Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-03-05
THE SCHOOLMASTLR OF RUSSIAN
BAR.

WHEN is he expected ?'
"They said he was coming in to-nights
stage"
"He taught in Frisco, didn't he?"
eyes; | guess he was in the depart
ment"
The DOCTORS wife was an authority on
all matters in Russian Bar, and on this
last sensation, the coming of schoomas-
ter, she freely enlightened her neighbor,
Mrs Blunt, plump widow, whose miner
husband had died a few months before.
There was not much to gossip about in
that quiet village The arrival and de-
parture of the stage brought the people to
their doors three times p week, and if a
stranger was noticed ENJOYS were imme-
diately dispatched to the hotel to learn his
name and business, 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 Walker, an unru.y
spirit who had knocked down and pun
meled the last preceptOr who undertook
to teach him school discipline. The Trls.
tees we're pOwerlesS in these matters, and
declared that if schOOlmaster was not
able to get away" with the boys in a
square, stand-up fight he might as well
pick up his traps and leave Russian Bar.
On the very evening of the expected
arrival, Seymour and Walker, the leading
spirits of the mutinous schoOlbOyS, met
at pool from which both were trying to
coax few speckled trout for supper
Have you heard what the new chap is
like. SAM" said Ike, as he impaled a
wriggling worm on his hook.
"No, have you?"
Father told Jake, the barkeeper, that
he was very young.
"And smallY'
yes"
Guess he won't stay long in town,
Ike"
81 guess not, Sam. School amt good
for us such fine weather as this"
The worthless sat and tished in silence
for some time and then Ike produced a
bunch of cigarettes and passed them to
his friend. At last, finding that the fish
would not bite, they shouldered their
poles and struggled up to the village,
pausing moment 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 have been educated as gentlemen in
one sense of the word, that is, without the
acquaintance with any special pursuit
that might be turned to any particular
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 a competent teacher to
take charge of the school at Russian Bar,
he answered it, and was accepted at a
venture. Putting his few mOvabes
toCether-a pair of old foils and set OF
wcll-worn boxing gloves, for Houghton
was an accomplished boxer and fencer-
he bought ticket for Russian Bar.
He found the stage driver a communi.
. cative, 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 a hard lot said he
land they're all on the muscle too"
what is about the weight of my
Oldest" asked Houghton, good -humor
edly. you see, If | have to exercise
something more than moral suasion,
want to get posted on the physique Of the
men"
Well Sam Seymour is about my
strongest"
And what is about the size Of the re-
dOubiable Ike?"
Well, l guess he tops you by half 6