'Dad,' sez Cress to me, 'that new teacher's very peart; and he's that keen about noticin' me and Seth that I reckon you'd better giv out that we're engaged.' 'But are you ?' sez I.'It'll come to that in the end,' sez Cress, 'and if that yer teacher hez come here with Northern ideas o' society, it's just ez well to let him see Injin Spring ain't entirely in the woods about them things either.' So I agreed, and Martin told you it was all right; Cress and Seth was an engaged couple, and you was to take no notice.

And then YOU ups and objects to the hull thing, and allows that courtin' in school, even among engaged pupils, ain't proper." The master turned his eyes with some uneasiness to the face of Cressy's father.

It was heavy but impassive.
"I don't mind tellin' you, now that it's over, what happened.

The trouble with me, Mr.Ford, is--I ain't kam! and YOU air, and that's what got me.

For when I heard what you'd said, I got on that mustang and started for the school-house to clean you out and giv' you five minutes to leave Injin Spring.