ames which Job knew must mean something grand. He began
to wish that Jane looked like her and talked like her and had lived in
'Frisco. He began to wonder who it was that Miss Bright wrote letters
to every day, and who wrote those Dan Dean used to leave at the
school-house for her postmarked "New York." His fears were relieved,
though, when he heard her laugh merrily one day when inquisitive
Maggie Dean asked: "What man writes to you all the time, Miss Bright?"
and reply, "My brother, of course, Maggie. But little girls shouldn't
ask too many questions."
They used to have morning prayers when the other teacher was here, but
Miss Bright said that prayer was only the expression of our longings
and we did not need to pray aloud, and she thought God knew enough to
look after us without bothering him about it every day. Job was
shocked at first, then he thought perhaps Miss Bright was right, she
was so nice and knew so much. She boarded at Jeremiah Robinson's, who
lived on the Frost Creek road. More than once Job found himself going
there at her invitation, ostensibly to study Latin and literature,
which were not in the regular curriculum. He did not care much for the
studies--he found it hard to get far beyond "Amo, amas, amat," and as
for Chaucer and his glittering knights and fair ladies, he detested
them; but those moments after the lessons, when Miss Bright chattered
away about the beauties of evolution and the loveliness of protoplasm
and the immanence of Deity in all nature--Job fairly doted on them.
Sometimes she accepted his invitation for an evening ramble. He felt
proud to have people see him with her. He would have liked to ask her
to the class-meeting at Squire Perkins', but he was afraid to; she
would think it beneath her to go among those country folks. And then,
what would she think of Widow Green if she got one of her
crying-spells? or lame Tim, who was a little daft, but who loved to
come to class-meeting and said always, "Tim's no good; he ain't much;
but Jesus loves him. Sing, brethren, 'I am so glad that Jesus loves
me.'" So Job never invited her. In fact, he did not like to tell her
he went; and, for fear she would know it, he stayed away two weeks
when she asked him to walk with her those moonlight nights.
Miss Bright was so good, he thought; yet there was much he could not
understand. She never went to church. She said it was too far, and
besides she thought it more helpful to worship amid the gr
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