Run Away Laughing

MARGARET OTTLEY FLUCK was into her forty-fist year of life, but she hadbeen thirty eight years of age for the past three years… She waswell aware the she was no oil panting, but as with most women, sheconsidered she had something in her make up and appearance that mightattract a man into her life. She knew that her name was hardlysomething that would attract anyone and she dropped the name FLUCK forobvious reasons when she became a school teacher and was in charge ofan army of five to six year old boys… and adopted the name PEGGOTYinstead of Margaret because to her that sounded much more feminine,although her greatest interest outside of her teaching was motormechanics and she proved she could master that task as well as any man.Peggoty loved all the children she taught, but there was one little boywho attracted her more than the others named BENJAMIN SCHOFIELD… Ben asshe called him and when Ben’s parents were killed in a road accidentand Ben had to go into an orphanage, Peggoty took him on holidays andvisits to her cottage by the sea. She never scolded her pupils harshly,but would pat them on the bum and tell them to “run away laughing”That always did the trick.