The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1860-02-29

one story putting, DefcHcu on u Dare
rock at the top Of hill-partly because
this was a conspicuous sight for the tenn
| pie of learning, and partly because land
is cheap where there is no chance for ey-
en- rye or buckwheat. and the very sheep
find nothing to nibblo. About the little
porch were carved initials and dates, ut
various nights, from the stature ef nine
to that OF eighteen. Inside were old I'M
painted -unpainted, but Drowned
with the amber of human contact-and
hacked Ivy innumerable jack-knives.-
It was long since the walls had been
whitewashed, us might be conjectured by
the various traces left upon them, where
ever idle hands or sleepy heads could
reach them. A curious appearance was
noticeable on various higher parts Of the
wall, namely, wart like eruption, as one
would be tempted to call it, being in re-
atty crop of the soft missiles before
mentioned, which, adhering in considera-
Die numbers, and hardening after the u
sual fashion ofpGper mache, formed at
last permanent ornaments of tho edilice.
The young masters quick eye soon
noticed that particular part of the wall
was most favored with these ornamental
appcndagcs. Their position sufficiently
pointed TO the part ofthe room they came
from. In fact, there was hest of mutt
neers Just there, which must be broken up
by a coup detGt. This was easily eff5c-
ted by redistributing the seats and arran-
/ ging the scholars according to classes, so
that mischievous fellow, charged full of
the robellious impondorable, should find
j.. himself between two non-conductors, in
the shape of small boys of studious hab-
its. 1t was managed quietly enough, in
such plausible sort Of way that its mo
tive was not thought of. But its effects
were soon felt; and then began system
correspondence by signs, and the throw
ing Of little scrawls done up in pellets, and
announced by preliminary aims, to call
the attention of the distant youth address
ed. Some of these were incendiary doc
uments, dtvoting the schoolmastar to the
lower diuinities, rs ga --stuck-up dan
dy," 80 --purse-proud aristocrat,' as
so sight too big for his, etc, and
holding him up in variety Of equally
forciblc phrases to the Indignation of the
youthful community of School District
/. No. l, Pigwacket Centre.
Presently the draughtsman of the
school set caricatule in circulation, Ia
bcIlod, to prevent mistakes, with the mas
ter's name. An immense bell-crowncd
hat, and long, pointed, swallow tailed
coat, showed that the artist had in his
mind tho conventional dandy, as shown
in prints of thirty or forty years ago rath-
or than any actual human aspect Of the
time. Bat it was passsd round among
the boys and made its laugh, helping Of
course 10 undermine the masters author
! ity, as Punch or the Charivari takes the
dignity out of an obnoxious minister
! One morning, on going to the school
room, Master Lqngdon found an enlarged
copy of this sketch, with it's label, pinned
on tho door. He took it down, smiled =
little, put it into bis pocket, and entered
| the school room. An insidious silence
prevailed, which looked as if some plot
were brewing. The boys were ripe for
mischief, but afraid. They had really no
fault to find with the master, except that
he was dressed like gentleman, which
q certain class of fellows always consider
q personal insult to themselves. But the
older ones were evidently plotting, and
more than once the warning, aim, was
heard, and dirty little scrap of paper
rolled into wad, shot from one seat to
another. One of these happened to hit
the stove funnel, and lodged on the mas
ter's desk. He was cool enough not to
seem to notice it. He secured it, howev-
err, and found an opportunity to look at
it, without being observed by the boys
1t required no mediate notice.
He who should have enjoyed the priv
ilege of looking upon Mr.. Bernard Lang
don the next morning, when his toilet was
a5out half finished, would have had g
very pleasant grstuitous exhibition
First he bucklod the strap of his trousers
pretty tightly. Then he took up pail
of heavy dumb-bells, and swung them fol
a few minutes; then two great 'IndiaI
Clubs" with which he enacted all sort
of impossible looking feats. His limb
were not very large, nor his shoulders re
markably broad; but if you knew a
much of the muscles as all persons VIII
8 IooI- Of s4atilas and Dicfurcs with cTItIca