Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-12-25
From the Christian Week "
The Day Of Scrapes.
by SUSAN COOLIDGE.

other end OF inc town from Dr. Carr $.
1t was a low, one-story building. and had a
yard behind it, in which the girls played at
recess. Next door was Miss Miller's school,
equally large and popular, with yard be.
hind it also. Only n board fence separated
the two Fairgrounds.
A good many Of the scholars lived too
far from school to 20 home at noon. and
were in the habit Of bringing their lunches
in baskets, and staying all day. Katy ard
Clover we're Of this number. This noon,
after their dinners, it was proposed that
they should play something in the school.
room, and katy's uuucky star put it into
her head to invent a new game, which she
called the Game Of Rivers.
1t was playcd in the following manner (:
Each girliook The name Of river, and
laid ont Or herself an appointed path
thrQuef room, winding among the desks
and aetiches, and making a low, roaring
sound, 70 initiate the noise Of water. Cecy
was the Platte Marianne Brooks, a tall
girl, the hississippi; Alice Blair, the
Ohio; Clover, the Penobscot, and SO on.
They were instructed to run into each other
once in while, because, as Katy said,
rivers do A. for Katy hersef she was
" Father Oceau," and growing horribly,
ragged up and down the platform where
Mrs knight usually sat. Every now and
then, when the others were at the far end
Of the room, she would suddenly cry out,
Now for a meeting Of the waters :"
whereupon all the rivers, bouncing, bound
ing, scrambling, screaming, would turn and
run toward Father Ocean while he roared
louder than all Of them put together, and
made short rushes up and down, to repre-
sent the movement of waves on a beach.
Such a noise as this beautiful game made
was never heard in the town of Burnet be-
fore or since 1t was like the believing
Of the bulls Of Bashan, the squeaking Of
pigs. the eackle Of turkey cocks, aud the
laugh Of wild hyenas all at once and, 10
addition, there was great banging Of fur
niture and scrapiug Of many feet on an uu.
earpeicd floor People going by stopped
and stared, children cried, an old lady
asked why some one didn't run for a police
mani while the Miller girls listened to
the proceedings with malicious pleasure,
and told everybody that it was The noise
that Mrs. Knights scholars usually made
at recess,
Mrs. knight coming back from dinner,
was much amazed to see crowd OF people
collected in front of her school As she
drew near, the sounds reached her, and
then she became really frightened, for she
thought somebody was being murdered on
her premises. Hurryingln, she threw open
the door, and there, to her dismay, was the
whole room in frightiul state Of confusion
and uproar; chairs flung down, desks up
set, ink streaming on the floor while in
the midst Of the ruin the frantic rivers
raced and screamed, and old Father Ocean,
with face as red as hre, capered like
lunatlc on the platform.
What does this meant" gasped poor Mrs.
Knight, almost unable to speak for horror.
AT the sound OF her voice the rivers
stood sill Father OCEAN Drought bis
prances an abrupt close, and slrnk down
fsesa me Efaiiorm, AZ q ? sudden each
| g~i seehep 70 reaii.e "ha' couuiiion ihe
room was ID, IT, ana "ha' a horrible tni"g she
had dohe. Inc 'lihiu ones covered pehlnd
'helr desks the oold ones trled 10 look un-
conscious ana 10 make matters worse the
scholars VINO nhu gone nome 10 dinner De-
gan TO return staring at the scene oil dlsas'
TER ana asking III Whispers "hat had been
gong on.
mrs; hnight rang ihe pell; Mhen the
scnool hau come 10 oruer' she had the desks
ana ehalrs plekeu up wnlie she herself
Drought wet cloihs TO sop the INK from the
uoor lhls was zone IN profound silence
ana tne expression OF Nrs. hnlghts lace
was 50 direiul ana solemn ihat iresh
uamp ieii upon 'he spirits OF me guilty
rlVers' ana ratner ocean Wishea himself
thousands OF miles away,
men all was IN order again. ana the
glrls had taken their seats MS, Knight
made snort sspeech. ohe sald she never
was so shocked III her me before she had
supposed that she couid trust them to be-
nave like ladles wnen her back was turned
Inc idea that they could act so disgrace
'aIly' make sueh an uproar and alarm peo-
pie gong py' mad never occurred TO her
and she was deeply panied 1t was setting
pau eAaniPle ~ an '"e helgnpornoou-oy
which Mrs hnight meant the rival school,
Miss Miller having Just sent over little
glrl' with her compliments TO ask II any
one was hurt, ana could she do anything
which was naturally aggravatlng Mrs.
might hoped they were sorry; she thought
they must be-sorry and ashamed. The
exercises could now 60 on as usual vi
course some punishment would be inflicted
Tor the offence but she should have to re-
ilect before deciding what 1t ought TO be-
Meantime she wanted them all to think 1t
over seriously and 1t any one felt that she
was more to blame than the others, now
was the moment to rise and confess 1t.
haty's heart gave a great thump' but she
rose bravely :" made up the game, aud |
was Father Ocean, she said to the aston
lshed Mrs Knight who glared at her Tor
minute, ana then replied solemnly very
s, se,,, nay , ~. % uown wnlon ha'y ulu'
,eeIing more es"aneu '1an SNer' o put some
now re'letcu in ner ,niuu, mere Is a saw
,ns grace ~ 'ru'n "hiSn nelps 'ru,n 'e'le's
snlougn 'pe wors' o' '"elr 'foup'es' ana
nny "rnu 'nis out now =,
y me AFTERNOON was long ana nara mrs
hulgn' uiu no. sm'e oucs Tue lessons
ulaegeu snl nu'y' ai''r 'ne neat ana eA'
cltchleui OF tne forenoon, Dceun 10 lCel mis-