the sky. He recognized the sharply-cut silhouette
of the school-teacher.

"What a horrid, spooky place," she spoke with
a shiver, peering within.

"It's cool," Gordon told her indifferently.

"And quiet," she added, seating herself upon the
platform with an elbow in the opening; "there's none
of the bothersome clatter of a lot of detestable children."
She raised her voice in shrill mimicry,
"'Teacher, kin I be excused? Teacher!...
Teacher--!'"

"Don't you like children?"

"I loathe them," she shot at him, out of the depths
of a profound, long-accumulated exasperation; "the
muddy little beasts."

"Then I wouldn't be vexed with them."

"Do you like nailing boards in a rotten ice
house?"

"Oh, I'm dog poor; I've got to take anything
that comes along."

"And, you fool, do you suppose I'd be here if I
had anything at all? Do you suppose I'd stay in
this damn lost hole if I could get anywhere else?
Do you think I have no more possibilities than
this?"

He mounted the ladder, and emerged upon the
platform by her side, where he found a place, a
minute, for a cigarette.

[[134]]

p133 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p134w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p135

v?