of his proper place.

"We have had the privilege of list'nin'," said Con Bonner, rising, "to a
great speech, Mr. Prisidint. We should be proud to have a borned orator
like this in the agricultural pop'lation of the district. A reg'lar
William Jennin's Bryan. I don't understand what he was trying to tell us,
but sometimes I've had the same difficulty with the spaches of the Boy
Orator of the Platte. Makin' a good spache is one thing, and teaching a
good school is another, but in order to bring this matter before the
board, I nominate Mr. James E. Irwin, the Boy Orator of the Woodruff
District, and the new white hope, f'r the job of teacher of this school,
and I move that when he shall have received a majority of the votes of
this board, the secretary and prisidint be insthructed to enter into a
contract with him f'r the comin' year."

The seconding of motions on a board of three has its objectionable
features, since it seems to commit a majority of the body to the motion in
advance. The president, therefore, followed usage, when he said--"If
there's no objection, it will be so ordered. The chair hears no
objection--and it is so ordered. Prepare the ballots for a vote on the
election of teacher, Mr. Secretary. Each votes his preference for teacher.
A majority elects."

For months, the ballots had come out of the box--an empty
crayon-box--Herman Paulson, one; Prudence Foster, one; Margaret
Gilmartin, one; and every one present expected the same result now.
There was no surprise, however, in view of the nomination of Jim Irwin by
the blarneying Bonner when the secretary smoothed out the first
ballot, and read: "James E. Irwin, one." Clearly this was the Bonner
vote; but when the next slip came forth, "James E. Irwin, two," the Board
of Directors of the Woodruff Independent District were stunned at the
slowly dawning knowledge that they had made an election! Before they had
rallied, the secretary drew from the box the third and last ballot,
and read, "James E. Irwin, three."

President Bronson choked as he announced the result--choked and stammered,
and made very hard weather of it, but he went through with the motion, as
we all run in our grooves.

"The ballot having shown the unanimous election of James E. Irwin, I
declare him elected."

He dropped into his chair, while the secretary, a very methodical man,
drew from his portfolio a contract duly drawn up save for the signatures
of the officers of the district, and