Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-10-16
SeIefted MisfeIIantt.
A PRACTICAL JOKE, AND WHAT
'{gft CAME OF 1T. III

Bloxam's peculiarities to treat his boys
with a confidence which never seemed to
admit the possibility of their abusing it.
Another of his peculiarities in the govern
ment of the school was the rigid determi-
4 nation with which he exacted the most
scrupulous neatness and order throughout
the whole establishment. He was like
Captain on board q man-of war. He
would have everything in its place.
Nothing annoyed him so much as any.
thing approaching to. slovenliness or neg
iigence. He reminded one sometimes of
the answer an old woman once made to a
gentleman, who was complimenting her
upon the extreme neatness of her little
cottage. "You know the old saying, Mrs.
Brown, that cleanliness is next to godli-
ness" eyes," was her reply, "and far
above it, as think" There was nothing
prying or fdgety in the doctors manners,
only nothing seemed to escape his eye. 1t
seemed to pain him to witness confusion
or want of>method. The consequence
was, that we all acquired the habit of put
ting everything in its place. Bats and
stumps were never pitched down any
where, when we came in from cricket
Caps were never tossed on the school-rOOm
table, for any one whom it might concern
to put away. The football was not left
out in the play ground when the game
was over. The training we thus received
was admirable, although we sometimes
thought it rather bore.
In the maintenance of this man -of-war-
like discipline the doctor was ably second
ed by humble member of his establish
ment, whom I must now introduce to the
reader Mary Garnett was a bright, neat
handed servant, whose duty it was to at
tend upon the boys in the dining-hall at
meal times. She was an unbounded IA
vorite, although she contrived to exercise
considerable authority. Many lad was
indebted to her for keeping him out of
scrape for her vigilant eye never over
looked any stray article which ought to
have been put away in its appointed place.
master Thornton" she would say,
Misses won't be best pleased if she sees
your wet towel lying on your bed" And
away Thornton would hurry to repair the
for him already. Master Borlase," she
would say again, "the doctor won't let you
keep rabbits any longer, if you let them get
out and run into the garden" And Bor-
lase, in his turn, would be off in great
trepidation, only to discover, to his relief,
that the gardener had already received
friendly hint, and the offenders had been
captured and returned to their hutch. 1t
was no wonder, therefore, that Mary was
favorite, and that her quiet ways of keep
ing things straight were thoroughly appre-
ciated.
1t happened that family affairs made it
incOnvenient for me to go home the last
Easter holidays before | left Hilibrow.
Borlase and Thornton were in the same
position as myself: and so, for nearly three
weeks, we were left very much to our
own resources to find amusement and
occupy our time. The doctor never ac-
cepted any invitation during the half year,
although he frequently entertained his
friends at his own house. But in the holi-
days he availed himself of the hospitality
of his neighbors. Our evenings, there
fore, during that brief vacation were often
entirely at our own disposal. A fair
amount of liberty was permitted us during
the day, so that we presented ourselves
at meal times, and our orders were to
be within bounds at o'clock in the even
ing.
Among the day-boarders who attended
our school was boy named John Bran
don. He was universally known by the
name of Jack. His father was surgeon
residing in the town, who had an excel
I lent practice, and was extremely popular.
Jack was intended for his fathers profes-
sion, and was already beginning to learn
it. 1t was his great delight to hold the
patients head while tooth was being
extracted. He was perfectly unmoved
when witnessing the most excruciating
agonies; not from any innate cruelty of
disposition, but simply because he was
himself almost insensible to pain. His
father used to say that he would have
made subject of his own hand and arm,
rather than go without. And this was not
altogether such an exaggeration as it
would SEEM for he had during several
weeks an open wound in his leg, brought
on by an accident, which must have
caused him intense pain every time it was
dressed; and yet he endured the oft-re-
peated torture without the quiver of a
muscle. This young enthusiast had an
old lumber room at the top of his fathers
house which he used to call the museum (;
and thither he had conveyed, from time to
time, a collection of the strangest odds
and ends that were ever brought together
IN the same apartment.
The doctors eouanamity would have
been seriously disturbed, if, by chance, he
had ever crossed its threshold and wit
messed its wild disorder A deal table near
the window was covered with worn out
surgical instruments, which it was Jacks
delight to sharpen for his own anatomical
studies. A tourniquet, carefully cobbled
up by his own hands, was special favor
ite; and II afforded him great pleasure to