Shetland Fireside Tales Author:George Stewart Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER V. A mermaid sat in her emerald ha', And played on her coral lute. Ballad. " After I had been at the school," resumed the hermit, " Adam Yunson... more », the ruling elder of the district, called at the school one day, and said he wished to speak to me. So I followed him outside, when he said, ' Olla, I hear that you are a very clever lad, and as we want a teacher at Hallowmas for the Chancein School, we have decided to give you the offer of it, as we believe there is no lad in the parish better qualified.' " In reply, I thanked him for what I considered the highest honour that could have been conferred upon me ; and said I would do my utmost to give satisfaction, and should be ready to commence the school at the time mentioned. My renuneration was to be £4 in the half-year ; and this, to my mind, looked like a sum that I should not know how to spend; as up to this time I had never possessed a shilling of my own. After shaking hands with my kind friend, I bounded into the school, but slackened my pace as I passed the inner door, for the teacher maintained very rigid discipline. I went up to where Lelah was sitting, and whispered, ' Lelah, I am going to be a teacher. I have got the Chancein School.' " ' No !' she exclaimed in a whisper, while her lovely eyes beamed with a mixed expression of wonder and delight, and a soft blush passed over her face, but quickly leaving the white and crimson as pure as before. " ' Yes,' I replied ; ' it is quite true, but I will tell you all about it when we get out.' After the school was dismissed, I got the opportunity of telling Lelah that it was all settled that Iwas to get the school; that I was to have £, in the half-year, and that I was to buy her a present when I got my first quarter's salary. " The harvest now being near...« less