The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-07-21
For the National Era.
sroprvs FOR CHILDREN AND POETS.
lCoNTINUED.l
BY ELIZA J.. sPROAT.

lcoNTNuED.
3Wben all was quiet and began to coo
aown Il came to me slowly, that had beer
acting rather q foolish part | had been aggra
vstins. and could hardly blame Tom Slouchel
for being angry, but at the same time didn'
want to fight him. hate fighting; never
ENGAGED in a fight in sll my life, that didn'i
SsS mean and degraded afterwards. Bu
,har tn give up after all that Dragging! Be
s;Jas | tet that if / yielded to Sloucher now
+ sbould be oysrridden and bulIied by him a.
LONG AZ stayed in the school. Well, thought
and thought, and couldn't make up my mind
One minute resolved to keep my promise, the
next TO stand by my principles and 80 see
saved between honor and credit, which, lin
school at least) are very apt not to go to.
gether as they certainly ought to get fellow
Comfortably through the world.
81 left it this way I didn't say Il won't
fight | said | won't fight, unless the tempta.
ton is too great for human boy to resists
when we were out for little noon, | no
tced Sloucher and several of the first classers,
sitting in what we used to call our Office "a
roof of plank boards laid over the top rails at
the angle of the yard fence, and plank seats
inside. They were whispering mysteriously,
and every now and then Sloucher would sneak
glance at me; then Harry Anderson left
them, and came leaping over to me, with his
face very red, and put his arm round me, and
began to speak fast and angry. But Mr..
Shakespeare's little moons were short, and Just
that minute the bell rang, and we we're in our
seats till twelve o'clock
You all know how thick used to be with
Harry Anderson. Well, felt sure that if he
knew anything that ought to know, he would
find some way to tell me, and 80 he did. We
sat at opposite ends of the room, and leaving
seats was not allowed but saw him write
something on slip Of paper, and roll it up,
and put it in his tin pipe, that he had for blow.
ing-at least--well, spit,balls
Harry didn't often break rules, but this time
he made an exception pretty soon the master
turned his back, and something shot through
the air and there was little roll of paper
lying on my slate.
opened it it said-'T. S. says you're a
coward, and he is going to prove it. H. a.
Twelve CLOCK came, and we all went shout
ing and tumblng into the school yard, basket
IN hand, for many of US came too far to 90
home to dinner and we Neutrality-suspicious. (flrst
classers) almost always stayed from choice.
The little fellows went to playing and eat
ing In all directions, and Bill Smith rang q
6ell-an old COW bell, that we always kept in
ehe oihce-to call the Washingtonians together.
NOW, thinks ], my time is coming, as
walked 70 the Office; tried to square the old
account between honor and credit. knew
y We 81 enough that there would be no honor in
nshtihg with Sioucher, .pd felt, too, that 1
had been in the wrong; but at the same time
he was such dsagreeable bully, and knew
80 we'll what the class would think if retract-
ed, that at last | made up my mind that this
seemed to be the one case where the tempta-
ton waS too great for human boy to endure /;
and by that time reached the Office
No fight at all only proposition from
SOucher to adjourn to the Cauldron, half
mile up the creek, and find place among
those rocky woods to eat our dinner felt
SO pleasantly all at once towards Tom, that
walked up to him, and held out my hand; but
be put his behind him, and when looked at
his eyes, saw the old snake expression, that
half the boys in the school had known, to their
sorrow.
awe went up the creek some twenty of us
twelve w ashingtonians, and some of the smaller
Fry They called themselves ashingtonians,
toe, but We thought it was rather too much
for them to be initiating us in everything, 80
we had their name changed to 'Tonys'
swell, we reached the Cauldron, and iaid
down our baskets under the trees. Some went
right at their dinners, and two or three climb
u the ing rock that directly looks over the
Cauldron.
q have often wondered how it was, when
this place is known to be the curiosity Of the
region, that no one has ever published de-
scription of it; however, the world shall have
one if it can wait till am man.
lay fat on my breast as have often done
before, and stretching over the rock, looked
down into the Cauldron; on the top the sun
beats down rather hot, but gloriously and a
little way down, the rocks are all alive with
flowers they soon begin to thin of, the stone
grows black and shiny, here and there the
walls Of the chasm almost join, and through
The cletts you hear the rafting and booming,
ana catch ghmpses Of hurrying MACS OF
blackness below.
They do say that this torrent, which seems
70 De always roaring up from the central earth,
reaching gasping a moment wildly for the
hght and then for evermorc pushing blindly
on through the under darkness laboring on
instructive to the sea---Where was Oh
.ney 90 say that this has no connection with
'he regular creek, whose course winds quietly
somewhat TO the south
In one place the chasm widens; the waters
roar up louder, 6ercer, higher, mad to swal-
low the burning sunshine into their darkness
but they never reach il though in the July
Moons it creeps down the chasm, and sits and
mocks within foot Of their striving.
oh, well now, what am | saying all this
LOT The fact is, sir, ever since the day when
you forbade my leaping the Cauldron again
,.nas time when | was drowned,) have had a
sort OF insanity on the subject"
oh master ALI" quoth win, 1you're
ss,iihg humbug You wasn't drowned at
"n, OF how could you be here this evening %
cous S os i, drowned" said Alfred grufly, tena-
pered Emma. ''''" NC 20 iA'nor "h'S'
bo = unns," said Mr. B. rcflectiyely. athat
a &c - JUSTIFIED in using the expression, yes
0onslder that Alfred was fairlv drovned &
would suggest said Mrs r athat the
nal Tor another story ''~ VINO
80 Alfred proceeded:
yon -. was saying sir, that ever since made
ias,; WI. promise that spot has been a sort Of
t to ~s va 1t haunts me at school; il oomes
waIs 10 The playground; sometimes, when j
riVb, o@ the night | feel a. IL must start
iust oa up the creek, and take one other try,
iii. see If could get across without falling
tb;nL al very foolish, know but yet, do
wba, Sr, II you would 70 with me, or take
once mecaations you pleased, only let me try
bann; more 70 cross that Cauldron, should be
iN Tor i all my life.
Aboo, ow, III tell you how the thing ID done
vat. every half hour comes time when the
force are lover; just for . moment, come
dow rom below seems 10 suck tho torrent
Won Just Tor moment, and in that moment,
taIss Jutt'ng out pieoe of solid rock, that
dow you hall way across tho chsmn you leap
AZ ~ one spring TO that, ono moro 70 snatch
tbsn mo "ugh black weeds On the opposite wall,
up from weed 70 weed, for the rock itssli