River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-07-03
TEN GREAT GALS.

At the age of sixteen, before we shed
our roundabout, we contracted to "keeI
school" in District No. 5 for $12 pei
month and "boarding round" We
knew very we'll the little red school
house, standing at the exact centre of the
district, on the borders of a mighty
swamp, the tarm-houses scattered about
the hills And we also knew the chronic
nuisance of that particular school; a squad
of half-a-dozen rough fellows who had
emerged into stall coats" and would hard
lg relish the discipline of a boy peda-
gogue in roundabout. After the first
flash of citation of our election, the chill
ing reflection came back, like return
wave OF ice-water, that, in all human
probability, ere our seventeenth birthday,
should dawn, we should be seen vanish
ing head foremost, out of the school house
window into big SNOW drift, propelled
by class No. of big boys
In our anxiety we applied to Aunt An
ma, the general oracle of the household.
Aunt Anna was a stalwart maiden of six
ty summers, gigantic in proportions, but
every inch lady in her dear old heart.
through the measels, mumps, and chick
en-. pox, and was the main stay in all fam
lily emergencies. There were sly rumors
that the occasional attack of ''fidgets, y
which overcame the good old lady at
plight, had some relation to mysterious
black bottle which she always carried in
her work bag; but Aunt Ann, plus 1.-THE
fidgets," was worth regiment of ordina-
nv feminines for all the homemade uses
of country life.
swell, now, you are really going to
keep school in District No. 5, said Aunt
Anna, smoothing down her big-chec ed
apron, and raising her spectacles for "a
90 ID long loos at the incipient peda-
gogue, seated at the opposite corner OF
the REPLACE. "Yea, Aunt Anna, have
promised to keep that school; but be-
tween you and me, | am dreadfully
afraid to tackle that crowd of boys. You
know what rough set they
are, and one of them has already
given out that there will be no more
board anted in district No, 8 after the
first week. That's a 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 in
to the middle of next week. But they
can fling you over the roof of the school
house in a iiffy, if they have a mind to.
| know every family in that district. I've
nussed in every house, and taken the
measure of every youngster that will
come to that SCHOOL There's one thing
in your favor, there'll be ten great gals in
that school, and most of EN- are good
gals, too. Now, some of them gals are a
head taller than you, and two or three OF
them are right handsome, too. They can
twist that crowd of great bashful boys
round their little finger if they want to.
Now, mind what l tell you; do you go
right to work and gain the aft 'ctions of
them ten great gals, and they'll manage
the great boys, while you keep the school.
That sounded well; and armed with
this panacea against rebellion, we opened
school the Monday after Thanksgiving.
1t was rough-looking set up on the
high seats that row of villainous-look-
ing fellows, either of them big enough to
throw us over into the big swamp with
one hand Happily, our first boarding
place was the home of two of the "great
gals" Never did we clay ourselves out"
to gain the good graces of the lovely sex
as during the first week of that boarding
round. We rode on the front of the sled
with the tallest girl-played checkers
with the second, got all snarled up in a
eats cradle" with the pretty visiting
cousin, and put in word of explanation
or the "hard sums" of all, in the long
evening at home.
The first crisis came at the beginning
of the second week, when big l0ut
"sauced" the new school-master. Some
how, it crushed us, and for minute the
school DOM swan round, and the idea OF
seizing our fur cap and making for home
fitted across our vision. Just then the
patter of light footstep was heard down
the long slope of the narrow aisle leading
up to the seat of the ''ten great ga s."
The tallest glided down, ostensibly to
ask the explanation of hard sum; but,
as we leaned over the slate with dim
ness in the eyes, heard a low whisper
in our ear: Don't be cast down; we girls
will shame that seat of boys into good
manners before another week" A light
broke IN; we were gaining the affections
of ten great gals"
So things drifted for ten weeks, when
dawned the Judgment day. We had
gone to board with good, motherly
woman, who loved us as her own son.
A big fire in the parlor greeted our ar
rival and a supper fit for the parson him
self After tea our hostess appeared in
her best blaek silk, in her hand mighty
oak "ruler," and sat down before us with
the air of a Minerva. Nov, matters are
coming to point in your school; you
have been trying to govern that crowd OF
rascally boys by love, but that has come
to an end. Tomorrow they'll try to put
you out Take this ruler, and don 'tcome
home to me to morrow night unless you
have used it up over the head and
shoulders of somebody" There vas nc
| appeal Tor that A greater than the
whole class of "great gals had spoken
and we felt in our soul that fate was
standing at the school-house door.
| Were w endowed with the epic rage
of Hon er or Pope, we might possibly
depict the scenes of the coming day
How the ugliest loafer in a frock coat
icked in the door at recess; how wher
the trembling young master asked, "NhC
had done that2' the big boor lifted his
thumb to his nose, and executed that sig
lnificant gyration with his little finger
which would make a savage of st. JOIN
himself; how. fired With the courage o.
despair and vision of our farm-hous,
Minerva. we seized the big oak ruler
rushed up the inclined plane, upsetting
several small children on the way
plunged at the throat of the insolen
scoundrel, tore of the collar of his frock
coat. snaked him down the area before tn
fireplace, and beat him over the head ant
shoulders till he roared for mercy; how
at intervals he cast glance up at his &C
complies and took in tire situation
the stem great gals" had spike
the guns If all NJ this wretch, who slunl
and begged under our hands; how W
wound up with an eloquent address, an
gave the whipped ruffian his hat with IN
strlctions to go home, how his senslbi
father took off what remained OF his dill
apidated frock-coat and trounced him ii
. he yelled again, and sent him to schoc
: on the following day with compliment
70 the plucky young master; all tn
might be sung In heroic veIse.
But, If the truth were known, IT was nc
) we, bat the ''ten great gals that did th
business. They had so demuralized Ii
! attacking column by the magic of the
J charms, that only one had the heart