The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-07-01
The schoolmaster's Guests.
A FARM LEGEND.
Rx WILL CARLETON.


great book-laden desk,
Closewatchng the motions OF scholars pathetic and
gay and grotesque.
AS whisper the half-leafess branches, when Au-
turnn's brisk breezes have come,
His little thicket of pupils sent upward half
srnothered hum;
Like the frequent sharp bang OF wagon, when
trcadirg a forest path DER,
Resounded the feet of his pupils, whenever their
heels struck the floor
There was little Tom Timms on the front seat whose
face was wthstanding drouth,
And jolly Jack Gibbs just behind him, with rainy
new moon Tor mouth;
There were both of the Smith boys as studious if
they bore names that could bloom,
And Jim JONES' heaven-built mechanic the slyest
young knave in the room,
With countenance grave as a horses, and his hon
est eyes fixed on pin,
Queer-bent on a deeply laid project to tunnel Joe
Hawkins skin.
There were anxious young novices, drilling their
spelling books into the brain,
Loud-pufing each half whispered letter. like
CINE just starting train;
There was one fiercely muscular fellow, who scrowl-
ed at the sums on his slate,
And leered at the innocent figures look Of I'M
speakable hate,
And set his white teeth close together, and gave his
thin lips short twist,
AS to say, II could whip you, lconfound you! could
such things be done with the fish,
There two knowing girls in the corner, each one
with some beauty possessed
In awhisper discussing the problem which one the
young master likes best
class in 'front.' with their readers, were telling
with difficult pains,
How persisted brave Marco Bozzaris while bleeding
at all of his veins:
And boy on the floor to be punished, statue of
idleness stood,
Making faces at all of the others, and enjoying the
scene all he could.
Around were the walls gray and d1ngy, which every
old school-sanctum hath,
With manga break on their surface, where grlnned
wood Grating of lath.
patch of thick plaster Just over the schoolnas-
ter's rick BY chair,
Seemed threa sningly DER him suspended, like Dam
oces swo q, by hair.
There were tracks on the desks where the knife
blades had wandered in search of theirprey;
Their tops dusly spattered as if they drank
ink every day.
The square stove it pulled and it crackled and proke
out in red-haming sores,
Till the great iron quadruped trembled like dog
fierce to rush QUITO doors.
White snow-fakes looked in at the windows the
gale pressed its lips to the cracks;
And the children's hot faces were streaming the
while they were freezing their backs
Now Marco Bozzaris had fallen, and all OF his suff-
rings were DER,
And the class to their seats were retreating, when
footsteps were heard at the door;
And five of the good district fathers marched into
the room in a row.
And stood the mselves up by the hot fire. and shook
off their white cloaks of snow;
And the spokesman q grave squire OF Sixty Win
countenance solemnly sad,
Spoke thus while the children all listened, with all
of the ears that they had:
"We've come here, schoolmaster, intendin' to cast
an inquirin eye round,
Concernin' complaints that's been entered, an fault
that has lately been found;
To pace off the width of your doin's an witness
what you've been about.
An see if it, payin to keep you, or whether we'd
best turn We out.
1.-THE first thing Pm bid for to mention is, When uhe
class gets up to read;
You give 'em too tight OF relnln, an touch EN- up
more than they need;
You,re nicer than wise in the matter OF holdn the
book in one ham,
An you turn stray in their doin's, an tack an
odd d on their an
There amt no good comes of speakin' the words SC
polite, as see,
Providin you know what the 1acts 49, al eeli GIL vi
just as they be.
An then there's that readin IN concert Is
from first unto last
1t kicks up heap of racket, when folks is a-trav
elm past.
Whatever is done as to readn, providin' things &c
to my say,
shan't hang on no new-fanged hinges, but swing in
the old-fashioned way
And the other four good dlstrc5 IaJhers gave qulch
the consent that was DUE
And NODDED oblieuely, and mnttered, "1hena'ere Il
any sentiments te,o'
Then, as to your spellin I've heern TELL by Then
as has looked into this, .,
THAT YOU turn the out O. labour an make the wore
shorter than it's !&%
An, clip the off O yer musick, which makes my SOL
Ephriam perplexed,
An, when he spells out as he ought'r you pass The
word on to the next.
nh av aay there's some newgrafted BOOKS mere ina
Amt take them letters along .
prt II If is SO. justdepend ont them new-graftet
1 books is made wrong
Won might Just as well say that Jackson dldn know
all there was about war, q !,
AS to say old Spellin' book Webster alon KNOW
what them letters was for
And the other four district fathers gave quick In
consent that was DUE
And scratched their heads syly and softly and said
.gAem's my sentiments ten"
.fhen also your rithmetic doins, as they are re
ported to me,
=, 49, won have left Tare an Tret out, an also tn
old Rule O. Three &
An likewise brought in new Study soAne high
steppin' scholars to please, ,s
With saw-bucks an CROSSES aiio -
o+ NO time for such foolin there amt N
great good to be reached
~ tintons children up higher than eyer tnelf 1ath
ers was teached.''
And the other four good district fathers gave quo
| the consent that was due,
| And cooked enc eye up to the celilhg' ana SAG
4 mn sentiments telU"