The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1860-02-25

the fair who have once beheld them from
their windows in the epaulettes and plumes
ard seashes of the ssPigwaeket Invincibles,"
Or the s.Hackmatack Rangers. Sc
Master Langdon took his seat and began
the exercises of his school. The smaller
l,rsva recited their lessons we'll enough, but
some of the larger ones Eers negligent and
surlv. He noticed one OF two of them
looking toward the door, as if expecting
somebody or something in that direction.
At half-past nine o'clock Abner Briggs, Jr.,
who had not yet shown himself. made his
appearance. He was followed by his .tyal-
lab dogs without his nuzzle, who sQuattedl
down very grimly near the door, and gave
a Wolfsh look round the room, as If he /
were considering which was the plumpest
boy to begin with, The young butcher,
meanwhile, went to his seat. looking some
what flushed, except round the lips, which
were hardly as red as common, and set
pretty sharply -
..Put out that dog, Abner Briggsl'' The
master spoke as the captain speaks to the
helmsman, when there are rocks foaming at
the lips, right under bis lee.s sa5I-ss s
aAbner Briggs answered as the helmsman
answers when he knows he has a mutinous
crew around him that mean to run the ship
| on the reef, and is .one,of the mutneers
himself. "Put him aout y'rseIf, # ye amt
afeared on him.l'' - os7s ~ sz
The master stepped into the aisle. The
great cur showed his teeth, and the devil
| ish instincts of his old Wolf-ancestry looked
out of his eyes. and flashed from his sharp
tusks and yawned in his wide mouth and
deep red gullet. ~. EfE
| The movements of animals are so much
quicker than those of human beings CON-
monty are, that they avoid blows as easily
as one of US steps out of the way of an OK
cart. 1t must be a very stupid dog that
let's himself be run over by a fast driver in
his gig; he can jump out of the wheels
way after the tire has already touched him.
| So, while one is lifting stick to strike, or
drawing back his foot to kick, the beast
makes his spring, and the blow or the kick
i comes too late. b. ~ - sv.1asa...
Tt was not SO this time. The master was
fencer, and something of boxer he had
played at singlesticks, and was used to1
watching an adversary's@ eye, and coming
down on him without any of those premon-
itory symptoms by which Impractical per-
sons show long beforehand what mischief
they mediate. 7s e,ia4
'sOut with you ~ he said fercely-and
explained what he meant by a sudden flash
of his foot that clashed the yellow dogs
| white teeth together, like the springing of a
bear-trap. The cur knew he had found his
master at the first word and glance, as low
animals on four legs, or smaller number,
always do, and the blow took him so much
| by surprise that it curled him up in an in
slant, and he went bundling out of the open
school house door, with most pitiable yelp,
and his stump of a tail shut down as close
as his owner ever shut the short, stubbed
blade of his jackknife.
1t was time for the other cur to find who
his master was. 80 ts
"Follow your dog, Abner Briggs !" said
Master Langdon.
The stout butcher youth looked round,
but the rebels were all cowed, and sat still.
''I'll go when I'm ready" he said-'''n
guess l won't go afore I'm ready"
you're ready now" said Master Lang
don, turning up his cuffs so that the little
boys noticed the yellow CLEAN of pair of
gold sleeve buttons, once worn by Colonel
Percy Wentworth, famous in the Old French
War.
Abner Briggs, Junior, did not apparently
think he was ready, at any rate, for he rose
in his place and stood with clenched fists,
defiant, as the master strobe toward him.
The master knew the fellow was really
frightened, for all his looks, and that he
must have no time to rally. So he caught |
him suddenly by the collar, and. with one
great pull, had him out over his desk and
on the open floor. He gave him a sharp
fling backwards, and stood looking at him.
The rough and-tumble fighters all cliach,
as everybody knows and Abner Briggs,
Junior, was one of that kind. He remem-
bered how he foored Master Weeks, and
he had just ''spunk'' enough left in him to
try to repeat his former successful expert
ment on the new master. He sprang at
him open-handed, to clutch him. So the
master had to strike--once, but very hard, |
and just in the place to tell. No doubt, the |
authority that doth hedge schoolmaster
added to the effect of the blow; but the
blow was itself neat one, and did not re-
quire to be repeated.
.Now go home," said the master, .'and
don't let me see you or your dog here
again." And he turned his cuffs down
over the gold sleeve buttons.
This finished the great Pigwacket Centre
school rebellion. What could be done with
a master who was so pleasant as long as the
boys behaved decently, and such terrible
fellow when he got ''riled,' as they called
it In weeks time, everybody was re-
dueed to order, and the school committee
were delighted.
LEES HAPP1EsT PERIoD.-There is no
pleasure that have ever experienced like
child's midsummer holiday. The time, I
mean when two or three of us used to 90
away up to the brook, and take our dinners,