Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-06-05
The SChOOlmaStCr,
BY WHITTIER.

Jeremiah Paul was a short round person.
nre with quick, had almost said spitelill
little grey eye, n bald head IN front, and
short stiff cue behind lie wns wonderful
man to took nt, and his history was 10 less
SO than his person. AT one period he was
the village srhoomnster, Il rare pedngogue
and learned it is said not only familiar with
DlworiI's Spelling Book aud the P>alter,
hut also with such difficult mathematical
problems us nre cOmprelendcd IN the
nhri,lgcment Of Pixies Arithmetic. 1t nHy
he readily supposed that such a rare aud ripe
scholar would not be- suffered to remain lOug
IN obscuriiy. His talents were not of Nn or
der To blush unseen, aud accordingly IN his
fortieth year, inc was honOred with the office,
and enriched with the emUlumonls upper
tanning TO 10 less nignlary lIIau II Justice
of the Peace.
But we are getting ahead Of our story,
and with the Icahef's permission, we will 30
! back u few years and introduce him to the
wife OF Mr.. Paul. She, too, was nn uncom.
mon character, great, goOd-nalurcd, hand
sOlne rOup, who used 10 attend schupl Oh
! purpose, 10 use her own phrase, "t0 plague
! Master Jerry" Aud, verify, she was
! plague. She used 10 bounce in aud ont
/ whenever she plruscd; size piuchrd the bovs,
| inkrh the faces oi the girls, and finally, 10
such Il pitch dad her audarity arrive, that
she even presumed tu lay hands on the nicu-
! " adjusted cue of the dominic himself
/ jeremiah was leaning over his desk in
musiug attitude, engaged iu profound math-
/ ciuhlicHl calculation, Respecting the probable
value at the trnnnt OF his landlords pig sly,
when this outrage tOuk place. llc had al
ready placed the subject IN n lnll dozen dit
/ lcrent attitudes before his minis eye, aud was
lust on the point of committing his iucrihi-
tinus To the fragments nj slate, upon which
his elbow was testlng, when n vigorous jerk
nj the hairy appendage of his prricrdnlun,
started him bolt upright in Il minute, aud
drew FROM him cry not unlike that OF the
very nninnl which was the subject of his
scientific cogiiations.
Jeremiah did not swear, for he was an
exemplary aud church going prhngugue (;
hut his ruuutrnancc actually blarkcucd with
rage and anguish MS he gnzrd Iuirrdly aud
earnestly around him; aud the III suppressed
laughter of his disciples added not u lite
to his chngrn.
"Who; who? who? | say" lie could
Glliculnlc 10 more. lie was nearly chOked
With passion.
"Tnt great ugly girl there who pirchDs
me So" said n Little ragged urchin, with II
dirty face.
Jeremiah confronted The fair delinquent
5Iit it WAS plain, from his mnnucr that he
would rather have undertaken the correction
of the whole school brsila, thnn that OF the
iuCurrigibe oilcndcr in question. His in
terroguling glance wns met by look IN
which it would have been difficult TO sny
whether good nature or impcriinence pre-
dominated.
"Did you mcddlc will my cue;" said the
dominic; but his voice trembled, his siiua
ton was peculiarly awkward.
"l-l-wbat do you suppose want oI
your cue !" mud II queer smile played along
her mouth, for pretty one she Ind, and
what was wose, the dominic himself tho
so. Jeremiah, seeing that he was about To
lose his authority, ahcmmed twice, shook
his hcad at slch of the rogtIes as were
laughing immediately ut their masters per
plpAly, aud rcucling his hand to his 'er,le
said, Give me your hand, Miss" His hear
n-gnve him us lc spoke Tie fair whit,
baud WAS INSTANTLY proiirrcd, and us gently
too IT, iliat OF Il modern belle ut Il cOliliui
party. jeremiah took it; it was prelt,
Inud, very pretty hand; aud then her face
there WAS s0uetIliug in its expression whicl
seldom failed Ia dsarm the pedigpgur',
anger. lie looked first at her hand then Il
her face, expressive OF n rogui,h cOnlideLce
then at his icrue, heavy instrument of tor
: tlge, entirely unfit to hold compnuinnshiI
| with the soil fair hand held ia dnrance he
fore him. Never, in all the annals of ii
brchen authority had Jeremiah Paul expert
enced such pcrpieXiiy. lie lifted up Iii
right hand two or three times, aud US olieI
withdrew il.
"Nun will not strike me-" said the girl.
There was an artlrss confidence ia these
words, and the tone in which they were NJ
tered, that went to the heart of the peda
goguo. Like Mark Anthony before ihr
: heautiiill Cleopatra, or the fierce leader q
the Volscii before his own Virginia, the dom
nie rclentGd.
= "lf pardon you for this offence, you will
conduct yourself more prudenlly in future ?
II hope | SHALL" said the prudent yuuu
lady, and the master evnced his uflaciionni
Q sOlruIdr Tor Ihe welfare OF his pupil, Il
pressing the hand he had imprisoned, an
the iair owner expressed her gratitude ia
such condtscension, by returning the pre-.
sure.
They were nnrried just six months nitel
wards. So much for lenty in school disc
pline.
Many persods see c0rks used daily wiilor
N r..