, and she felt happy in looking
forward to the morrow.

CHAPTER XIV

The minister had decided to preach in Ashland, and on the following
Sabbath. It became apparent that if he wished to have any notice at all
from the haughty new teacher he must do something at once to establish
his superiority in her eyes. He had carefully gone over his store of
sermons that he always carried with him, and decided to preach on "The
Dynamics of Altruism."

Notices had been posted up in saloons and stores and post-office. He had
made them himself after completely tabooing Mr. Tanner's kindly and
blundering attempt, and they gave full information concerning "the Rev.
Frederick West, Ph.D., of the vicinity of New York City, who had kindly
consented to preach in the school-house on 'The Dynamics of Altruism.'"

Several of these elaborately printed announcements had been posted up on
big trees along the trails, and in other conspicuous places, and there
was no doubt but that the coming Sabbath services were more talked of
than anything else in that neighborhood for miles around, except the new
teacher and her extraordinary way of making all the scholars fall in
love with her. It is quite possible that the Reverend Frederick might
not have been so flattered at the size of his audience when the day
came if he could have known how many of them came principally because
they thought it would be a good opportunity to see the new teacher.

However, the announcements were read, and the preacher became an object
of deep interest to the community when he went abroad. Under this
attention he swelled, grew pleased, bland, and condescending, wearing an
oily smile and bowing most conceitedly whenever anybody noticed him. He
even began to drop his severity and silence at the table, toward the end
of the week, and expanded into dignified conversation, mainly addressed
to Mr. Tanner about the political situation in the State of Arizona. He
was trying to impress the teacher with the fact that he looked upon her
as a most insignificant mortal who had forfeited her right to his smiles
by her headstrong and unseemly conduct when he had warned her