y were touched.

Glory Goldie sat looking down, not knowing what she should do with
herself; but Jan of Ruffluck felt as happy as a king, for it had
suddenly become clear to him that the little girl had been his the
whole time.

THE CONTEST

It was strange about the little girl of Ruffluck and her father!
They seemed to be so entirely of one mind that they could read each
other's thoughts.

In Svartsjoe lived another schoolmaster, who was an old soldier. He
taught in an out-of-the-way corner of the parish and had no regular
schoolhouse, as had the sexton; but he was greatly beloved by all
children. The youngsters themselves hardly knew they went to school
to him, but thought they came together just to play.

The two schoolmasters were the best of friends. But sometimes the
younger teacher would try to persuade the older one to keep abreast
of the times, and wanted him to go in for phonetics and other
innovations. The old soldier generally regarded such things with
mild tolerance. Once, however, he lost his temper.

"Just because you've got a schoolhouse you think you know it all,
Blackie!" he let fly. "But I'll have you understand that my
children know quite as much us yours, even if they do have only
farmhouses to sit in."

"Yes, I know," returned the sexton, "and have never said anything
to the contrary. I simply mean that if the children could learn a
thing with less effort--"

"Well, what then?" bristled the old soldier.

The sexton knew from the old man's tone that he had offended him,
and tried to smooth over the breach.

"Anyhow you make it so easy for your pupils that they never
complain about their lessons."

"Maybe I make it too easy for them?" snapped the old man. "Maybe I
don't teach them anything?" he shouted, striking the table with his
hand.

"What on earth has come over you, Tyberg?" said the sexton. "You
seem to resent everything I say."

"Well, you always come at me with so many allusions!"

Just then other people happened in, and soon all was smooth between
the schoolmasters; when they parted company they were as good
friends as ever. But when old man Tyberg was on his way home, the
sexton's remarks kept cropping up in his mind, and now he was even
angrier than before.

"Why should that strippling say I could teach the children more if
I kept abreast of the times?" he muttered to himself. "He probably
thinks I'm too old, though he doesn't say it in plain words."
Tyberg could n