The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1878-03-27
THE GOOD-FOR-NOTHING.

eyes, 1 think I may say without
Boosting that this is the model school of
the State, and Clarence Terry is it's
model scholar"
Mr.. Pigeon, as he spoke, glanced at a
slight, tall boy at the head of the class.
always first. Recites page after page
without the break of a syllable. Obedi-
ent, gentlemanly: In short, sir, if you
discover fault in that boy, you must
have keener eyes than mine"
It was Mr.. Pigeons last day in the
academy. He had been appointed to a
professorship in q college, and the new
teacher, Mr.. Nagle, had arrived to take
his place. Mr.. Pigeon, in fact, was in
augurating him in his Office.
"Here is the roll OF names," he said.
al have added remark to each which
nay give You hint Of the character oil
the boys. You will find it useful"
Mr.. Nagle looked it over.
"John Steele - which is John
Steele r he asked.
"The loutish, red haired lad at the
end of the bench. You'll observe the
vacancy in his face"
Now opposite John Steele's name was
written, "The gooi-for-nothing."
As the boys changed class, Mr.. Pigeon
whispered, "I am almost forced to be-
lieve that that boys mind is impenetra-
ble-so far as knowledge goes"
Mr.. Nagle paid more attention to John
Steele than to any other boy that after
noon. It was undeniably bad case.
He was in the first page of the Latin
grammar. while the other boys Of his age
were reading Virgil.
John stumbled over the first declen-
sion, breaking down invariably in the
vocative. He bounded France by Rus.
sia, 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 brief poems to them at the close
of the mornings exercises. To-day he
chose Longfellow's "Psalm Of Life. y
The boys were encouraged to give Their
opinions on it.
"How does this poem affect you, Clar'
ence ?" asked Mr.. Pigeon.
"They are most noble verses, si',
said the lad, fuently. "We might take
some of them as motto for our lives"
I" Very true. Good criticism. And
what did you think of them, John ?"
"Didn't think anything"
You must have some glimmer OF OF
idea about them"
Johns freckled face grew red.
"What was it? Out with it,"
"Any mans fcol to be spendin' hi
time making footmarks on the sand,
burst out John. "Why didn't he built
somethin that wouldn't wssl
away ?"
Mr.. Nagle smiled, and looked at th'
boy, puzzled. He managed to talk t.
most of the boys separately during re
cess, and among the rest to John.
"I am sorry to see you go low in you
class, john"
"I'm always there" promptly
Mostly foot.
| "We must try and bring You up,
--cheerfully.
"You can't do it, sir, looking hin
straight in the eye, and speaking with
ready decision that startled the teacher
"I study more than any boy here. Blu
I can't learn. I'm of no account, MI
Pigeon says"
| Mr.. Nagle was very patient with John
But after few weeks, he, too. began t
despair. The boy seemed to bave absc
lutely no memory for words, and yer
little for ideas. II rule in arithmeti
or fact in history was hammered int
bis head to-day, by tomorrow it ws
sure to be gone. As far as this poe
. brain was concerned, it certainly SCENE
! as If nature preferred vacuum.
One day Johns mother called on M
; Nagle. She was little, anxious womal
dressed in deep mourning.