Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1849-12-10
From the. Great West.
The Fat Girls Jump;
now TO DO UP SoNINAMBULfSM.

now TO DO UP soNINAMBULfsM.
By oFc
Twas just twelve years Of age, and the
most unequaled rogue for mischief that old
Kentucky could produce. 1t was at this.
time that ! was sent to a country boarding
school some thirty miles from my birth
place, Louisvile-and on agreeable school
1t was, Tor ii had but two departments, and
they simply consisted Of male and female.
Cur tutor and tutoress- were the kindest
souls in Christendoin, and never inflicted
a severer punishment than that Of sending
the guilty one TO bed supperless, or depriv-
ing him or her the privilege Of the recess.
Then there could be no wonder, in our i'm
posing upon such good nature-but for my
a1venlure.
There was only door (tha:, Of course,
locked) that separated the dormitory of
the boys and girls; but the kind builder
had not omitted to place ventilator over
this door, and as luck would have it, the
good mistress had covered it with small
green baize curtain upon our side. Alter
enjoying a fine dance upon the green, and
that, too, under the prettest rnoonigt that
ever, shone, we were assembled in the chap.
ell to prayer, and then sent to our separate
dormi,ores-the girls, some fifteen in
| number, taking one flight of stairs, while,
! we, eighteen TO twenty Of the greatest
scamps alive, took the opposite flight
our master and mistress returning to their
room. A few moments found all in bed,
and strange TO say, perfectly quiet. We
had lam SO but slight time, when we
heard sudden creak, like bedstead put
in violent agitation, and this was followed
by suppressed but general litter.
"By golly, boys, there's fun among the
gals | exclaimed, and here's what's go.
ing to have peep at 'en.''
| In moment every bed showed sitting
| figure. bounded out, and running softly
| to the keyhole-but the angels stuffed it
with rag, and that was no go.
"Neyef mind boys-easy now, and pll
give you all sight,
softly drew table and placed it against
the door, and with the greatest difficulty
small the chair made most too great a
stride for it. However, | mounted and
raising one corner Of the curtain, the whole
was visible to me.
! The girls had placed two beds six or
eight feet apart, and laid feather bed on
| the floor between them, and they were then
exercising themselves by jnmping from
one bed to the other. There was one very
fat girl. about as broad as she was long land
/ in no way calculated for physical exer-
tions; but she had got upon the bed and
stood swinging her arms to and iro making
every indication for desperate jump. By
this time was on the floor, and my place
a, the curtain supplied by another sprg of
mischief. He leaned down and whispered
the fat girl was going to jump.
"Oh golly!" said he, elf Fan only falls,
won't she roll over nice?'
| was determined to see this, and climb.
ing up a gain, we both occupied the 'totter-
ing piIe.' With one hand over our mouths,
and pinching our noses, TO prevent burst
of laughter, we Stood breathless, awaiting
the awful calamity .-.
"There she goes, byjingo!" | exclaimed
1 She didi,'t do it though--for her feetlast
resting on the round OF the bed, she bal.
anced but for a moment, AMI fell back.
wards, head down and feet in the air, roll.
ng and putting like a porpoise, but dis.
playing no mean agility for such an en-
barassiRg situation.
We could in no longer, but shook with
/ laughter. The chair tilted, and down all
came together, with crash like a young
peal of thunder.
.'To bed-to bed, boys,'' said l, "and
leave the rest to me-.
In np instant all was quiet; every body
in bed and sound asleep, with the exception
of mysalf. Oh! such attempts TO snore as
might have been then heard-but we were
all used to playing the possum, and l now
concluded to give the approaching tutor
and wife a sample of somnambulism.
"Now don't laugh for lhe world, boys,
and see me do the thing
+ raised the table on its legs, and getting
on it, was concluding my speech that had
written and committed to memory for the
day-and here the trainers of young ideas
entered, but still continued =
"Friends and fellow students. Over
whelmed as am with gratitude for youl
kind attention, cannot refrain from ex
pressing thanks, yes, warm and heartfe,
thanks; and to you, dear sir, this of course
meant the tutor, and at this point my va
cant staring eyes were upon him. vii
my heart yearn! | look upon this momen
of my life with pride that swells m,
young bosom almost to bursting; and wher
manhood shall close my youthful career
and my country shall call me to her hall
Of legislation, there will | exercise ever,
, , truth and virtue ins,illed into my heart b,
! your kind and fatherly tutoring. Thes
beyish tears of joy will yet swell to gush
ing stream of ambitious glory-and the
will | look back to these days, and wit
you uppermost in my thoughts, exclaim,-
.. "Twas you, yes, you sir-that made m
what | ami
"Bravo! bravo! my boy,' they both e,
: claimed.
! got off the table now, seeing had tn
game in my own hands; and walking slow
II ly up to the window, gave myself up t
> deep .sobbings, and really appeared muc
a. affected.
/ The tutor approached me and called m
=, slowly by name, but answered him no
h and turning slowly from him, ! walks
slowly to the other side of the room, avois
e e ing the rays of the lamp which the mistre