The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1863-06-13

pair Of Sheets arrived at Mr. Straps board
ing school In the country, not far from the
town where be had hitherto resided. He
was little red-headed boy, with short sandy
hair, standing straight out like ashoe- brush
"a forehead half an inch Ligh--a little pug
nose--an enormous mouth-no eyebrows
and pair of small eyes, which looked green
in the morning and red at night. -Four of
his front teeth had been Knocked out fight
ing. He bit his nails half way down. so
that you could not look at them without set
ting your teeth on edge, His hands were
covered with warts, and he had shrill crack
ed voice Jim was sad fellow; and one
would think, from the number of whippings
he had received, must have led but sad
life of it, Il appeared, however. that he had
accommodated himself to his situation, and
that beaiyed amid his muItifarious fageIla-
tons almost unhurt, like a salamander Ia the
FIRE. He had been literally whipped through
life, and had become hardened to it., soul
and body, az camePs knees are to the sand !;
and though he screamed and kicked from
mere habit, you might see him two min
utes after one ofthese skin fay ing operations,
with a smile of unclouded comfort on his
face, or careless mirth, eating piece of
bread and butter, or playing marbles, or
humble the peg, with the first scaramouch
he met. He had been Injured, poor fellow,
TO all the forms and varieties of beating
Now it was a sudden whack on the ear, now
a dozen slaps on tie palm with fiat ruler
now a smart rap on the knuckles--now a
cuff, and now a kick. These were mere
chid's- play to those regular executions
which varied the monotony of every three
or four days, when 81 coat and vest of-stand
erect, sir and the birch was laid on till
the arm that welded it paused from fatigue
At these times, his outcries were won't to be
limited only by the quantity of his breath
and the power of his lungs; and the unfor-
tunate boy would shrek and roar till the
neighbors, disturbed, would shake their
heads obviously, and tell each other it was
g that Mrs. Costing licking poor little Jim. +"
Such was the lad sent by the overwearied
mother to Mr.. Strap-not more, if the
truth must be told, to get rid of heavy
trouble, than from curiosity to see what
Jim would do ID school where they " never
whipped"
On arriving at the school, Jim was let
loose among the rest of the boys to play.
He got into game of marbles, but his an
tagonists soon perceived that he +" cheated"
and turned him out. He then took to the
top, but the fellows" found that he had
brought into the area great, long-pegged
thing, that cut their handsome tops to pieces.
No reader that has ever been a boy, need be
told that this play consists in ones top being
spun in circle, while the rest are spun
down at ita-sometimes splitting the mark
quite in two. Jim's top, with his accurate
aim. split two or three, and the boys pro-
tested against such unequal chances. One
of the boys said it was like the horse cry
ing - Every one for himselfl" when be
danced among the chickens By and by
be was taken into game of ball; but, in
five minutes, a round stone, instead of the
ball. was flung with such violence at one OF
the small boys, as to knock him down and
infict upon him severe confusion. Jim
protested it was a mistake. Mr.. Strap
reasoned with him. He begged pardon, and
was forgiven. a.l5a,s % d Tia, ..-zgta.
The next morning the ropeof "tbe swing"
broke, while person who was swinging fell,
to the imminent danger of his life. 1t was
found that it had been cut two-thirds
through. In the afternoon the pair of globes
were scratched to pieces with nail or knife ;
and when the usher went to ring The bell
for bed, that necessary instrument was no
longer to be found. a chain of circumstan-
tial evidence fixed these things on James
Costing. Mr.. Strap took the boy into his
private room. -..
James
"Sir."
odd you scratch the globes?"
"No, SIR
DO you give me your word of honOr?'
eyes, sir
"Do you know what an oath is?''
eyes, SIR
''Should you be willing to swear?"
eyes, sir.''
Mr.. Strap then said:
any son. be candid, I do not believe you.
l know you to be the author of these delin-
quencies:"
James looked up into the mild face of his
instructor with assonishment.
z"If you will confess the truth, viii for
give you. Are you not guilty."
Eyes, SIR n 'a-.a fl7l H'd'. .@s.7 .@l si.
81 thought so. Now you have imagined
yourself here, doubtless, among enemies.
I wish to show you that you are not So.
We are all your friends. If you do wrong.
you do so against those who love you: Is
that right?" .aa5sk .,--.-zas zs.r - S. ssasaa
mo- ST. bae-d bas .5aeaal I'll.
"Well. then. am wiling to believe you
have done these things from bad habits
from want of refection-from ignorance of
the character of the instructors. pardon
you. Go down among your companions.
Be better boy for the future. shall never
have cause to complain of you again
Shall T?'' A fss.aa %
"No. sir:7' zs7 80 -ss1} l@.7Ds4 e
..Go. then. my dear child. Ramember