Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-09-20
4 Boys Revenge.

WY 't'i.l- ~ t''Ns ht"
4 Boys Revenge.
m fntN B.. RENfonu.
John Ranger walked along on bis way
home from school one pleasant winter after
noon, feeling rather out Of sorts The reason
Of the uncomfortable feeling in his nina was
this That morning the boys had proposed
building snow fort on the hill near the
schoolhouso. For some days the weather
had been very moderate as people in the
country express it, and the snow had become
Of Just the right consistency to roll into balls,
aud thus facilitate the building Of snow fort
| in capital style. John had fallen ia with
the plan very eagerly. lie loved sport Of
that kind as well as any boy in school When
he played he threw all his energies into the
sport, aud was consequently sort Of leader
10 all the amusements incident TO school life
And am glad to say that he studied in very
much the same way as he played he made
no halfway work about IT, but got his les
sons thoroughly and well Probably his rel
ish for play gave him a keener appetite for
his studies. | have often noticed that those
boys who play best study best Not those
who play most however, for some boys think
Of nothing but play.
/ As the plan was proposed in the morning,
that they might have time to build the fort
in the hour given them at noon to cat their
dinners the boys had agreed to eat their
lunch during the forenoon recess aud devote
the entire hour to work on the fort, and COM
petc it, If possible, before afternoon school
hours began that it might be ready for use
next day. Nearly all the large boys had
hard lesson in arithmetic that forenoon. The
teacher had told them that three Of the hard
est problems must be worked out on their
states and brought for inspection at recitation
time. If not correctly done, time must be
taken from the hours nooning 10 study on
them. The boys thought Of the snow fort to
be built, and applied themselves diligently to
their lessons. John took his slate and worked
away buslly. Before recitation came he had
conquered all difficulties and had the knotty
problems written down for the teachers in-
speetion.
. Recitation came He took his slate and
started for the class which was forming on
the Hoor. He had got nearly to his place
when saw that the examples he had written
down so carefully, were gone. Rubbed ont
entirely. He started at the blank slate with
q look of complete bewilderment He had
taken unusual pains with them. When he
, looked last they were certainly there. Now
they were gone But who had rubbed then
out ? Some one must have done So H'
could not remember that any one had come tC
his seat, and yet some person had found and
taken the opportunity to blot out the result o.
his mornings labor.
" | had the examples on my slate, sir he
said to the teacher. They are gone. Some
t one has rubbed them out"
" Who rubbed them ont ?" asked tho
e teacher, in his sharp, stern way.
| don't know, SIR" answered John,
. Are you sure you had them worked ou
I correctly 2" asked the teacher
i Yes, sir" answered John, flushing u
!. at the doubt implied by the teachers tone am
9 question.
Q Very well as you are unable to produc
them, and can accuse no one of having rub
bed them out, you may stay in at noon an
9 work on them
!, John was too proud to say n word in pro
4 test, unjust as he felt it to be. So be tool
: his seat in silence, resolved to find out, if j
:, were possible the author of his misfortune
! for such he considered it to be, since it obige
d, him to stay away from the fort building tha
e was to take place at noon. Stay away he did
! 1t was time for school to begin again befor
d the problem was solved and written out II
v could not study much when he thought c
, the sport the boys were having on the hill
) He could hear their merry laughter, and in
q agine how they were enjoying themselves ii
!, thought, with bitter feeling in heart, tina
~ but for some one of them, he might have er
= joyed the sport too. He walked home froi
n" school that night as have said, feeling yer
uncomfortable, He had missed a rare bit {
sport for one thing for another he had ioun
out that some one "owed him grudge' an
y another thing was-and John felt this mo'
so keenly perhaps Of the three-that the teact
p er seemed to think he had shirked his lessor
m and considered his story as an excuse to g
IL rid of little labor
in The next day, as small boy was passin
his seat, John dropped his pencil. The bo
picked it up and handed it to him. As
did so, he whispered Joe Evans rubbe
No out your problems yesterday saw him q
4. it,"
"Don't tell any one" John whispered bac
re- and the boy passed on. A week passed,
dozen times John found opportunities to pu
off his score with joe but his better natu
told him that it would be more noble al
manly to overlook the matter entirely.
IL One holiday, John obtained permission
ID 20 to a pond about mile from home to ska
ell When he reached the pond, he saw that j
- Evans was there before him. He sat dow
on the bank and commenced to strap on b
skates. Just as he was fastening the 6r
- buckle, he heard a cry, and the sound
cracking ice, and looking up, he saw that Jt
had broken through thin spot and was stru
Cling in the water. Quickly as possible
sprang to the rescue and by means OF lol
"a pole which was lying on the ice near Il
. scene of the accident he succeeded III &c
ting Joe out safely, though much irightene
act ooh, John" cried Joe, shivering with te
MA ror and cold, "if you hadn't helped me out
ed; should have drowned"
@ c@es "l guess you would, answered John quiz
ly.
. "And | served you in the way | did
- cried Joe. II rubbed out your problems /
day we built the fort %
on II knew IL answered John, IL found
the out next day"
per "And you never told Of it I" Joe felt We
insignificant in comparison with John Ra
. ger. This was a new way Of revenge.
- "Dont say anything more about it" sO
IN John, "but hurry home and get some d
in clnthaz m ~