The Angel of the Gila: A Tale of ArizonaMarsland, Cora
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The Angel of the Gila: A Tale of Arizona
Marsland, Cora
Arizona -- Fiction; Love stories; Women teachers -- Fiction
"No," responded the speaker, "but physics for your head, Patrick."
When the laugh at Patrick's expense had subsided, Kenneth announced
the subject of his talk as "Magnetism." He talked simply, illustrating
as he talked. Occasionally he was interrupted by questions that showed
a fair degree of intelligence, and a desire to know. At the close of
his talk Patrick, the irrepressible, burst forth again:
"Yez said that a natural magnit could magnetize a bar o' steel, makin'
the steel a sthronger magnit than the iron, an' yit this natural
magnit be jist as magnitic as it was before?"
"Yes."
"Begorra!" said Patrick, slapping his knee, "yez'll have a harrd toime
makin' me belave that. The idea! that anythin' can give to another
more nor it has itself, an' at the same toime have as much lift itself
as it had before it gave away more nor it had!"
Patrick drew himself up. He had assumed a sudden importance in the
community. Did he not know?
The teacher smiled indulgently. As she spoke, there was quiet,
respectful attention.
"You see, Mr. Murphy, the natural magnet is like a human being. The
more strength a man puts forth, the more he will have. If we give of
ourselves, of our talents, to help other people, we are enriched by
it. So the magnet teaches us a lesson, don't you see?"
Patrick scratched his head dubiously. The teacher continued:
"A natural magnet may not have much power in itself, but when it
shares its power with a steel bar, the bar can do vastly more than the
piece of iron could. In the same way, the influence we exert, though
it may not be great in itself, may enable other people to do greater
things than we could possibly do."
The lesson went home.
Patrick shook his head approvingly.
"All right, Miss, all right! Oi'll belave the sthory if yez say so. Oi
foind it hard to understhand what makes a bit o' iron a natural
magnit. What Oi does understhand is yez are loike the steel magnit,
an' yez draws the rist av us to yez!"
And having delivered himself of this compliment, which apparently met
with the hearty approval of the company, he subsided.
Then John Harding announced the next number on the programme,--a talk
on Ireland by Lord Kelwin, illustrated by Mr. Clayton with his magic
lantern. Again there was applause; and as the lights were put out, the
giggling and laughter grew boisterous. In an instant, a picture
flashed on the screen, and the laughter changed to quiet attention.
Lord Kelwin's voice soon made itself heard. He was well-known in camp,
and popular. He spoke in a bright, attractive way, with occasional
flashes of Irish wit, when he provoked laughter and comment again. On
one of these occasions, Patrick burst forth. Patrick was in fine
spirits. He had stopped at the saloon on the way to the party.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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