The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-05-02
Reading FOR Little Folks-The Tyrant
OF ThurstOn school.
ny GEORGE D. ELpRIpaE.

and every boy on the ground looked round
In surprise. Never, in the traditions o
the school, had such thing happened be
fore. Dick Halliday turned red and white
by turns, with anger. That boy, and he,
too, both smaller and younger than him
self, should dare disobey his command
was entirely beyond his comprehension
The idea that anything save mere brute
force had any influence in this world, nae
never entered his head before, and II dio
not even now. clustering up to the little
boy, who stood regarding his fury so caimfy
and shaking his fist near his face, nc eA'
claimed
800 you mean to say that you won't dc
as bid your"
"Yes.'
Calm and cool, as if nothing unusua
had happened; but there was no mlstahing
that word; no chance for compromise
there. by twisting the meaning OF the an.
swer. and the consequence came as prompt
and unmistakable. One blow, as sudden
and swift as the flight of an arrow
stretched Edda, stunned and bleeding, on
the ground.
"For shame I" cried one, and the words
were echoed by every voice; but warn
inc. glance from the bully admonished them
that further expression of their feelings IN
that manner would be dangerous. There
had been no possibility of fight from the
first. for Edda was much too small to at
tempt to cope with so powerful fellow,
and Dick had known it as well as any OF
them: SO, having made a satisfactory dis
play of his courage and strength, he walk
ed away.
One of the largest boys went to Edda
and raised his head into his lap, while
another brought some water in his hat from
a spring near by. After he had recovered
from the bewilderment which the blow had
caused him, one of the boys that were
gathered round said, 81 should tell Dr.
Thurston, if I were YOU"
"No," said he, rising to his feet, 81
won't do that; father always told me to
fight my own battles, and l will"
"If you could only thrash him, there'd
be some sense in it; but that's entirely out
of the question"
"You will have to yield, as the rest OF
us have done," said another.
"No, | will not do that, either" and
there was look in his face that would have
told any reader of character that he meant
what he said. 81 am not used to being
tossed around that way"
"But you always accommodate us quick
enough when we ask you to do anything"
"That is quite different thing"
edward, or as the boys called him,
Edda Clark, had been member Of the
sThurston School less than fortnight !;
vet in that time he had gained great popu-
larity, which this incident served only to
increase, for Dick Halliday, the bully of
the school, was universally unpopular, al
though none dared dispute his rule. This
rebellion had been all the more unex-
pected, from the fact, as has been men,
toned, that there was not one among them
more unwilling to accommodate, seeming
to find more delight in doing for others,
vet when Dick had ordered him to bring
from the storeroom a bat which was left
there, the refusal had come prompt and
decisive.
1t was a matter of considerable discus
sion among the boys. To stand by and
see boy younger than themselves beaten
and knocked round by this great bully
was not exactly to their liking; it did not
seem quite honorable. To be sure, one of
them intimated that he had only to sub
init, as they had done, to escape but the
fact was, the boys admired his spunk, and
did not want to see it broken down. Be-
Sides" as Frank Haskell said with good
deal of truth, 1--WE ought to be ashamed Of
ourselves for having submitted so long,"
But the universal fear of Hallidays big
fists was too much, and they decided that
Edda must, as he said, fight his own bat
ties" and, as they could but see was in
evitable, at last submit, as they had all
done. Such a thing as combining their
strength against the common tyrant did
not occur to them.
About week after, Halliday came blus-
tering on to the playground in terrible
humor. Nothing seemed to please him,
and the boys soon saw that harsh words,
and it might be blows, would be freely
dealt out. Edda had just taken the bat,
and was ready to give the ball warm re-
ception, when Halliday, walking up be-
hind him, exclaimed You are outside
your ground, Clark"
Edda paid no attention to the boy, but
hit the ball fair and square, sending it fly
ing over the heads of the farthest players.
But Just as he started to make his run,
Halliday seized him by the arm, and pull
ing him round SO as to face him, said
"You didn't play fair. Why didn't you
change your ground when / told your"
Crank Haskell is umpire-not you,"
said Edda, struggling to get free.
"None Of your SarSe," said Halliday,
evidently DESTROYS of picking quarrel.
By this time all was confusion on the
ground. The game was broken up, and
the players gathered in ring around the
two. Just at this moment Frank Haskell
seemed to have come to sudden deter
mination; for, stepping inside the ring, he
said, in clear voice, Richard Halliday,
you have no right to interfere with our
game. 1t was for me, not you, to decide
whether be played fairly or not"
Halliday turned pale with anger. Evil
IDENTIFY things were coming to such pass
that he must do something or lose his
power. What that something was he did
not seem to doubt for moment, for he
doubled his fist and drew back his hand to
strike Edda; but before he could accom-
plish his purpose Frank sprang forward,
and seized the appraised arm and eXclaim-
ed, "We've had enough of that, Dick Hal
liday. Strike Edda again, and you'll be
sorry for it,"
"Be careful" said Halliday, wrenching
his hand away, "or you may get dose
yourself"
But things had gone too far for Frank to
back out now, and pushing Edda back
into the circle, he threw Oft his jacket,
and said, in calm, yet firm tone, "rm
not much used to fighting, but if you bully
o;t hnr Eddn or mo- arain IL will he after