Amanda's heart sang as the two carriages rolled away and she was left
alone in the schoolroom. She had seen the device of the wicked come to
naught, she gloried in the fact that the mean and unfair was once more
overbalanced by the just and kind. After the tribute from the County
Superintendent and the promises from all the directors but Mr.
Mertzheimer she felt assured that she would not be ignominiously put
out of the school she loved. Then she thought of the letter and opened
it hastily, her eyes traveling fast over the long sheet.
"DEAR MISTER, Maybe it ain't polite to write to you when you don't know me but I got
a favor to ask you and I don't know no other way to do it. Amanda Reist
is teacher of the Crow Hill school and she is a good one, everybody
says so but a few old cranks that don't know nothing. There's one of
the directors on the school board has got a son that ain't worth a
hollow bean and he wants Amanda should take him for her beau. She's got
too much sense for that, our Amanda can get a better man than Lyman
Mertzheimer I guess. But now since she won't have nothing to do with
him he's got his pop to get her out her school. The old man has asked
another girl to ask for the job and he's talked a lot about Amanda till
some of the other directors side with him. He's rich and a big boss and
things got to go his way. Most everybody says Amanda's a good teacher,
the children run to meet her and they learn good with her. I heard her
say you was coming to visit the school soon and that the directors
mostly come with you and I just found out where you live and am writing
this to tell you how it is. Perhaps if you like her school and would do
it to tell them directors so it would help her. It sometimes helps a
lot when a big person takes the side of the person being tramped on.
Amanda is too high strung to ask any of the directors to stick to her.
She says they can see what kind of work she does and if they want to
let one man run the school board and run her out she'll go out. But she
likes that school and it's near her home and we'd all feel bad if she
got put out and went off somewheres far to teach. I'm just the hired
girl at her house but I think a lot of her. I will say thanks very much
for what you can do.
And oblige, AMELIA HESS.
P. S. I forgot to say Amanda don't know I have wrote this. I guess she
wouldn't leave me send it if she did."