Two days later he found he would have to go to Magarth’s to get the steel of his ax renewed, for it had chipped.  He found only Mrs Magarth at home, her husband and Norah had left on a visit.  In the store were two men, and he listened to their talk with interest, for one was telling how a thriving nearby settlement had built a school and were unable to find a teacher.  Asking the name of the man who had the engaging of one, and where he lived, Archie’s resolution was made, he would go and offer himself.  A tramp of over a mile brought him to the house.  In five minutes he was engaged at a salary of six dollars a month and to board round.  The engagement was for four months.  He spent the night with the settler and left in the morning to get what clothes he needed and to set his shanty in order.  Word had gone round that a teacher had been secured, and on his return in the afternoon there were several callers curious to see him.  His host was a North of Ireland man, with a large family, who he was determined should learn to read and write.  He had been the leader in the building of the school-house, to which he walked with Archie the following forenoon.  It was a log building, about twenty feet square.  There were no desks and the seats were plank set on blocks of wood.  Every child able to walk was there full of curiosity as to what school was like.  Archie’s difficulties began at once.  Not one of the would-be scholars had a book of any kind; those who said they wanted to learn to write had no paper and no slates.  Had they anything they could recite from memory?  A little girl forthwith began, Now I lay me down to sleep.  With great patience, Archie taught them the first verse of the 23rd psalm, and, trying if they could sing it, found there were several good voices.  He felt encouraged.  Telling them to bring books of any kind next day, he ended the lessons by one in arithmetic, using the fingers.  The second day was better.  The children came with all kinds of books except school-books, mostly bibles.  One girl had a copy of the crown lands rules and regulations.  Only six could read a sentence by spelling each word.  They had to be started from the beginning, and Archie had provided for that by producing a smoothly planed board on which he had printed, with a carpenter’s pencil, the alphabet on one side and figures on the other.  The children, with a few exceptions, were eager to learn.  Then he got them to memorize the second verse of the 23rd psalm, and taught them a simple hymn, singing both.  They were strong on singing, and a boy volunteered to give them a song he had heard, which had a chorus of Derry Down.  So it went on.  A supply of smooth shaved shingles was got and with bits of chalk the scholars learned to write simple words and cast up sums.  At the close of each day Archie told them a story and questioned to see how much of it they remembered and understood.  At the end of a fortnight three of the settlers visited to see how matters were progressing and left satisfied.