The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-01-07

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"Come, let's run down to the pond an,
catch bloodsuckers.
Next morning, about school time, Kin
stole along into the shed kitchen, an,
hung about the cheese tub, where hi
mother was cutting curd.
"Why don't you start for school
You'll be late, my son.
The mistress whipped me yesterday,
muttered Kim, helping himself to luml
of curd.
"Dd she? Well, I've no doubt yor
deserved it. There, run along, and sec
if you can't be better boy to-day"
"But mother"
"Well, WHAT"
"Well, you see, the mistress"
"Well, speak it out, sonny. I'm in q
hurry"
"Why, you see, mother, the mistress
wants twenty-five cents for whipping
me.
"Twenty-fve centsl"
"She says it famed her ARM" said
Kim, hanging his head "She says she
can't do it for nothing, and if / don't
bring it she'll have to send me home"
Mrs. Price locked down at the curly
haired culprit with twinkle of fun in
her eyes-she had black eyes very much
like Kim's.
"Well, sonny, go get my purse out of
the end cupboard. Ii 1 am poor, it
shan't be said | don't do all can for my
children's education"
Kim brought the purse-a red worsted
one, with steel rings.
fNNe hara ia N CT lxar ono xt-ifb 70
pillars on it. We are out of gingerbread,
and was going to spend it for molasses,
but never mind, l don't blame Miss
Pentecost. know it was hard work to
whip you, and she deserves the money!"
"Thank you, Kimball," said Miss
Pentecost, in low voice, when she re-
ceived the bright new quarter. Didn't
your mother think deserved it 2"
"Yes'm," replied the boy, his chin
sinking into the hollow place in his
neck.
81 thought she would. Well, now,
my dear, i shall carry tins quarter home,
and keep it and next time L whip you,
you must bring me another. DO you
understand 2"
Kim scowled down at his little bare
toes, and tried to stick them into crack
i'll the floor. Why, this was getting
serious. Would the woman keep on
crying "Quarters foreverl 1t was per-
fectly ruinous. His mother had had all
she could do to support the family be-
fore but what would become of them
now?
+" You may take your seat" added
Miss Pentecost, still i'll a low tone, so
that no one could hear, but with a smile
that exasperated poor Kim. alt is
dreadful that you will be naughty but
then, you see, the more / whip you the
more money 1 shall get and perhaps
before the summer is out, l shall have
enough TO buy new dress"
I" No, you don't, i" thought Kim, shut
ting his teeth together Catch me
letting my mother buy dress for you
Why, we've got to go without ginger
bread to-day. You don't get another
chance to whip me for one while, ma'am
now, you see!"
To avoid a whipping, it was necessary
to study, for Kim was a boy that must
be busy at something. He saw Bob
Whiting go asleep, and longed to drop
tame cherry into his mouth. He saw
Joe Fuller sauntering down the aisle,
looking straight before him, and it was
the cutest chance" to trip him up but
Kim resisted all these allurements and
fifty more and got his geography lesson
SO well that Miss Pentecost patted him
on the head, and said, "That's my
good boy, which would have been
delightful if he could have forgotten
that gingerbread
Mex day he tried studying again, and
rose to the head of his spelling class.
"Why, haven't had a whipping since
Tuesday" thought he Saturday noon, as
he ran home with the silver medal on
his neck.
After that he seemed somehow to fall
into the habit of studying. Study is
habit, let me tell you, just as much as
playing, though l suppose it is rather
harder to acquire.
The little fellows will was aroused,
and that was precisely what he needed.
In short, Kim had had his last whipping
from Miss Pentecost or anybody else,
and instead of being her most trouble
some boy, he became the best scholar in
school.
Silttii u NC uDlt W DtlN illuU tEeSJ III
ter all, said she, the night before she
left Skoodac; "but, Kim, DEAR l know
you are glad"
Yes'm," replied Kim, meeting her
eye with smile.
"And L i keep the quarter to remem-
Der you by. Your mother says hewishes
me to.
"Yes'm.'
Kimball Price is now one of the
wealthiest and most respected men in his
native State.
And that man," said Squire Hatha-
way, the other day, in his Fourth of July
Grafton, was educated over here ut
Skoodac, boys, that little black school
house, that is so poor and miserable, that
when it took fire few years ago it
wouldn't burn down."
Mr.. Kimball Price returned from Eu-
rope last May with his wife, and l heard
Mrs. Hathaway say-she was once Miss
Pentecost--that he thought her last
whipping made man of him.
&" He wanted that old quarter of dol
lar" said Mrs. Hathaway, laughing:
"but l couldn't bear to part with it; so
he cut it in two, and we've each of us
got half. - Vide AWoke.