A STRANGE TEACHER, IS MISS DALYRYMPLE

Carmella Fogarty had learned tolerance the hard way. She'd grown up dirt poor in a mining camp, the punching bag of a drunken father, and had lost her sight and become permanently disfigured on her fifth birthday when a kerosene lantern had exploded in her face…and half her hair gone!

It wasn't until Carmella's eleventh year that she'd been rescued from keeping house and providing other unsavory "services" for her Pa and his vicious coterie…Pa had caved in a dance-hall girl's head with a pool cue, and the local deputy investigating the case had a cousin who knew about the School.

And it was then that things had begun to look up for Carmella—she learned to read, write, and figure mighty fast, and the hard won patience and tolerance, and her new found love of learning had manifested itself into tutoring other students, and then securing a teaching position at the School within five years of her arrival.

And Carmella was grateful to the School, especially so, since they'd looked the other way on employing only single women after she'd married the piano tuning instructor, a handsome man who, either through his non-existent vision or his great heart pronounced her the most beautiful girl in the world!

Yes, Carmella loved the School, and was especially sensitive to anything that might affect it. Problem one was her husband, who had just lost a considerable amount of their scanty stipend to one of the seniors, that nasty Cardew boy…but what devil created Braille raised-dot playing cards? Didn't the blind have enough problems?

Young Reckness Cardew had also offered to take Carmella's husband to a cathouse, but fortunately Lars had resisted that…he is a wonderful man!

And problem two was…Miss Dalyrymple, the new Domestic Science teacher. Carmella had been with the School as both student and teacher for twenty-six years now…

Carmella knew a lot about children, both blind and sighted (she had raised two sighted of her own, now irascible but lovable teenagers on boarding school scholarships back East) and it seemed like a lot of the children in Miss Dalyrymple's class were either leaving in tears or being sent to the Director's office for what seemed like very slight offenses.

It was difficult of course—the Director believed that boys as well as girl students needed to take sewing and cooking courses, because you really never knew how welcome a blind individual would be in a boardinghouse, to say nothing of marriage to a wife who could sew and cook!

But Carmella, before being promoted to teaching Language Arts, a fancy phrase for reading and writing, had taught the Domestic Science class for several years, and she'd never had so much trouble as this Miss Dalyrymple was having.

Little Pruitt had been found by Carmella washing his swollen knuckles after Miss Dalyrymple had whipped his hands with a walking stick…and that was against the rules…but Miss Dalyrymple had charmed the Director!

And little Nancy May Carlson had burst into tears after Miss Dalyrymple had locked her in a cedar chest for an hour for making some obscure grammatical error.

What could Carmella do?

Usually, Carmella didn't discuss her problems with the students, but Mary Ingalls was a bright girl, and she was becoming, as Carmella had been, a student teacher, and a blind student teacher at that. Mary had already come to Carmella for advice and consolation on minor matters…

Perhaps Carmella should discuss this one with Mary? Men are so lost at this sort of thing…and Carmella knew that if she raised questions with the Director, the fact that Miss Dalyrymple had a college degree and was a seeing teacher would work against her…even though Carmella had a quarter century of seniority.

"Mary, do you have a minute?"

RECKNESS HAS A REUNION

"Now I don't quite understand, Nellie…you have sneaked back into the school…"

"That's right, Reckness, I came back to town to see you—and I've been up here in the box-room, taking food when I—"

"But wait. Your MOTHER is here also?" Reckness was dizzy. For once he was unprepared. Nellie was a lot of fun, but when she'd surprised him—sneaking into the dormitory, bringing him upstairs to the box-room…

And then the story—the crazy mother was supposed to "reason" with Reckness, and also punish Mary Ingalls…but "Miss Dalyrymple" didn't know that Nellie had never gone home—two secrets—Mrs. Ollson impersonating a teacher, and Nellie hiding from her mother—and then the whole bit about chasing off to Reckness's cousins and hiring the thugs to beat Willoughby and C.R.—that one was PRECIOUS!

Because of course I am always amused at any misfortune that doesn't involve me—that's not a surprising insight!

"Mother would DIE if she knew I was here, Reckness. She has probably not approached you yet, because she is trying to get her bearings as a teacher. I thought of leaving her to persuade you, but darling I knew, I just KNEW that I needed to talk to you myself about our love, and—it's not that I'm obsessed with you, but—"

But of course not. Still, Reckness had not dipped his wick in any feminine pools…so this was enchanting. And what fun he would have with "Miss Dalyrymple" Oh my!

Oh Nellie, you bewildered cow. But she was so STUPID, how would she keep from being discovered? If Nellie was discovered too soon, of course mother and daughter would have to flee…and Reckness couldn't have that, could he?

"Don't lie to me about Mary, Reckness…I suspect she is no virgin…"

Could have fooled me….damn it!

The only action Reckness had been getting was from the Industrial Arts teacher, who helped any blink who had a musical ear (Reckness didn't) to learn to tune pianos…

Reckness was not homosexual, as far as he knew, but didn't mind being "performed on" quite passively, and Lars, the piano fella, was as gay as a goose!

Reckness took half Lars's salary in card games, and the other half getting the poor man to bribe Reckness to lie still with his pants down…though Reckness knew he must be prettier than that hideous creature Lars had married, he'd heard the stories from partially sighted students….

But Nellie was talking AGAIN.

"Confess, I know you've been having relations with Mary Ingalls, how could she or any other girl resist you, darling? I am surprised she's not given you any social diseases."

Actually, Mary Ingalls had been somewhat cool to Reckness lately. Falling for boring old sober sides Mr. Kendall…it wasn't surprising, really. Not at all.

"Yes, I am afraid, Nellie that Mary threw herself at me, and I think she must have all sorts of diseases, but I used something to protect myself."

"I'm not surprised, Reckness, Mary must be awfully diseased…will you keep yourself chaste except for me, darling?"

How I wish it could be any other way…

"But of course, my sweet Nellie"