M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1860-03-01
COnfOumd Ii,

Bob Graham OF I, is one of the
heartiest, bravest, good, patured fel.
lows to be found on this side OF Jordan
and is not to be frightened before he
lis hurt, by any means. Bnt when
Bob WAS n boy. he was one of the most
sensitive, tRid, shame faced little
sliayers it was ever my bad luck to
make cry. Bob and | were school
mates in 1885, ard We logged along
over the crooked paths to knowledge
at an even gait; but then he was such
a trembling creature that it used to
make my juvenile heart ache 70 see
him stammering and bldshihgto the
top Of his head when any one spoke
sternly to him. Bob's pretty little sis.
ter, Constance, (she's woman now,
bless herD went TO the same school,
and "Con," as we used to call her,
was the pet OF everybody. 1t was
"Con" here, and "Con" there, where.
ever she went. Bob and his sister
were the special favorites of the teach,
er, yet he scrupulously avoided show.
ling anything like partially, and some.
times spoke so magisterially to poor
Bob that the modest fellows hair used
to stand up fairly.
But | must tell you a story about
Bob. lie sat next to "Con" in the
schoolr ,oln one day, when she touch.
cd some hard substance with her feet,
aud STOPPING, picked up an old fash.
ioned silver pencil. aH
"Lct mS see that, Con-" whispered
Bob, and added almost immediately,
"why, it's Mr.. Browns" D
Now, Mr.. Brown was our teacher,
and he Glanced to glance toward Bob,
just as Bob received the pencil. Hav-
ing lost said pencil very mysteriously
he concluded that Bob had taken the
liberty to "crib" it from his desk, and
it was very harshly that ne said:
"Robert Graham, come up here"
Unhappily, Bob could not have felt
worse had he been detected in the very
act Of rObbing a hen roost, and his
face fairly glowed, as he walked up to
the throne OF the pedagogue.
Robert said Mr. Brown, with
awful solemnity, "give me that pen
Gil" .... 81
Bob laid it on the outstretched palm
in a yerysncaking manner,stammering
as he did SO:
"T-there it is, sir Con found I'll"
Old Brown fairly etaggersd into his
chair, while his eyes assumed a size
decidedly extensive. .....
"What!" he exclaimed, catching
his breath. 80 .a..
Bob 5 lip began to culver, but he
managed to say; ...u..-
That's y-y-yOur pencil, sir-COn
found III" .,
This was too much for the peda.
gogue. lie raised The lid Of his desk,
rested it on his bald pate, and fun.
bled around among confscated tops,
marbles and trecrackers, until he
found his rattan.
"l'll teach You to SaCear, my boy"
he said savagely; "lie over my knee,
sir"
Poor Bob broke down in earnest
then, and blubbered:
''I--I-I didn't sir--please s-sir."
"Don't tell a lie," thundered the
master, holding back for a mo-
ment. "What did you say about that
pencil9"
Ell only said Con found the pen.
cil!P groaned the wretched Bob.
In an instant, old Brown had him
by the collar and was pulling him
over the stool of repentance. 1t was
a critical moment; the merciless rattan
was already Autterng in the air, like
an extremely thin bird of prey, pick
lag out q good fat chicken before it
swooped, when little Constance sprang
from her scat, crying:
'4Please, Mr. Brown, don't whip
Bob, /. found the pencit on the floor"
The light of truth flashed upon old
Browns mind in an instant; the rat
tan dropped to the floor, closely fol-
lowed by Bob.
"You seel didn't lie Con fond
IT," sobbed the poor boy, picking him
self up.
go to your seat; I'll see you about
it after school, said the discolnitted
master. But he didn't, and that was
the last Of it.
a Young lady of extraordinary in
canacities recently addreas.