The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-03-11

Some quiet mouse that Is creeping 50 near.
True as live, there is somebody there
Ten lily fingers are over my eyes,
Trying 10 take me by sudden surprise;
Then voice, calling In merriest glee,
"Who is it2 Tell me, and you may 60 free"
{" Who Is Il? Leave me moment 10 guess
Some one who loves me?" The voice answers eyes"
Some one who's fairer 10 me than the flowers,
Brighter to me than the sunshiny hoursf
Darling, whose white little hands make me blind
Unto all things that are dark and unkind;
Sunshine and blossoms, and diamond and pearl
Papas own dear little, sweet little grill"
A CowARD.-Whether Henry Finlay
was brave or cowardly, was the conun-
drum to which the boys of Mr.. Green's
Latin Grammar School could find 10 an
swer.
He had allowed himself to be "backed
down" by Dick Corson, stout and
stumpy Kentucky boy, who was given to
bullying. And fellow who could be
"backed down" must be coward, so
the boys said.
Corson had dared him to cross GER
tain line drawn in the sand, and Finlay,
thought the equal of the Kentuckian in
size and strength, had turned on his heel
and walked away. Besidesh he had violat-
ed all those principles of "honor" which
school-boys respect so highly, by appeal
ing to the school.master for protection.
Corson, in order to provoke fight,
had broken Finlay's slate. cold Green"
as the teacher was unexpectedly called
by the boys, was accustomed to "whip
hard" when he had occasion to fog, and
so, when the master proposed to Corson
that he should pay for the broken slate
or " take off his coat" the valiant Ken
tuckian preferred to pay for the slate.
But this running under the masters
wings" as the boys called it, convinced
them that Finlay was coward.
And vet, on the other hand, he did not
seem much afraid of them. He did not
get in anybody he interfered now
and then in favor of smaller boys but
he contented himself with declaring that
if anybody troubled him, he would not
make bully of himself by fighting,
but that he would just appeal to the
law" of the school for protection. If
that were not sufficient, he would take
the case before a justice.
This was most unheard of course, and
one that disappointed the boys ofseeing
a trial of strength between the new boy
Finlay and Corson. Some of the boys
had made bets on the day of Finlay's adj
vent, that he could clam" Dick Corson,
who had been "King" of the school.
Now they were to be disappointed of a
trial.
But Corsou grew bold in proportion as
he thought he saw cowardice in Finlay.
He told the boys he would have a fight
out of Finlay somehow.
Corson had to cross the Ohio River
every day to reach the school. During
most of the year he came over in skiff
but there had been usually cold weather,
and the river was frozen SO that large
wagons, even, could cross on the ice.
Dick Corson had for three weeks walk.
ed across on this natural bridge. He
now proposed to the boys that they
should conceal themselves the next
morning behind certain great pile of
drift-wood on the shore of the river. He
would then so time his arrival near the
had to walk two miles down the shore to
reach the school. AS Finlay would not
know there were any witnesses, he would
not be able to prosecute Dick for as
sault, and Corson could tell his own story
to the master.
Some of the school-boys had qualms
about engaging in this conspiracy, but
they were overborne by the others, who
declared that such coward ought to be
taught to fight. Of course, there were
some boys in the school who were
not let into the secret at all. Their dis
approval of the scheme was assured be-
fOrehand.
The weather had been warm for two
or three days, and the school-master be-
gan to feel uneasy about the ice, know
ing that some of the boys were accustom-
ed to cross on it. A sudden rise i'm the
river during the night, had been reported
to him by fisherman who lived on the
bank, and Mr.. Green thought best to go
down and examine the ice.
lie walked along the shore until he
was stopped by the old pile of lodged
driftwood. In the open spaces beneath
this great loose heap of trunks of trees
boughs and boards, he heard smothered
voices, and he soon saw several of his
own pupils hidden here, so intent in
watching something beyond that they
did not see him.
He turned up the bank till he reached
a place where he could see over the top
of the drift. There stood Corsou, with
his coat of, confronting Finlay.
You've got to fight now, dog on you'll"
said Corson. "You can't tell the mas
ter, for my story will be as good as
yours"
You mean to whip me first, and
then lie about it," said Henry Finlay,
satl Int hat II 10
fight for? What harm have done your
"You're coward and tell-tale.
Get ready, now, for you've got to stand
your ground"
Finlay quietly laid down his books and
the slate which Corson had been obliged
to buy in place of the old one, and stood
prepared to defend himself, with his
back to the bank. This gave him little
the advantage ofground.
Why don't you come down here,
you coward, and fight on level?' cried
Dick.
eff you don't like my way, what do
you fight for p retorted Finlay. am
peaceable fellow. You are a bully.
You have picked this lonesome place to
attack me. do not want to fight, and
l wont stand out and fightlike rooster,
or a bulldog, or a prize-fghter. If
had stick or stone, / would not hest
tate to use it to defend myself. shall
not fight you as man, but as I would
bad dog. shall stand here. If you
walk away, shall go on. If you attack
me like a highwayman, shall knock
you down, fthere is strength enough
under my roundabout, and think there
is"
This was more than Dick Corson had
bargained for. He saw that Finlay utter
ly rejected his code, and took all the ad-
vantage of this defensive position. And
Finlay had never seemed to him quite so
strong as at his moment.
The fe llowwas not exactly coward,
after all. He was as cool as he could be,
and it gradually dawned on Dick, that,
if he struck at Finlay once, he might
give the boys under the drift-heap the