The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-07-13
A SCHOOL-BOY'S STORY.

AND now, boys, I'm going to tell you
about Arthur Elliot. He was a royal
fellow. You can't find many like him.
Everybody round Linwood Academy
used to know him, or hear of him at
least, for he was always saving some
body from drowning, or pitching in
when two fellows were against one, or
doing something or other, like King
Arthur, or Gen. Washington, or some
of them story-book heroes.
l would just like to know, too, where
there's another fellow as handsome as
King Arthur, as we got to calling him.
You see, he looked like a King, with
his yellow hair curling all over his
head, and his blue eyes, that looked like
steel when he was angry. Aud then he
had such lofty way of interfering
when there was fight, shaking the big
boys as if they were SO many babies.
He was only nineteen, but he was six
feet high, and as broad-shouldered a
fellow as you often see. The BIG bows
used to grumble, and say they reckoned
to Linwood, and that he was an over
bearing tyrant, and all that; but every
body knew it was just because he was
so good and kind-hearted, and that he
had to take those fellows in hand to
give us little chaps chance for our
lives.
The way they used to treat us when
he wasn't round would make your hair
stand on end. We used to feel-some
of us who were far from our folks-as
if we'd like to drown ourselves in the
mill-pond; only King Arthur told us he
reckoned that pond hadn't any bottom,
and that we'd never stop going down
if we tried it. So we thought we'd bet
ter try and stand the big boys.
l just wish you'd seen him when they
were abusing us. He would straighten
himself and march right up to 'em with
his eyes blazing and say, very softly
and politely:
60 Gentlemen, this cruelty must stop
right here. If it doesn't, l shall be
obliged to take the first one of you in
hand who dares to impose on these lit
tie chapsr'
You better believe they let us alone
then, unless they got us on the sly. We
caught it right and left then. Of
course most of them pretended to think
the world and all of King Arthur. His
folks lived In California, and they must
have been very rich, Judging from the
money they sent him, and the way he
scattered it. He didn't think more of
five dollars. than some of the other
chaps did of ten cents. He was always
giving something TO somebody, but he
used to give steady-like to Bill Evans
and his folks.
Bill was cripple and lived down to
Trout Creek, where we Linwood boys
used to fish and battle. He made lit
tie money digging bait, and showing
people the best trout-holes; but he
couldn't do much. anyway, and he had
sick mother and two little sisters on
his hands.
The way some of those big rowdy
boys used to treat Bill was burning
shame. They'd jerk away his crutch,
so he couldn't walk a step, and they'd
leave him there for long time before
they'd give it back. Why, when I'm
big, if I'm going on as those rowdy
chaps did, I'd rather die right here in
any CIdChS.
Bill wouldn't tell King Arthur about
them, for he worshiped the very ground
Arthur trod on, and didn't like to get
him into any trouble. He would say:
. You see, Arthur's such a splendid
fellow that hate to have him take up
for poor cripple like me. Them fell
lows don't like him any too well as it
is. | wouldn't like to set 'em AGAINST
him any more-'specially that Louis
Granger" va.
Now it isn't right to use bad words,
put it did seem as if that Granger was
made up of wickedness generally, with
plenty of sneakiness thrown in.
We little fellows used to 90 to Trout
Creek every Saturday morning to battle
The big boys gave us just two hours,
and took all the rest of the day for
themselves-to battle and fish, and do
what they chose to. We didn't dare to
show the tip of our noses down there
after the time was up. Sometimes they
used to run down ahead of time, too,
and hustle us away just as if the creek
belong to them andwe were trespassing.
Well, one Saturday we went down,
and Bill Evans went with us; for he
wanted to catch some trout. We were
splashing about in the water just as
merry as could be, when we saw Louis
Granger creep down the bank and
pounce upon our pile of clothes.
We hollered at him, and Bill, who
was sitting on the bank, cried out: