"At home, now, and by their mothers," added Mrs. Bonner.
"Well," said Mrs. Bronson, "take them Simms girls, now. They have to have help outside their home if they are ever going to be like other folks."
"Yes," agreed Mrs. Bonner, "and a lot more help than a farm-hand can give 'em in school. Pretty poor trash, they, and I shouldn't wonder if there was a lot we don't know about why they come north."
"As for that," replied Mrs. Bronson, "I don't know as it's any of my business so long as they behave themselves."
Again Mrs. Bonner felt the situation getting out of hand, and again she returned to the task of keeping Mrs. Bronson in alignment with the forces of accepted Woodruff District conditions.
"Ain't it some of our business?" she queried. "I wonder now! By the way Newtie keeps his eye on that Simms girl, I shouldn't wonder if it might turn out your business."
"Pshaw!" scoffed Mrs. Bronson. "Puppy love!"
"You can't tell how far it'll go," persisted Mrs. Bonner. "I tell you these schools are getting to be nothing more than sparkin' bees, from the county superintendent down."
"Well, maybe," said Mrs. Bronson, "but I don't see sparkin' in everything boys and girls do as quick as some."
"I wonder," said Mrs. Bonner, "if Colonel Woodruff would be as friendly to Jim Irwin if he knew that everybody says Jennie decided he was to keep his certif'kit because she wants him to get along in the world, so he can marry her?"
"I don't know as she is so very friendly to him," replied Mrs. Bronson; "and Jim and Jennie are both of age, you know."
"Yes, but how about our schools bein' ruined by a love affair?" interrogated Mrs. Bonner, as they moved away. "Ain't that your business and mine?"
Instead of desiring further knowledge of what they were discussing, Jim felt a dreadful disgust at the whole thing. Disgust at being the subject of gossip, at the horrible falsity of the picture he had been able to paint to the people of his objects and his ambitions, and especially at the desecration of Jennie by such misconstruction of her attitude toward him officially and personally. Jennie was vexed at him, and wanted him to resign from his position. He firmly believed that she was surprised at finding herself convinced that he was entitled to a decision in the matter of his competency as a teacher. She was against him, he believed, and as for her being in love with him--to hear these women discuss it was intolerable.
