The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1861-01-16

phlZ, or too ignorant, were plottlng- the
most effectual means of gaining their
wish. Among other, plans, an article was
written by one of them. and presentedto
him with the polite request that he would
sign it, but he Indignantly refused to. do
so, aud threatened to thresh the whole
troop Of them for their most consumate
impudence. School was called immedi>
ately, and stricter rule was never kept
than was there until evening. How those
large boys sweat. before that huge fire all
that long and weary afternoon, and svore
vengeance dark and deep! How those
little ones forced TO sit on hard seats, and
paw over hard lessons, seeking ideas they
could not comprehend, wished they were
big boys until they could show the teacher
what they could dol How those girls
wished and wished again that there was
no school or school teacher under the
wide heavens! At last the long wished
for time arrived, and the word Of d;smis-
sal was given; and in spite of the angry
command to the contrary, a wild dIprolong-
ed hoop burst from every throat as soon
as the glistening snow met their eager
gaze through the open door, and trusting
to their heels for security each and every
one of them bounded away in the happy
joyousness Of fyeuth. sdn83es4 .re7-lg.&
The teacher stood in the door way, and
watched the retreatiDg forms as long as
visable when he re. entered the house, and
closed the door, muttering that he, in his
whole life, never had seen such boys.
Little did he think of what was in the
brains. of those young madcaps as they
fed so swiftly from the presence of their
teacher. O Little did he think of the well
laid plans of revenge they had concocted
while he was Furnishing them for asking him
to treat or the gray hairs of his head
would have stood apart from the black
ones in anger.
The boys though leaving the school
house in as many different directions as
the compass has points, by some mysteri-
Gus chance all met again in deep wood
covered hollow, about half a mile away,
and proceeded in business like manner to
organize their meeting for the purpose of
discussing the question under considera>
tion. What would be the best plan to make
their teacher treat? The newly elected
president went off in a regular set speech,
and after going around the point consid-
erably recommended fastening the teacher
in the house, and keeping him there until
he would be willing, nay glad, to treat.
Others followed in the same tenor, after
whichthe votes of those present were taken
and the result was, the teacher had to be
fastened in while he was building fire in
the morning. After appointing com,
mittee to attend to the duty the meeting
: adjourned, and the woods rang again with
the shouts of the departing school boys
i Morning came, and oh, but it was cold
? cold as Greenland, cold as an iceberg. as
f the unsuspecting Debolt wended his way
5 from his tidy little cabin beneath the hill
! along the narrow path beaten in the sn ou
5 by bis faithful feet, to the school house tt
}, build a fire, before the scholars arrived
= The wide. old-fashioned fireplace had beer
t true to its trust. for when the ashes wer,
e partly removed, there lay in glowing
e heap, embers enough to warm dozen hal
s frozen men, on which he placed some log
s that be had carried in the previous even
ing. and soon the whole mass was al
J. aglow with burning fame which dancet
e about it in a thousand fantastic shapes
: The committee of the meeting th
g evening before was not idle all this time
i for while the old man was busy with th
e fire, they were carrying wood from th
e aforesaid pile and heaping it in regula
y order against the door, which fortunatel
. for them opened outward; and before b
IS noticed their work, he was completely i'm
l. prisoned, for the window was not of suff
e cient width to permit him to pass out tha
d way, even if he had been so inclined, an
d the sides of logs were as impenetrable
e him as the walls of Gibraltar. In val
n he threatened. and shook his stick at thel
l. through ths window. They had throw
d off his authority, and they de6ed all hi
IS power, as thoy danced and yelled besoI
Is his face, and impudently told him the
J.. now he would have to act the man an
,s treat like gentleman. He saw the ls'
lc leSSueSS Ot his WFaLu, anu ldyluR uOW
Is bis rod, composed himself on a seat, an
e for a while gazed EN- u 'o21 'Le
10 Glow rows Of desk and bench; the form,
% Ve stain'd GU ffa9't 2 10 s''a-''l7
e And streak'd with blots and trickles of drie
"A 90 ink; v1smgEHI - 1suaoe d
Lumberd with maps and states, and wei
thumbed books, ..;...sr =
"a And d-carv'd with rude initials"
'' Then picking up stray Reader, he WI
soon wrapt in the beauties of some favo
lite author. This was too much for II
keen ardor of the boys to stand, for the
a. saw that they were about to be beaten
!" their own game, as he, they well knew, WI
Id all patience when he wished; and b
IT. well-6lled basket hung from its acou
ne toned peg on the wall, and the corn
On was piled with wood, ready to supply b
I'd wants for the next twenty-four hours,
es least.
y, The cold now became pinching to Il
ht hovs as thev .scemnersd around tho h On G