The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-11-01
At PoRTlAND PRICES.
: Ten Great Gals,


At the age of sixteen, before we had
discarded our sroundabouts. !. we had
contracted to keep school in District
Number Five, for So per month and
boarding round" We knew very wen
the little red school house. standing at
the exact center of the district. on the
borders OF mighty swamp, the farm
houses scattered about the hills, and we
also knew the nuisance of that particular
school, squad of half a dozen rough
fellows who had emerged into sstail
coats, and would hardly relish the dis
e,pilne OF boy-pedagogne in round
After the first flush of elasion at our
election, the reflection came back. like 4 S
return wave of ice water, that in ali
human probability, ere our seventeenth
birthday should dawn, We should be seen
vanishing head foremost out of the
school house window into a snow drift.
propelled by class Number One of the
big boys. In our anxiety we applied to
Aunt Anna. the general oracle of the
household. Aunt Anna was a staiwart
maiden of sixty summers, gigantic in
proportions, but every inch 3 lady in
her dear old heart. She had nursed
half the children in town through mea-
sells, mumps and chicken-pox, and was
the mainstay in all family emergencies.
There were sly rumors that the occa-
sional attacks of s1fdgetsr which over
came the good old lady at night had
some relation to a mysterious black bot
tie which she always carried in her work
box; but Aunt Anna, plus the .sfidgets,
was worth q regiment of feminines for
the homemade uses of country life.
Well, now, you are really going to
keep school in District Number Five, =
said Aunt Anna, smoothing down her
| big checked apron, and raising her spec
tacles for a good, long look at the in
cipient pedagogue, seated at the oppo-
site corner Of the fireplace.
Yes, Aunt Anna, / have promised TO
keep school, but between you and me, I
am dreadfully afraid to tackle that crowd
of boys. You know what a rough set
they are, and one of them has already
given out that there viii be no board
wanted in District Number Five after,
the first week
1 That's serious matter. Now, let's
see if we can't think of something TO
help you. Now, you see. don't know
anything about book larnin' No doubt
! you can cipher that back seat of boys
into the middle of next week But they
can fling you over the roof of the school
house IN jiffy if they have mind to. /
know every family in the district. I
| have nussed in every house, and taken
the measure of every youngster that viii
come to that school. There's one thing
in your favor. There1l be ten great gals
in that school, and most of EN- are good
gals, too. Now, some are head taller
than you, and two or three of them are
right handsome, too. They can twist
that crowd of great, bashfnT boys round
their little fingers if they want 70. Now,
mind what tell you; do You go right to
work and gain the affections of them ten
great gals, and they'll manage the great
boys while you keep school,
That sounded we'll; and armed with
this panaeea against rebellion, we opened
school the Monday after Thanksgiving.
1t was a rough looking set mp on the
| high seats-that row of villainous-lo5k-
ing fellows, and one of them big enough
to throw me over into the big swamp
with one hand!
| Happily our first boarding place was
with two of the ssgreat gals" Never did
we '.lay ourselves out TO gain the good
graces of the lovely sex as during the
first week of that boardin' roure u.
rode on the front of the sled r;th ~
taliest girl, played checke viii ~
second, got all snarled mp n s..sts.
cradle" with the pretty wishing cous;n
and put in word Of exs5sj1lasnat;on for tbs
"hard suns 81 ali in the long evening.
at home.
The first crisis came at the beginning
; of the second week, when big loul
Hsauced" the new schoolmaster. Some
! how it crushed us, and for minute the
/ school-room SWAN round, and the idea o.
seizing our fur cap and making for home
! fitted across our vision. Just then ths
patter of light footstep was heard dowr
, the long slope of the narrow aisle leading
/ up to the seat Of the ten great gals
5 The tallest glided down, ostensibly to asl
2 the explanation Of hard sum; but as ".
t leaned over the slate, with dimnes
in the eyes, we heard whisper In oul
s ears:
Don't be east down. We girls vii
g shame that seat of boys into good man
!, ners before another week.
1 A light broke in; we were gaining th
5 affections of the ten great gals.
e So things drifted for six weeks, whel
g dawned the Judgment day. We hai
t gone to board with good, motherly NC
e man, who loves us as her own son.
e big fire In the parlor greeted our arrival
and supper fit for the parson himself
After teaour hostess appeared IN her bei
black silk, and in her hnnd might
+ black ruler, and sat down before U
l. with the air of q Minerva.
D Nov matters have cenae to point
4 your school; you have been trying /
j: govern that crowd Of aascaily boys
a love, but that has come TO an end. II
il morrow they'll try TO put You out Tai
e this ruler, and don't come home to-mo
II row night unless YOU have used it u
i over the head and shoulders Of som
l. body"
s There was no appeal from that
J. greater than the whole class Of gre
q gals had spoken, and We felt IN q
# souls that fate was standing at the schoe
% honse door.
L We're we endowed with the epic IA.
il Ct Homer or Pope, re might pos.
m bly, depict the scenes of the coming de
er How the ugIiest loafer, IN frock COZ
.d kicked In the door at recess; how, VIII
ic the trembling young master asked .swl
n did that?n the big boor lifted his thun
i'd to his nose and executed that signihca
in gyration with the little finger viii
Ie. would make a savage Of st. John hi
/ self; how, fred with the courage of d.
/ pair. and a vision of our farm-hor
Int Minerva, we seized the big oaken rul
Of rushed up the inclined plane, upsetti
n several small children, on the insolf
ne scoundre1. tore the collar Of his fro
m coat. snaked him down the area beft
q. the fireplace, and beat him over |
head and shoulders till he roared
Iul mercy; how at intervals he cast q glnl
ris | at his accomplices and took IN the sitl
m ton; the stten great gals had spiked
NE guns OF all but this wretch, who SIN
ur and begged under our hand -liow
in wound up with an eloquent address, q
re- gave the whipped rufiian his hat, v
ny instructions to go home; how his ser
III, Bile father took of what remained Of
led dilapidated frock coat and trounced B
n till he yelled again. and sent him
Ehe school the following day with COM
he ment TO the plucky young master;
els this might be sung in heroic verse.
ey- But. Il the truth we're known, It !
est not we, but the Hten great gals that
me the business. They had SO democrats
red the attacking columns by the magic
IS. their charms that only one had the h<
Ioir to defy the little master, and ne "a
Iish not Lift bis hand when the day OF be
ore came. And from that day We crow
5 Of dear old Aunt Anna prophecies Of lo
she Gain the affections Of the zen g