St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-02-20


the first week was over. His successor,
we'll known teacher, followed him in
the next week, and the third candidate
ior the position, with a prudence which
would have charmed Solomon, ''fore-
saw the evil and hid himself.n
Neither the committee nor the village
people had made any effort to sustain
either of these worthy young men "a
gainst score Of great boys. "He was
hired to keep the school; if he could
not, 1t was none of their business :" and
In one way and another all declined to
interfere. Those boys were at the very
height of human felicity. A score of
Fourth of Julys coming at once would
not have given half the elation which
the sight of the closed school house, and
the thought of their victory produced.
And closed the house remained for
month, while the committee vainly
tried, by the most fiattering offers. to
induce some of the Oldest teachers, of
fame as boy tanners, to try their hand
upon the unruly young savages in the
village of --. At last the commit
tee gave up; the boys exalted in COM
plete triumph while the more thought
ful citizens began to thiuk that things
had gone great deal too far.
One oi these, Col. T., a shrewd old
gentleman of great experience, who
had in his young days been noted as
a teacher, went to the committee and
mentioned that he believed that his
nephew, Il stranger to the boys, could
keep that school if any one could, and
the commi tee engaged him on the spot
at his own terms.
On Monday every boy was on hand
to look out for the new master. Col.
T. came with him and introduced him
to all the large scholars. He was a
quiet young man of twenty-five, with
pleasant voice and observing eyes.
He had a pleasant word for each, and
talked quite while in Il very friendly
way before he called them to order. In
fact, he treated them as if they had the
best reputation in the world, and as if
he We're cOnversing, not with wild boys
who were contriving to turn him out,
but as if they were his equals in age
and position. The boys had been used
to being defied by each new teacher,
and to rebel in their turn but to be
treated like gentlemen was such a new
experience that they were surprised to
find themselves keeping good order,
and the first day passed as no day had
done in that school for long winters.
But in the evening most of the larger
boys were in the village store, where
the fame of the days doings had pre-
ceded item, creating intense disgust
among the class of loafers who lead a
semi-vagabond life in such places.
''And So" began one of the men, who
being old as he was, and having boys
of his own should be ashamed, ''ye let
that young c. wind you round his
fingers as if We had been strings, did ye
now? | declare, I'm ashamed on We
all. | wish was back in that school
house now, and you'd see if I'd knock
under to master never see afore I'M
less he was bigger than 1 was" All
this, and much more from the rest OF
the idle crowd, till the foolish boys
thought they had been cowardly. and
resolved that the new master must &C
out whether he liked it or no.
But they found it much harder than
usual the next morning to begin mis-
chief. Mr.. c. was so pleasant and
helpful, and yet they felt watching
them so closely no one wanted to be the
first to disturb. But in the afternoon
melted by the jeers of the crowd at the
store, confusion began and increased
till the uproar became so loud that the
master suspended all recitations and
gave his attention to discover who were
the ringleaders in the riot. He made
no effort to check them, only watched
them closely. When it was time to
close school, he called for order, and
said in a tone as pleasant as if he hat
been giving out lesson: "This ha.
been a very noisy school. If some O
you don't behave better tomorrow
there will be few coffins needed il
this village" The boys went home
satisfied with this declaration of war
The widest of them called at the car
penter's shop and "spoke for their cof
fms"
The next morning when the frs
class came out to read, Jim. D., on,
of the largest boys, pretended he coult
not End his place. c. saw he wa
holding the book wrong end up. Re
minded of it, the boy took out of hi
pocket an enormous pair of leather gog
giles and proceeded to put them on
"Take those off, Jamesw said tn,
teacher. jim. only leered at him, Will,
the other boys shouted, and crowded
, around to seize the master. Befor
they could touch him he had laid dow
his book, taken Jim. by the collar, ant
with strength of arm acquired b.
long practice at the anvil, had hurle'
, him several feet against the wall of tn
room, where he fell upon the floor as
r he were dead. "There," shouted th
master, "Jim's ready for his coffin
a Carry him hnma and toll the carnanto