The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-12-16
The New SchOOlmaSter
BY JOEL sLopER.

fEfHE advent of a new village
schoolmaster is an event Of
~ much interest. The big boys
ES who ducked the old one or
locked him out tor holiday look
with keen interest and lively curios
ity for the new one as he drives
over the hill to take charge; and
the proverbial old fellow who pun
mels every schoolmaster that dares
thrash his boy also awaits his com
ing with some anxiety as to his
physical proportions, and some
times as to the Sex, for when it hap
pens to be woman be comes around
smiling and says:
o. 81 hope you'll lift Johnny out of
his boots"
Smithville had been running
rough shod over the last half dozen
school-masters, until one day, du
ring a vacancy, the school commit
teemen got together and had a qul.
ct little meeting. and sent Squire
Briggs of to the city to secure a
pedagOgue Of the good old style,
who could read and write aid CT
pher, too.
The Squire, returned, and, wink
ing to the committeeman, said he
guessed he had got man that
would do, and who was to be on
hand the morning school opened.
The committeeman then announced
that on the following Monday
morning sch DOL would begin, and at
the appointed time the boys and
girls assem- bled at the big old barn
like structure that did service as
high school or country academy.
The big boys had planned to Until
ate him by ducking at the creek
the first afternoon, and the little fell
lows had brought their apples and
pop corn to eat in school in den
ance of the rules, while even the
girls were chewing wax and writing
to each other on states across the
room, as they had been accustomed
to do during previous sessions.
Squire Briggs told them that the
master would soon be there, ard
tho large boys laughed in their
sleeves, as the old saying goes. at
the idea of "master."
Suddenly the door opened, and
in walked a man whom the Squire |
Introduced to the school as the |
master. A cold chill ran over
every boy and girl in the room, and
the big ones failed to laugh In their
sleeves. His name was Fitzgerald;
he was one of the old fashioned
Irish school teachers; stood six feet
four inches in his stockings, with
the tread of giant and a voice
like the roar of lion.
aSileuce in schoolp he exclaimed, |
the moment he was introduced. and
he brought his huge fist down on
the table with thump that shook
the room. You red-headed boy
in the corner, come out here.
Come out, 1 sayl Come out l
say !' he roared, in voice that
struck terror TO the hearts of every
one. IL was difficult TO say whether
the boys hair turned redder, or
looked so in contrast to his white
face; but he realized that he had
been thrashed in just three minutes
after the master had entered the
door, This boy was the son of an
old hard listed fellow, who pum-
meled every previous teacher who
thrashed his 10Y, so at noon he
sen note to the teacher, saying
he would take the hide off him first
time he caught him.
when school is out this after
noon" said he to the boy, I'll go
down the street with you, and have
YOU point out your father to me-"
Gall right" replied the boy, who
that filial vanity that be-
lieved his father could lick any
body, and when school was out he
told the boys to dodge along the
street and they would see some fun.
That boy was sharp. or course he
believed his father could lick the
teacher, but he preferred to see the
fight with some other man, so he
pointed out the bully of the town,
as the fighting desperate Of ooun-
try town is generally callei. He
was sitting in crowd at the gro
Gerry store, and the new schoolmas
ter had knocked him around among
the boxes and barrels and given him
the worst thrashing any man had
every got in that locality, before the
mistake was discovered. BY that
time. the boys father, thoroughly
frightened, was going down the
street at a lively step. 1t was a
pretty race. but the teacher had
such long legs that he seemed pos
sessed of.the famous "seven league |
boots" and in plain sight of the
gathering crowd he gave that boys
father such a drubbing as he was
destined never to forget. ~
That was the advent of the new |
teacher; that was his first day, and |
Squire Briggs smiled and winked
at the other committeeman as he re-
marked that he guessed he had got
the right man.
He had got the right man, and he
proved blessing to that town. He
put stop to village bulldoziAg. and
made those boys and girls learn
more in one session than they had
learned in three before. He taught
them politeness, and gave them to
understand that he would specially
protect watermelon patches and ap
pie orchards in that part of the
country.