Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-12-24

gan, before a great while. to take advantage
of the masters foibles, and to be as idle and
negligent as ever.
Yet he was not altogether a King Log eli
tibet. After unbending SO far as TO tell the
scholars long stories, IN which he himself al
ways made a most heroic figure; and enjoy
ing their wonderful comments and i%acctious
remarks, he would suddenly change his tone
and order every one 10 resume his studies, at
the same time declaring in a tremendous
voice, IL am Napoleon in my school ~
which the boys understood as a threat against
whoever should dare to smile in the ranks.
This course produced some sensation a.
mnnr the parents, who were Il good deal puZ-
zlrd to interpret IA character which seemed
compounded Of such incongruous qualities.
Some thought - too much b1ok-laruin" made
fools of people; others that Mr.. Ball, having
had a 81 select school, Of his own, could not
be cXpectpd to lay out all his powers upon a
district school. One good lady suspected
that the master was in love; another was
afraid he crank. Theories abounded. but no
satisfactory result could be obtained. since
I the conclusion of tod " was swept away by
the new freak of Tomorrow.
II happened that the house Of Mr.. Entwis-
lie, one Of the neutrality-suspicious., had been
/ chosen By Mr.. Ball as a home; and Mr.. En-.
twi,tle had half a dozen nischievous daugh-
trrs. who were always spreading some story
of the masters queer dOings. They declared
however small might be the bit Of candle with
which they furnished him at bedtime, he al
ways had light IN his room mtil midnight;
and the story vas corroboratsd by the nolori'
Gus fact that it was impossible to make noise
enough 10 arouse Mr.. Ball before eight o'clock
ia tie morning, When he swallowed the half
] -f q l--. lf.-, r...rv.y to- tin, bv Ar. H
,wistc, and had but inst time to reach the
schoal-house before tie clock struck uiue.-
THIS encroachment upon country customs
produced much remark; for nothing is so uni
yeTsul among settlers as very early hours both
at evening" and morning.
The girls 1T Mr.. EntwistIe's had made ma
ny a sly attempt to discover what 1t was that
occupied Mr.. Ball so late at night, hut never
could find an article of any description about
the room, every thing being carefully shut up
in Il large chest with a prodigiuus lock, and
hinges whose clasps half covered the top. As
it to secure untold treasures. In vain did
they raise false alarms to hing The muster
down stairs peep through the k~ey-hOle when
they heard the great lock turn; and |contrlve
reasons Why the mysterIous chest must be
opened IN their presence. Mr.. Ball walked
unconscious. aud WAS as If he heard them no.'
" hen asked the direct questlon-a>wr blush
to say he WIS more Than Once-as 10 what
the great chest had in it, he answered sim
ply. Nothing much
This was not to be endured. Any attempt
at privacy is considered prima (aoie evidence
Of guilt; and it began to be whispered that
there must be something very wrong about
Mr.. Balls chest.
Now when Western people begin tt 'sus-
roat ,I,,t et,t, Ialf w-U No tribes
are thought of; but if a man Is suspected of
anything, it as likely 10 be If stealing. coun.
terfeiiing. or any one of the seven deadly sins,
as of any venial offence. So ere long the
opinion began to be entertained that II was
SnmtJ03B's duty to fud out what was in the
chest, in order to come ati!Ie masters reasons
loi sitting up so late at night.
This idea once started 1t was not difficult
to decide upon The act; and on a Saturday al
t%ernoon. when the school-master as congrat-
ulating himself upon having finished his
weeks work, and had locked his door in his
usual mysterious manner. he was surprised
to be called down stairs TO a visitor.
The most efficient man in our ~neighbor
hood was Deacon Bradley not a bona .Ei,
deacon. but so.called because he exercised {
sort of half paternal, half spiritual jurisdiction
on the score ef his own slrictntss. and The
fact that he occasionally cXhorled In meeting
when no minister WAS present. This worthy
person had been selected as the Spokesman
Of those whose consciences were troubled OF
account of the supposed misdeeds of MIR. Ball
He sat with Mr.. Entwislle in tho 'squafs
ROOM" and both received Mr.. Ball with al
air at once solemn and fidgetty. They feI
: sure that they were in the night path. guard
in. the morals Of the community yet, they
= a..t...I- Fl, -, I,,s1.. ,-t.-tyi,r 40 l., ION. IL,
master would relish their Interference is hi
afrairs. SO they humid and ha'd-to use Mr.
Balls own account of the sceue-and dive.
so long upon the state Of The weather and tn
prospects for next summer, M the delinQuen
began to conclude the visit was intended i'm
ply as a mark Of respect, aad his naiurd
u swell was doubtless not a Iiule increased.
= At lrn1th, however. Deacon Bradley an
i preached The real subject, by means of som
y very adroit remarks upon the dreadful effect
of wickedness in general, and especially {
= certain particular offences at which he NOR
than hinted. Mr.. Ball assented to all thes
/, observations with great readiness, adding crs
tuitousIy some severe structures of his ow
- upon the sins in question. The deacon the
touched upon irregular habits as very ant
. lead to evil; very soon came down upnn lat
:; hours as belonging TO this class. and close
- a somewhat formal address by a direct charp
. upon the school-inaster, of setting a bad ?,
=, ample md exciling the suspicion Of the neigl
- borhood, by his odd ways'of locking his doc
r. and never letting any body see the inside
~ his chest!
or II may be supposed that this attack did "
- meet a very amiable response from one ust
lr 10 awful rule. supremacy and sway" ~
ne who was conscious that he knew a good De
.r- more Of "or,hngraphy. etymolorv. svnt
ed and prosody," than his lecturers. 10 say moi
We ing Of arithmetic and a smattrring of surve
ing. lie clustered a good deal, and stoI
upon his rights, and wondered what husine
49, il was Of anybody's what he did when scho
was over; hut the old folks stuck 10 IN,
a, point with such portinaciry. that Mr., b
- At length found nothing would clear
70 hme but exhibiting the contents of the ia
il, chest.
So he marched Mr.. Entwisl'e and the J.,