Connecticut western news., 1881-02-16
THE RED SCHOOL HOUSE.

THE RED SCHOOL HOUSE. How Some Boys Kept School With
 out a Teacher.
 Grandfather Ezekiel was shaking with laughter. He bobbed his head against the back of the chair and brought his hands down on his knees with resounding smacks. He took off his spectacles and rubbed them with his red handkerchief. He stopped sudden ly, screwed up his face, groaned "Oh P and put his hand to his back.
 ''What is the matter ?'' exclaimed the children "just look at grandpapa what can be the matter with him p
 t'It's the rheumatism" sad Grand father Ezekiel, becoming calm; "I laughed so hard that I fetched up the rascally witches but couldn't help it these newspapers do carry on so. Here's one that says this is the coldest weather since the Revolution. Why, this isn't a circumstance to one winter day when the Oak township boys held school in the Red School House without teacher. This is nothing."
 " It's pretty cold out," said Nellie, "and, grandpapa, you've been here by the fire all the week."
 Grandfather Ezekiel, who had limped over to the window to take look at the snow, didn't notice Nellie's defense of modern weather. Indeed, Grandfather Ezekiel was very deaf every now and then.
 "Please tell us about the school with no teacher" added Nellie.
 The other children chimed in with the same request, but Grandfather Ezekiel didn't need much urging. He already was in his chair, and as he put a coal into his pipe, he began
 "Well, children, that was when I was somewhere about twelve years old. and 1t was few days after New Year. That morning my father took his three boys to the school house in sled drawn by oxen, for the snow was too deep for horses. We all had extra coats, but it was terribly cold, and when fsther left us at the school house, which was In the woods mile from any dwell Ing, we were almost frozen. Almost all the boys were late that morning, and not single girl came. We'll, we waited until nine o'clock, and then until ten expecting the teacher every minute, We kept the stove red hot, chopping the wood ourselves and piling it in without stint. We had jolly time all the morn- ing, and at noon ate our dinners. which we had brought with us in baskets, with great relish. None of us could go home until the teams should come after LIS. and having given up expecting the teacher, we cast about for somethino to pass away the afternoon. One of the boys, Jack Shelton, proposed a spelling contest, and we ali agreed. Jack said he would be one of the captains, an d sam Nye, who was Jacks equal in spelling, said he would be the other. So they tossed up for the first choice.
 When the sides had been chosen Jack had thirteen and Sam thirteen. and Will Knight, who, though nineteen years old, was the poorest speller in school, was left out. Will didn't mind the slight, for he was a good-natured boy, and said he guessed he would give the words out for us. I was a little shaver compared with the others, but I was pretty good in the spelling book, snd so was chosen sixth on Jacks list The hrst word given out was sOdon- tology, and Sam spelled it without trouble. The next was sskein.' and Jack put the proper letters in shape in tWinkling. And so the words passed on down the line until ghost was gwen out to one of Sam's spoilers, and the boy whose word it was spelled it gohst.' Then there was some excite ment, and when our next boy spelled it right we hurrahed and Sam's boys hiss ed. The boy who missed stepped out and we were one ahead. As the spelling continued, and as the spoilers dropped out one by one, the excitement in- creased. Finally the lines were reduced to Jack and Sam, the best spoilers, and they had it hot and heavy for quarter AOA4s across the word phthisic, and hurled 1t at Jacks head. Jack hemmed and hawed and tugged away at his topknot, and finally said it wasn't fair. Then Sam's boys shouted that it was all right. eEd one of them, who had a speller in his hand, slipped over to Sam and whispered how to spell the word. He thought we didn't see him, but we did. and most of US jumped up on our desks, shouting Cheat Cheat Cheat P I tell you what none of us were cold then, though it was regular zero weather out of doors. Jack and Tim Henry were as red in the face as the sides of the stove, and bye-and-bye saw there was going to be big fight. Before I could get down of the desk, Tim threw his slate at Sam's head and it struck poor Will on the nose, making his nose bleed and breaking the slate into little pieces. In moment the bigger boys-some oi