The Schoolmarm

By Elton Camp
With two grades to a room, Fairview School went all the way through the eighth
grade. Three of the teachers were men. The other, Miss Gunnels, was a thirty something
spinster who had lived in the rural community all her life.
Bless her heart, shes so stuck on learning thet nobody kin stand her, one lady
commented to another. The most horrible things could be said by one woman about
another as long as the slander was preceded with the canceling expression, Bless her
heart.

Miss Gunnels Teaching Her Students

Miss Gunnels was discharged from her position that year. Although paid by the
state of Alabama, she served at the pleasure of local trustees. These were drawn from the
more prominent men in the community. As such, they reflected the values of rural
mountain people in the early 1900s.
Miss Gunnels unfolded a note handed to her by the son of Burdo Buchanan, de
facto chairman of the trustees. Despite its child-like printing, the message caused her to
pale. Miss Gunnels had been summonsed to a meeting with the trustees after school that
very day. Never in her ten years at the school had that happened. She believed she knew
what they wanted.
The four men gathered on the school porch shortly before dismissal. Burdos son
spotted them. His grin and knowing look told the teacher that he had inside information.
She saw him whisper something to one of his pals. They both laughed.
As the children rushed out of the classroom, Miss Gunnels quickly touched up her
hair, although there was little she could do as it was straight and fell loosely near her
collar. Her plain blouse and skirt were clean; she wore neither stockings nor make-up.

As the men entered the room, she straightened her shoulders. She was glad that she
hadnt let herself go like so many women in the community, but weighed little more than
when shed finished at the Albertville Agricultural School. Teachers of that period didnt
need a college degree.
Wont you have a seat, gentlemen? she invited.
She gestured toward cane-bottom ladder chairs. The men sat down. Burdo
shifted his feet toward the sides of the chair, cleared his throat, and glanced at his
companions before proceeding.
Ruth, guess you know why wes here.
I have an idea.
She made eye contact with him and then with each member of the board of trust.
Each dropped his eyes at her gaze.
Youve been seen goin out wif thet drummer gain. Last Sattiday, yall warnt
back t yore place till atter ten. Thet aint settin a propr xampl fer our youn uns. I
had my wif warn you bout hit last month. Seems you dont ker whut we think.

Burdo Accuses the Teacher

Mr. Buchanan, Im an adult. What I do outside of school is no concern of
yours. Carefully enunciating each word, she spoke slowly and deliberately. Her eyes
flashed with indignation.
We say tis, Miss Ruth, another of the trustees asserted.
He looked to his comrades for support. They nodded and grunted in agreement.
One bit off a wad of tobacco and began to chew it.
Air you plannin t wed him? Burdo demanded.
I may if he asks me. A flush came to her cheeks.
Then youll b givin up yore job, Burdo said with finality.

The men who teach here are all married. And so are you, Mr. Buchanan. And
the rest of you trustees too. Have I not the same right?
Married wimmin oughten t b workin way frm home, Burdo declared. Wif
thway you think, tis best you jest leave now. We all think thet. Aint thet right, boys.
The men murmured and nodded in agreement. The tobacco chewer spit in the
direction of the stove.
But the children. What will they do? Theres still two months left in the school
term.
Burdo looked up. My sister oer n Etowah County has a girl who needs a
teachin job. She kin take over.
Oh, so thats it, Miss Gunnels almost whispered.
On the way home, Leamon walked along with Gordies son. Whats your paw
doing at school today?
He aims t git th teachr fared, the boy reported with a conspiratorial tone. He
sez he knows jest how t do hit.
Leamon reported the conversation to his father. Paw, it just isnt right. You
ought to do something about it.
Well, son, ef she cant git long wif th trustees, I reckon its best she departs,
was all he said.
Leamon liked the teacher. She had opened new ideas for him, even lent him some
of her books, and worked with him after school. He discussed the injustice with John, a
pal of his who lived on the Brock Place, about a mile from his home.
Something needs to be done about Burdo, he confided. You like Miss Gunnels
too. Want to help me pay him back?
Id like t, but I dont see much we kin do. Th word o th trustees always
stands.
We cant stop him from running her off, but we can throw a scare into him. I
have a plan.
The two boys searched in Johns barn until they found an empty syrup bucket.
Leamon worked the handle loose from the sides, discarded it, and wiped a thick layer of
dust from its interior.

