St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-10-13

uo"i uiiucIlcttil tilC SCllOOl- HDuSc, AIT
here Shocky's breath gave out entire
ly for minute.
"Yes, Shocky, l know that. What
about it? The trustees haven't come to
fill it up, have they ~
"Oh! no, sir but Hank BInta, you
know and Shocky took another
breathing spell, standing as close 10
Ralph rs he could, for poor Shocky got
all his sunshine from the masters pres
encc.
elias Henry fallen in ard got duck
ing, Shocky ?"
ooh! no, sir he wants TO get you in,
you see
"Well, l won't go in, though,
Shocky"
'But, yon see, he's been and gone and
pulled back the board that you have to
step on to git ahind your desk; hes been
and gone and pulled back the board 50 as
you cant help Il tippin' it up, and Il
sowsin right in et you step there"
"And SO you came TO tell me-" There
was "a huskincss in Ralph's voice lie
had, then, one friend in Flat Creek dis
trict-poor little Shocky. lie put his
arm around Shocky just 4 moment, and
then told him 10 hasten across TO the 9TH
er road, SO as 10 come back to the school
house in Il direction at right angles to
the III .ster's approach. But the caution
was not needed. Shocky had taken
care to leave i'll that way, ana WAS alto
gcther too cunning to be seen coming
down the road with Mr. lIartsook But
after he got over the fence to 90 through
the sugar camp" Cor sugar oichnd, as
they say at the Easi), hc stopped and
turned back once or twice, just TO catch
one more smile from Ralph. And then
he hicd away through the tall trees
very happy boy, kicking and plowing tie
brown leaves before him in his perfect
delight, saying over and over again.
GLOW he looked at me. how lac did
look ~ And when Ralph came up to
the school-housc door, there WAS Shocky
saunicring along from the other direc-
iiOn, throwing bits of limestone at fence
rails, and smilin. still clear down 10 his
shoes at the thought Of the maeisr's kind
words
"What Il quarc boy Shocky is :" re-
marked Bctsey Short. with giggIe.
"lIe just likes 10 wander round alone.
| see him a-comin' out ui the SUGAR camp
just now. Hes been IN there haitian
honr." And Bet-ry gi@gIrd again. For |
Het-ey Short could "ig.lc un >Eghter
provoc,tion THAN any other g,rl on Flat
Creek.
When Ralph IIarl~ook, with the quiet,
logged tread that he was cutivating,
walked into the school room, he took
great caIc not Ia Scem 10 see the trap set
tor him. But lie c1Iclr->ly stepped over
the board that had been - nicely adjust
ed. The boys who were Hanks conf
dants III the plot were very busy over
their ,lates, and took pam, not 10 show
their disappointment.
The morning session wore ON without
incident. Ralph several times caught
two people looking at h:m. One was
Her weak and waterv eyes
stole loving %lanccs over the top OF her
spellIn@-book, which She would not study. .
Her looks always made Rtlph's spirits
sink 10 forty below zero, and CONCEAL
But on one of the barklcSs little bench
es that sat in the middle of tlve school
room was little Shocky, who also cast
many loving glanres at the young mas
ter, chances rs grateful To his heart rs
o"lin2-he was tempted to call
it o@ring-was hateful.
"Look ut Shocky," .iggleI Bei<cy
Short, behind her slate '.IIe looks ~ /
if he was Il gorg' 10 eat the master up,
BODY and soul"
1t is safe to conjecture that Bctscy had |
never studied "Drew on the lmmatcrial-
ty and Immortality oi the Human Soul"
)r she would not have spoken of Ralph'< .
Is II 1t were something to br swallowed .
ike an oyster.
And so the forenoon wore on as usual.
md those who had laid the trap had for
rotten it themselves. The mornin" scs-
'ion was drawing 10 Il close. The fire in
he great, old fireplace had burnt low
The flames, which seemed to Shocky to
'e angels, had disappeared, and now the
bright Goals, which had played the part
,f men and women and houses in ShOcky's i
ancy, had taken on Il white and downy
covering OF ashes, and the great half
burnt back log lay there smoldcring like
l giant asleep III Il nnw-drilt Shockv
onged TO wake him up.
As for Henry Banta, he was too much
bothered to get the answer to IA ..sum"
lie WAS doing, 10 remember anything
lbout his trap. In fact, he had quite
orSotten that half IN hour ago in the all
describing employment of drawing ugly
pictures on his slate and coaxing Batsey
Short TO glggle by showing them silly
lcross the schoolroom. Once or twice
talph had been attracted to Betsey's cx-
raordInary fits Of gigSling, and had come
10 near 10 catching Hand that the boy
hought 1t best not TO run any farther
'isk of the beech switches, four or five
Get long, laid up behind the master in
nght OF the school as prophyIatic.
lence his application just now TO his
um in long division, and hence his puz-
lied look, for, idler that he was, his
sums did not solve themselves easily.
As usual in such cases, he came up in
ront of the masters desk 10 have the
lltiiculty explained. lie had 10 wait
minute until Ralph got through with
howlng Beisey Short, who had been
eized with studying fit, and who could
hardly give amy attention 10 the teach
RS explanations, she did want to giggle
o much Not at anything in particu-
ar, but Just at things in general.