Port Royal standard and commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1876-11-16
" What letter is that ?"

"What letter is thatG"
Johnny, with his mouth open, pant
ing, and the tears on his cheeks, aa-
swered Indignantly: "Stop till l tell
Sarah.
Whack came the cane again, and
fresh burst from Johnny.
"What letters that ?"
"I won't tell" roared Johnny. :" l
won't tell-that I won't.
Whack-whack-w and pause.
"I told you before that's the letter Is.
What letter is that9 Tell me directly"
Johnny, by way Of reply, made
snatch at the cane. Whack-he cau8M
it, certainly, but not exactly as he would
have wished. Johnny than snatched up
the book. and dashed it to the corner OF
the room. Whack, wback. Johnny at
tempted to seize Mr.. Bonnycastle with
his tech. Whack, whack, whack, whack;
and Johnny fell on the carpet and roared
with pain. Mr.. Bonnycastle then left
him for little while, to recover himself,
and sat down.
At last Johnny's exclamation settled
down in deep sobs, and then Mr.. Bon
nycastle said to him: Now, johnny,
you perceive that you must do as you
are bid, or else you will have more beat
ing. Get up Immediately. DO you
hear, sir ?" ., :,
Somehow or other, Johnny, without
intending it, stood upon his feet.
"That's good boy; now you see, by
getting mp as you were bid, you nave
Hot been beaten. Now, Johnny, you
must 60 and bring the book from where
you threw it down. Do you hear, sir!
Bring it directly!"
johnny looked at Mr.. Bonnycastle
and the cane. With every intention to
refuse, Johnny picked up the book and
laid it on the table.
"That's good boy now we will ind
the letter B. Here it is now, Johnny,
tell me what that letter is ?"
Johnny made no answer.
"Tell me directly, sir, said MIR. Bon
nycastle, raising his cane up IN the air.
The appeal was too powerful. Johnny
eyed the cane it moved, it was coming.
Breathlessly he shrieked ont: "B!"
every well indeed, Johnny-very
well. Now your first lesson is over,
and you shall 90 to bed. You have
learned more than you think for. To.
morrow We will begin again. Now we'll
put the cane BY" ,
Mr.. Bonnycastle rang the bell, and
desired Master Johnny to be put to bed,
in room by himself, and not give him
any supper, as hunger would the next
morning much facilitate his studies.
Pain and hunger alone will tame brutes,
and the same remedy must be applied to
conquer those passions in msn which as
simulate him with brutes. Johnny was
conducted to bed, although it was but
six o'clock. He was not only in pain
but his ideas were confused and no
wonder, after all his life having been
humored and indulged-never punished
until the day before. After all the
caresses of his mother and Sarah, which
he never knew the value OF after stufhng
himself all day long, and being tempted
to eat till he turned away in safety, to
find himself without his mother, without
Sarah, without supper-covered with
wales, and, what was worse than all,
without his own way. No wonder john
nv was confused at the same time that
he was subdued and, as Mr.. Bonny
castle had truly told him, he had learned
more than he had any idea Of And
what would Mrs. Easy have said, had
she known all this-and Sarah too :
And Mr.. Easy, with his rights OF man ?
At the very time that Johnny was baV-
ing the evil driven out of him, they
were consoling themselves with the idea
that, at all events, there was no birch
used at Mr.. Bonpycastle's, quite losing
sight of the fact that as there are more
ways of killing dog besides hanging
him, so are there more ways OF teaching
than posteriori. Happy in their ignor-
anee, they all went fast asleep, little
dreaming that Johnny was already so
far advanced in knowledge as to have a
tolerable comprehension of the mystery
of the cane. As for Johnny, be had cried
himself to sleep, at least six hours before
them.
The next morning Master Jack Easy
was not only very sore but very hungry,
and as MIR. Bonnycastle informed him
that he would not only have plenty OF
cane, but also no breakfast, if he did not
learn his letters, Johnny had wisdom
enough to say the whole alphabet, for
which he received great deal OF praise,
tho which, if he didnot duly appreciate,
he at all events infinitely preferred to
beating. Mr.. Bonnycastle perceived
that he had conquered the boy by one,
hours we'll l-timed severity. Hetherefore
handed him over to the ushers in the
school, and as they were equally empow-
cred to administer the needful impulse,
Johnny very soon became very tract
able boy.
In Dot