Thisll do fine. See if you can get a length of string and some beeswax.
While John was hunting the items, Leamon picked up a nail and drove it through
the center of the bottom of the syrup bucket.
Heer they ez, John said. He handed the two items to his co-conspirator. Whut
you gwine t do wif em?
Im making a dumb bull.
Leamon inserted the string through the hole in the bottom of the syrup bucket. He
then tied its end securely around the nail so it wouldnt pull through and coated the string
with the beeswax. When he gave a tentative pull along the string, the device emitted a
horrible sound like a moan.
Man, thets relly somethin, John said in surprise.
Although hed never seen one before, Leamon had heard his paw describe how
one was made. His success in its construction pleased him. The sound it produced was
better than hed imagined.
Around midnight, the two boys slipped out of bed and met at the schoolhouse.
Burdo lived in a frame house down a side road by the school. The half-moon supplied
enough illumination that they could slip through the woods behind the school and work
their way into position about fifty yards behind the mans house.
This ought to be a good place, Leamon said. He grinned in anticipation. Burdo
was a superstitious man and poorly informed even in country matters. It should be easy
to scare him.
Leamon pulled his hand rapidly down the length of the string. The dumb bull
produced a short moan. The next pull was slower and gave a louder, more prolonged,
sound. By stopping and starting and varying the speed of the pull, he was able to create a
frightening series of noises.
Look. Theys wake, John whispered.
The dim glow of a kerosene lamp from one of the windows showed that the ruse
was working. Burdo opened the back door and stepped out onto the porch.
Whuts thet there squaling? Hit goes like a wild animl o sum kind.
Leamon handed the device to John, who added his own variations to the voice of
the dumb bull. Both boys struggled to stifle laughter.

Mabe you better go down thar n check, Burdo, his wife said as she joined him
on the back porch.
I aint goin nowhars nigh sich a thang. Hit mought be a panther or even the
devil hisself.
Panther was a generic name for anything believed to be a large, dangerous
member of the cat family. Rural lore had insisted on the existence of such creatures,
although no one had actually seen one. They were objects of dread.
The boys continued to pull the dumb bull at intervals. The kerosene light went
out. Moonlight showed two figures, one tall and one short, moving around near the
house.
Hol hit shet. Push hit up reel good.
The sound of hammering commenced. The figures moved and after a short delay,
the pounding sounds began once more. The activity continued on the opposite side of the
house. Burdo gave muttered orders to his son that the tricksters couldnt make out.
Hail. Got m finger, Burdo said in anger and frustration. I tol you t hold hit
steady.
Whut n th wurl you reckon theys doin? John whispered.
The boys waited until the banging stopped. All became quiet at Burdos house.
They repeated the frightening noise at intervals for about twenty more minutes, but there
was no further reaction.
I spose we might as well go on home, Leamon said.
At school the next day, they learned that Burdo had closed and nailed the shutters
all around his house. That afternoon, Leamon overheard him talking to a group of men
playing dominoes at Simms Country Store.
Hit wuz horribl ez cud b. His voice quivered with fear. I thought shore we uns
wuz don fer. Hit squalld and waild n com rat up t th hous en scratched n tore
agin th walls. I though shore et wuz gonna jump n one o th winders. We could a
been kilt.
Leamon smiled with satisfaction. The trick had worked better than hed dared
hope. Hed never tell the truth about the incident and hoped that John wouldnt. The
situation wasnt changed for the teacher, but Burdo didnt go completely unpunished for
his treachery.

Miss Gunnels married a week after leaving the school. She and her husband
moved to Birmingham. Few in the community knew or cared what became of her.