The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1852-06-10
THE SCHO0LMASTER.
BY WHITTIER.

jeremiah Paul was short. round person
age, with "a quick, had almos, said spite
fl Little gray eyes, bald head IN front,
.ni d short stiff cue behind. lie was &
wonderful man 70 look at, and his history
vas ITO l,ss so than his person. a, one
period he was the village schooimas'er, E
rarc ped9uogue aud learned; il is sand n't
ncok and TIC Psa'ter, bat also uiih saci
iitlicui, nnhemaiieal problems as arc Gem
pretended ia the sbrjgemen, oi Pkess
Arithmetic. II NAV he readily suppose
lhat such ripe and rare scholar w"ulc
MOI be suffered 70 remain long IN obscurIly.
ind accordingly in his sortisth year, h.
was honorgd with the office, and enriched
with The emolumen's appcrtaininr TO 10
iess dignity than Justice If The Peace.
But ~e are getting ahead ot our s,nrs.
aud with the readers permission. we viii
- back few years, aud introduce him L
he who was afterwards wife If MIR. Paul.
She, too, Was an uncommon character, i,
.rea,. good na,ured. hnndsome roGp whp
used 10 attend school on purpose, to use
her own phrase, SO plague Master Jerry
And, verify sho was a plague. She used
10 bounce in and out whenever she pleas
ID; size piuched The boys, linked the faces
of The boys aud girls, and finally, 20 such a
pitch did her audsei,y arrive, that she
even presumed to lay hands on the nicely
adjusted cue Of the dominic himself.
Jeremiah was leaning over his desk in .
musing attitude, engaged in profound
mathematical! calculation, respecting the
probabie value Of the tenant of his land
lords pig sly. when this outrage took place
He had already placed the suhjec, in .
half dozen difIeren, attitudes before hi,
minds eye, and was just on the point OF
committing his iucubrstions to the irag
meats of a slate, upon which his elbow
was resting, when vigorous jerk at the
appendage Of his pericranium, started him
lit upright in a minute, and drew from
hin cry no, unlike that Of the very ami
nal which was tho subject Of his scientific
coglta,ions.
Jeremiah did not swear, for he was an
exemplary and eharch-going pedagogue
bot his coun,enance actually blackened
with rage and anguish, rs he gazed hurri-
edIy aud stcrnly around him; and the i'll,
suppressed laughter of his disciples added
not little to his ehugrin.
Who? who2 who2 ] say He could
ar,icnIa,e no more. lie was nearly chok.
I'd with passion.
.Tha, great ugly giIl there who pinches
nc so.' said little ragged urchin, with a
Iir,y face.
Jeremiah confronted the fair delinquent,
but j, WIS plain, from his manner. tia, he
would rather have under,aken the correc,
ton of the whole school beside, than that
E the incorrisible offender in question. -
His ip,errogating glance was met BY .
ook in which i, would have been difficult
to say whether good nature or imper,i,
nenco predamina,ed.
Did you meddle with my cueT said the
dominic; hu, his voice troubled, his sItua-
ton was peculiarly awkward.
"I-i-what do you suppose ! want o
vour cue?" and a queer smile played along
her mouth, Tor = pretty one she had, ane
wha. is worse, the dominic himself though
50. Jeremiah, seeing that be was abon, 4
lose his authority, hemmed twice, shool
his head at such of the rogues as wert
laughing immoderalely at their master.
porp'exi,v, and reaching his hand to hi,
rcrule, said, Give me your hand miss
Ills hear, misgavc him as be spoke. Thu
fair white hand was instant'y protlarca
aud as gently too as that Of modern be'''
qta cotiltion party. Jeremiah took It; II
was a pretty hand; and then her lace
here was something ia its expression
,hich seldom failed 10 disarm the peda
gogpe's anger. lie locked frs. at her h,nt
then a, her face, expressive OF rogutsi
confidence, then a, his ferule, a heavy IN
strumen, of torture, entirely unfit to hol
compspionship with tho soft fair hand bel