Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1873-03-22
True Story.
AN INCIDENT OF MY scHooL-BoY DAYS.

joke which Fanny Burns played on her
school master. It was altogether un-
premeditated and involuntary on her
part, but that made it all the more en-
joyable.
MIR. Charlton was very dignifed, stern
at times, and prided himself OH the
strict discipline enforced in his school.
But Fanny Burns, with her black eyes,
irrepressible love of fun and ready wit,
was almost to much for him.
Fanny and I were very good friends.
I used to draw her home in my sled,
run races with her, give her dainty NOR
sells out of my dinner basket, and per-
forms other gallantries suited to our
juvenile ideas of such thing. And when
we were little older, walked home
with her instead of drawing her, and
made purchases of oranges in lieu of be-
slowing on her tarts and baked apples.
Although we saw each other before
school, at recess, at noon, and after, it
invariably happened that during study
hours, matters of sudden and vital i'm
portance would arise, demanding epis-
tolary communication between us.
Notes would be written and passed from
hand to hand until they reached their
proper destinations, for there was
mutual agreement between all the pu-
pills to perform such Offices secretly and
faithfully. Sometimes, indeed, we
would sit near tosether-on opposite
sides of an aisle, for instance-so that
we could deliver our missives directly to
each other
This practice of writing notes was of
course strongly condemned and strictly
forbidden by our teacher; and as Fanny
and were especial and frequent offend
ers in this particular, he managed to
glance towards us many times in the
course of q day. We were generally
successful, however, in eluding his
watchfulness, but managed to exchange
great numbers of small bits of paper,
on which messages were scribbled.
But one day our hour of grief came
or ut least so I thought for the time
being. Fanny had handed me several
notes to which, for some reason, I had
neglected replying. And soon came
another, neatly folded, which she
reached over to me with considerable
exertion. Accompanying it was lead
pencil, for what purpose I could not
imagine. was just reaching over to
receive it from her hand, when u loud
stern voice paralyzed us poth for an in
stant.
There! Miss Burns! I have caught
you at it at last!'
Fanny's bright eyes dilated with
fright. I shrank back in my seat, leav-
ing the note still in her hand.
"You will please step forward, Miss
Burns, and bring that note with YOU"
Fanny obeyed with subdued air,
though not without first turning up her
nose furtively. trembled with appre-
hension, more for her sake than my
own.
"Stand up there on the STAGE" said
Mr.. Charlton sternly. He took the
note from her.
II have often spoken of this despic-
able practice of writing notes" he said,
turning to view Fanny and the whole
school simultaneously, "of its wrong
fulness and bad infuence-I have CIV
en- warning repeatedly that it must not
be done, and have threatened to visit
with severe punishment the first offence
of the kind coming within my knowl-
edge. The silly and baneful love trash
with which they are filed should never
pass between young people. In fact
persons of your ages should never say
to each other by word or letter, what
you would not be willing the whole
world should hear. I cannot say that
am surprised, Miss Burns, but I am
deeply grieved, that you should disobey
me in this instance, as you have doubt
less in many others. Itbecomes my
duty to make an example of you, which
l shall do by morDying you. I pre-
sumo you would dislike exceedinrlv to
have me read LtiS note aloud TO the school. -
Fanny started violently, and seemed
about to speak, but checked herself.
Mr.. Charlton paused, but she was ST.
ieht: I, who was Watching intentiy,
noticed curious expression on her face
els there anything written is this
note that you would be ashamed to
have the nuni1a hear9n ''.