The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1878-05-15
MISCELLANY.
THE GOOD -FoR-NoruINa.

Yes, think may say without boasting
that this is the model school of the State, and
Clarence Tracy is its model scholar"
Mr.. Pigeon, as he spoke, glanced at slight,
tall boy, at the head of the class.
Always first Recites page after page
without the break of syllable Obedient,
gentlemanly In short, sir, if you discover
fault in that boy, you must have keener
eyes than mine"
1t was Mr.. Pigeons last day in the acad-
envy. He had been appointed to professor
ship in college, and the new teacher, Mr.
Maggie, had arrived to take his place. Mr.
Pigeon, in fact, was inaugurating him in his
Office.
Here is the roll Of names,' he said. Z" |
have added a remark to each which may give
you hint of the character of the boys You
will find it useful"
Mr.. Maggie looked it over.
'.' John Steele (which is John Steele ?"
he asked
The loutish, red-haired lad at the eud of
the BENCH You'll observe the vacancy in his
face
! ANpW OpPDoibG JUuu pltblt udllb MdS WITH
ten, " The good or-nothing.
As the boys changed class, Mr.. Pigeon
whispered, g am almost forced to believe
that that boys mind is impenetrable, SO far
as knowledge goes"
Mr.. Nagle paid more attention to John
Steele than to any other boy that afternoon.
1t was undeniably bad case. He was in the
first page of the Latin grammar while other
boys of his age were reading Virgil
John stumbled over the first declension,
breaking down invariably in the vocative.-
He bounded France by Russia, and moved
Canada in lump down to South America.
Mr. Pigeon had taste for poetry he read
with fine effect, and was anxious that his boys
should acquire the same taste. He was in the
habit of reading some short poem to them at
the close of the mornings exercises. To-day
he chose Longfelow's "Psalm Of Life. -
The boys were encouraged to give their opin-
ions on it.
+" How does this poem affect you, Clar-
ence ? e" asked Mr.. Pigeon
"They are most noble verses, sir, F" said the
lad, fiuently. eve might take some of them
as a motto for our lives
every true. Good criticism. And what
did You think of them, ohm +? F."
"Didn't think anything"
"You must have had some glimmer of an
idea about Them
Johns freckled face grew red.
"What was it Out with it,
"Any mans fool to be spendin' his time
making footmarks on the sand," burst out
John. Why didn't he build somethin'-
somethin' that wouldn't wash away ?"
Mr.. Maggie smiled, and looked at the boy,
puzzled. He managed to talk to most of the
boys separately during the recess, and among
the rest to John.
81 am sorry to see you SO low in your
Glass; john"
'Tm always there" promptly. Mostly
foot.''
"We must try to bring you up, '-cheerful-
ly."
" You can't do it, sir, looking him
straight in the eye, and speaking with a ready
decision that startled the teacher. " study
more than any other boy here. But can't
learn. I'm of no account, Mr.. Pigeon says"
Mr.. Nagle was very patient with JOHN
But after few weeks, he too began to de-
spair. The boy seemed to have absolutely no
memory for words, and very little for ideas
If rule in arithmetic or fact in history was
hammered into his head today, by tomorrow
it was sure to be gone. AS far as his poor
brain was concerned, it certainly seemed as if
natt,ra Y,ro farrad n voeuun
One day Johns mother called on Mr.. Nagle
She was a little anxious woman, dressed in
deep mourning.
"Can you do nothing with the boy? " she
said, with tears coming to her eyes. " He is
all have. His father is dead. / hope to
give him classical course, and TO see him in
some profession
g will do all can, y promised Nj. Maggie.
But his heart sank within him.
Leaving Mrs. Steele, he went down the
village street. A crowd had collected about
a trench which had been dug for some pur-
pose. The Doctors horse had fallen into it,
and was struggling desperately to get ont,
the shelving yellow clay giving him an uncer-
tain foothold
| Some of the men had beat him cruelty, and
some were trying to urge him by dragging at
the reins. All the others were looking on sol
EMMY, with their hands in their pockets.
just then blr. Maggie heard clear, authora-