Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-10-15
all tl.e time he was at Oar School.

able value, that was never ascertained,
never reduced to standard. To have a
great hoard of il, was somehow TO be
rich. Weused to bestow it in charity, and
confer it rs a precious boon upon our
chosen friends. When the holidays were
coming, contributions were solicited for
certain boys whose relatives were in India,
and who were appealed for under the
generic name of "lIoliday-stoppers. ~
appropriate marks OF remembrance that
should enliven and cheer them in their
homeless state. Personally, we always
contributed these tokens of sympathy in
the form Of slate pencil, and always felt
that it would be comfort and a treasure
TO them.
Our School was remarkable for white
mice. Rcd-polls, linnets, and even ca
naries, were kept in desks, drawers, hat
boxes, and other strange refugees for binds;
but white mice were the iavortc stock
The boys trained the mice, much better
than the masters trained the boys. We
recall one white mouse. who lived in the
cover of Latin dictionary, who ran up
ladders. drew Roman chariots, shouldered
muskcts, turned wheels. and even made
very crcditablc appearance on the stage
as the Dog Of Montargis. He might have
achieved greater things, but for having
the misfortune To mistake his way in
n triumphal procession 10 the Capitol,
he fell into deep ink.stand and was
dvcd black and drowned. The mice were
the occasion of some most ingenious en-
gincering, in the construction of their
houses and instruments Of performance.
The famous one belonged TO n Company
of propric,orS. some Of whom have since
made Railroads. Engines and Tclcgraphs
the Chairman has erected mills and bridg-
cs in New Zealand.
The Usher ut Our School, who was con-
sidcred To know everything a. opposed To
the Chief, who was considered to know
nothing. was a bony, gentle faced, cleri-
cal looking young man in black ii was
whispered that he WAS sweet on one of
Maxhy's sisters (Maxby lived close by,
and WAS day pupiD aud further that hc
favored Maxby." A. we remember he
taught Italian to MAxby's sisters ON
halfholidavs He once went Ia the play
with them, and wore \ white waiStcoat
AMI A rose which was considered among
Us rs equivalent TO q declaration. We
were Of opinion on that occasion, that To
the last moment he expected MaXby'S
father 10 ask him 10 dinner Mt five o'clock,
and therefore neglected his own dinncrat
bali past one. and finally got none. We
exaggerated in our imagnations the
extent to which he punished MaXby's
fathers cold meat ut supper; and we
agreed 10 believe that lie was elevated
with wine anh water when he came home.
But we all liked him; for he had i good
knowledge of boys. and would have made
il much better school if he had had more
power. He was writing master, mathe-
matical master. English master, made out
the bills. mendcd the pens, and did all
sorts of things He divided the little boys
with the Latin master (who Were snug
gcd through their rudimentary books, at
odd times when there was nothing else 10
do, and he always called at parents
houses to inquire after sick boys, because
he had gentlcmanly manners. He was
rather musical and on some remote
quarter-day had bought IN old trombone;
but a bit of il was lost, and il made the
most extraordinary sounds when he some
times tried to play it of an evening. His
HOLIDAYS never began (on account OF the
bills) until long after ours; but, IN the
summer vacations he used to take pedcs-
lrian excursions with knapsack; and at
Christmas time, he went 10 see his father
at Chipping Norton, who we all said Con
no authority (was iry-ied-pork- butch
er. Poor fellow. He was very low all
dav on Maxby's sisters wedding day,
and afterwards was thought 10 favor Max
by more than ever, though he had been
expected to spite him. Hehas been dead
these twenty years Poor fellow.
Our remembrance of Our School pres
ents the Latin master as a colorIess,
doubled-up, ncar-sighted man with
crutch, who was always cold, and always
putting onions into his ears for deafness,
and always disclosing ends of flannel un'
der all his garments, and almost always
applying ball of pocket-handkerchiet to
some part of his face with screwing &C
ton round and round He was very
good scholar, and took great pains where
he saw intelligence and desire to learn
otherwise, perhaps not. Our memory
presents him (unless tcased into pas
sion) with as lit lie energy as color-as
having been worried and tormentcd into
nonotonous feebleness-as having the best
part ofhis life ground ont of him in mill of
bows. We remember with terror how he
fell asleep one sultry summer afternoon
with little smuggled class before him,
and awoke not when the when the foot
step of the Chief fell heavy on the floor;
how the Chief aroused him in the midst
of dread silence, and said, "Mr. Blif-
kins, are you i'll, sir?" how he blushingly
replied, "Sir, rather so;" how the Chief
re,orled with severity, "Mr. Blifkins, this