The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-12-20

: his heart as Mlrandy's ogling-he wa
tempted to call it ogling-was hate
full.
Look at shocky,' g,,iggled Betse,
Short, behind her slate. He look
, as if he was a-goin' to eat the fnaste
up, body and SOUL 49,.
1t is safe to conjecture that Betsev
had never studied Drew on the I'm
meteriality and Immortality of tn,
Human SOUL or she would not hay,
spoken Of Ralph's as if it were some
thing to be swallowed like an oys
ter.
And so the Afternoon wore on as
psual, and those who had laid the trar
had forgotten it themselves, The
morning session was drawing to 9
close. The fire in the great, old fire.
place had burnt low. The fames,
which seemed to Shocky to be angels,
had disappeared, and now the bright
Goals, which had played the part OF
men and women and houses in Shocky's
fancy, had taken on a white and daw-
ny covering of ashes, and the great
hnlf-burnt backlog lay there smolder-
ing like giant asleep in a snowdrift.
Shocky longed to wake him up.
As for Henry Banta, he was too
much bothered to get the answer to a
SUM he was doing, to remember
anything about his trap. In fact, he
had quite forgotten that half an hour
ago in the allabsorbing employment Of
drawing ugly pictures on his slate and
coaxing Betsey Short to giggle by
showing them silly across the school
room. Once or twice Ralph had been
attracted by Betsey's extraordinary
fits of giggling, and had come so near
to catching Hank that the boy thought
it best not to run any further risk of
| the beech switches, four or five feet
long, laid up behind the master in sight
of the school as prophylactic. Hence
his application just now to his sum in
long division, and hence his puzzled
leok, for, idler that he W as, his sums
| did not solve themselves easily. As
usual in such cases, he came up in
front of the masters desk to have the
difficulty explained. He had to wait
a minute until Ralph got through with
showing Betsey Short, who had been
seized with studying fit, and who
could hardly give any attention to the
teachers explanations, she did want
to giggle so much! Not at anything
in particular, but just at things in
general g t' &.
While Ralph was doing Betsey's
sum for her. he was solving much
more difficult question. A plan had
flashed upon him. but the punishment
seemed severe one. He gave it up
once or twice, but he remembered how
turbulent the Flat Creek element was /;
and had he not inly resolved to be as
unrelenting as bull-d6g2 He for
titled himself by remembering again
the aforementioned remark of Bud,
'Ef bull wunst takes a-holt, heaven
and yarth can't make him let co.
And so he resolved to give Hank and
the whole school one good lesson.
Just step behind me, Henry, and
you can see how do this said
Ralph. ,..
Hank was entirely off his guard, and
with his eyes fixed upon the slate on
the teachers desk, he sidled round
upon the broad loose board, misplaced
by his own hand; and in an instant
the other end of the board rose Dip Id
the middle of the school-room, almost
striking Shocky in the face, while
Henry Banta brought up or down in
the ice-cold water beneath the school
room.
why, Henryp cried Ralph, jump
ing to his feet with well-feigued sur
prise. How did this happen p and he
helped the dripping fellow out and
seated him by the fire.
Betsey Short 2iggled.
Shoeky was so tickled that he could
hardly keep his seat.
The boys who were in the plot
looked very serious indeed. And a
little silly. ....
Ralph made some remarks by way
of improving the occasion. lie spoke
strongly of the utter meanness of one
who could play so heartless trick on
a schoolmate. He said that it was as
much thieving to get your fun at the
expense Of another as to steal his mon
ey. And while he talked all eyes were
turned on Hank. Allexcept the eyes
of Mirandy Means. They looked
simperingly at Ralph. All the rest
looked at Hank. The fire had made
his face very red Shocky noticed |
that. Betsey Short noticed it, and
giggled. The master wound up with |
an appropriate quotation from Scrip |
ture. He said that the person who
displaced that board had better not be
by the success-he said
success with curious emphasis-of
the present experiment to attempt
another trick of the kind. For it
was set down in the Bible that if a
man dug a pit for the feet of another
he would be very likely to fall in it
himself Which made all the pupils
look solemn. Except Betsey Short.
She giggfed. And Shocky wanted
to. And Mirandy cast an expiring
ook at Ralph. And if the teacher
was not love-sick, he certainly was
sick of Mirandy's love.
When school was dismissed Ralph
,ave Hank every caution that he could
lbout taking cold, and even lent him
lis overcoat; very much against Hanks
will. Then the master walked ot1t in
he quiet and subdued way to spend
he n0cn recess in The woods, while
Shocky watched his retreating foot {
teps with loving admiration. And
he pupils not in the secret canvassed
he question of who moved the board.
Bill Means said he'd bet Hank did it,
which set Betsey Short off in an I'M
giggle. And Shocky
istened innocentfy. =
Rnt that NIGHT Bud said slily,