The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-01-28
The New eacher.
" California Story
ssWTHEN is he expected9"
w "They said he was coming in

The doctors wife was an authority on
all matters in Russian Bar, and on this last
sensation, the coming of a schoolmaster,
she freely enlightened her neighbor, Mrs.
Blunt, plump widow, whose miner hus-
band had died few months before. There
was not much to gossip about in that quiet
village. The arrival and departure of the
stage brought the people to their doors
three times week, and if stranger was
noticed, ENJOYS were Immediately dispatch
ed to the hotel to learn his name and bust
ness, and the probable length of his stay.
But now Russian Bar was to have a new
schoolmaster, and the folks wondered much
if he would have any trouble with Sam
Seymour, the butchers boy, or Ike Walk
er, an unruly spirit, who had knocked down
and pummeled the last preceptor, who un-
dertook to teach him school discipline.
The trustees were powerless i'll these mat
ters, and declared that if schoolmaster
was not able to "get away with the boys
in a square stand-up-fght, he might as
well pick up his tracks and leave Russian
Bar.
On the very evening of the expected ar
rival, Seymour and Walker, the leading
spirits of the mutinous school-boys, met at
pool, from which both were endeavoring
to coax few speckled trout for supper.
"Have you heard what the new chap is
like Sam? ?' said Ike, as he impaled
wriggling worm on his hook.
"No; have you?'
g Father told Jake, the barkeeper, that
he was very young"
And small? p"
eyes"
"Guess he won't stay in town, 1Se.'
81 guess not, Sam. School amt good
for us such fine weather as this"
The worthless sat and fished in silence for
some time, and then Ike produced bunch
of cigarettes and passed them to his friend.
At last, finding that the fish would not bite,
they shouldered their poles and straggle
up-toward the village, pausing for mo-
ment to stone Chinaman's rooster which
had strayed too far from the protecting
wash house.
Philip Houghton was schoolmaster
from necessity, and not taste. Like many
who had been educated as gentlemen in
one sense of the word, that is, without the
acquaintance with any special pursuit that
might be turned to good account in the
struggle for bread, he found himself adrift
in California, with nothing to fall back on.
Seeing an advertisement in city paper
for competent teacher to take charge of
the school at Russian Bar, he answered it
and was accepted at a venture. Putting
his few movables together-a pair of old
foils and a set of well worn boxing-gloves,
for Houghton was an accomplished boxer
and fencer-he bought ticket for Rus
sian Bar.
He found the stage driver communica-
tive, pleasant fellow, who, at his request,
described the characteristics of his future
home. Indeed his descriptions of the class
of boys whom Houghton was to take charge
Of was not very encouraging. "You'll find
them hard lot" said he, Z" and they're
all on the muscle, too"
"What is aboutthe weight of my oldest?"
asked Houghton, good humoredly. "You
see, if have got to exercise something
more than moral susasion, / want to get
posted on the physique Of my men,"
swell, Ike Walkers about the strong
est"
"And what about the size of the redoubt-
able IkeP'
"Well, guess he tops you by half a
head"
"oh, I expect we'll get along well
enough together" said Houghton, "and l
"suppose this is the first glimpse of Rus
sian Bar" he added, as turn in the road
brought them in view of that picturesque
village.
The stage bowled along the smooth road
and passed the great white oak under
whose friendly branches the teamsters were
accustomed to make their noontime halt.
an set you down at the hotel, said
the driver. "There's Perkins, the propri-
etor, that fat man smoking on the stoop."
Houghton confessed to himself that the
prospect before him was anything but a
prepossessing one. He was not of very
combatative nature, though he liked a little
danger for the excitement but game Of
fisticuff with dirty, mutinous boy had
neither honor or glory for man who had
been one of the hardest hitters in his col
lege.
The folks were all at their doors when
the stage clattered up the single street. and