The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-12-13


and never half try said young Means
with threatening sneer.
Il know that as well as you do
well, amt you afraid of mo then !?
and again he looked sidewise al
Ralph.
Not bit,' said Ralph, wondering
at his own courage.
They walked on III silence q min.
ute. Bud was turning the matter
over
why amt you afraid of me p he
said presently.
Because you and I are going TO he
! friends
And what about t'others?'
4 am not afraid of all the other boys
put together
You anti The mischief How's
that p
We'll I'm not afraid of them be,
cause you and L are going to be
friends, and you can whip all of them
together. You'll do the fighting and
I'll do the teaching"
The diplomatic Bud only chuckled
a little at this whether he assented
to the alliance or not Ralph could not
tell.
When; Ralph lood round on the IA
ces of the scholars, the little faces full
of mischief and curiosity, the big ia
ces full Of an expression which was
not further removed than second
cousin from contemplation young
Hartsook looked into these faces, his
heart palpitated with stage-fright.-
There is no audience so hard to face
as one of school children, as many a
man has found to lis cost. Perhaps
it is that no couventionality can keep
down their laughter when you do or
say anything ridiculous.
Hartsook's first day was hurried
and unsatisfactory. He was not mas
ter of himself, and consequently not
| master Of anybody else. When eve
ming came there were symptoms of
insubordination through the whole
school. Poor Raj ph was sick at heart.
He felt that if there had ever been
the shadow of an alliance between
himself and Bud, it was all "off" now.
1t seemed to Hartsook that even Bull
had lost his respect for the teacher
Half that night the young man lay
awake. At last comfort came to him.
A reminiscence of the death of the
raccoon flashed on him like vision
He remembered that quiet and annihi-
lating bite which Bull gave. He re-
membered Buds certificate, that Eff
Bull once takes q holt, heaven and
yarth can't make him let CO. He
thought that what Flat Creek needed
was a bulldog. He would be bull
dog, quiet but invincible. lie would
take holt in such = way that nothing
should make him let so. And then
he went to sleep.
In the morning Ralph got out of
bed slowly. He put his clothes on
slowly. He pulled on his boots in
bulldog mood. He tried to move as
he thought Bull would move if he were
a man. He ate with deliberation,
and looked everybody in the eyes with
a manner that made Bud watch him
curiously. He found himself con
tinually comparing himself with Bull.
He found Bull possessing a strange
fascination for him. He walked to
school alone, the rest having gone on
before. lie entered the school-room
preserving a cool and dogged manner.
He saw in the eyes of the boys that
there was mischief brewing. He did
not dare sit down in his chair for fear
Of pin.
Everybody looked solemn. Ralph
lifted the lid Of his desk. 'Bow-wow!
wow-wowp 1t was the voice of an
imprisoned puppy, and the school
giggIed and then roared. Then eve
rything was quiet
The scholars expected an outburst
Of wrath from the teacher. For they
had come to regard the whole world
as divided into two classes, the teach
er on the one side representing lawful
authority, and the pupils on the 9TH
er in a state of chronic rebellion. To
play a trick on the master was an ev
idence Of spirit; to lick the master
was to be the crowned hero o. Flat
Creek district. Such hero WIS Bud
Means, and Bill, who had less mus
Gle, saw q chance to distinguish him
self on a teacher of slender frame.
Hence the puppy in the desk.
Ralph Hartsook grew red in the
face when he saw the puppy. But
the cool, reprcssed, bull, dog mood i'll
which he had kept himself saved him.
lie lifted the dog into his arms and
stroked him until the laughter subsid-
ed. Then, in a solemn and set way,
he began:
4 am sorry and he looked round
the room with steady, hard eye
everybody felt that there was con-
fict coming-I am sorry that any
scholar in this school could be so
mean"-the word was uttered with a
sharp emphasis, and all the big boys
felt sure that there would be a fight
with Bill Means, perhaps with Bud
could be so mean-as to shut up his |
brother in such place as that =
There was a long, derisive laugh,
BY one stroke Ralph had carried the
whole school to his side. BY the sig
nificant elances of the boys, Hart
sock detected the perpetrator of the
Joke, and with the hard and logged !
look in his eyes, with just such look
as Bull would give puppy, but with
the utmost suavity in his voice. he
said: q:
William Means, will you be so
good as to put this dog out of doors? ?"
(ro BE CONTINUEDO
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Severe storms have BEEN doing !
much damage at Portland, Oregon.
The whole Republican city ticket |
was elected in Vicksburg Yesterday.