Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-06-04

looking out of the window. / spoke to
him, telling him how improper an action
| it was in school hours. He merelygave
me a glance of supreme disdain, and
went ON looking out of the window. I
babe him sit down.
"Not for Joel" he replied. Upon
that, corporal punishment not being
prohibited there, sent Carl out for a
birch stick. Dec took no notice of me
till went toward him with the stick in
hand, when he snatched up his slate
and threw it at me with all his strength
with intent to kill, 1 have not the
least doubt. After degrading tussle
conquered him, and gave him the full
benefit of the birch.
But he was equally bad next day.
The hard, wicked little spirit within him
seemed to thrive on whipping.
Still, thought / could master him,
and went on for a month with almost
daily scrimmages. But he was too
much. lost flesh and appetite bat
thing with him. Then / called in Mr..
Grover one day aud stated the case.
Mr.. q. was man of prompt action !;
he took Dec out of school by the col
lar. Next day saw him watching one
of the farmers newly-sown wheat
fields with a shotgun, to keep the
grouse from picking up the seed.
Eff he CANT behave hisself at scule,"
quoth the farmer, che may stay to
home and work"
Nucky still remained to me, and he
was every whit as unruly in spirit as
Dec, only he was not as old. Nucky
would look out of the window in spite
of me. 1t was no use to place him in
the corner seat. He would read when
he liked. If he did not choose, could
not get him to open his mouth and
he prosecuted little Henson and Carl in
defiance of all my protecting mandates,
backed up with / am fairly ashamed to
tell how many foggings.
Eastern teachers may think my
methods barbarous think so myself.
But l wish only that my critics could
have been in my place one day, with
Nucky and Dec on their hands.
Then came the Indian outbreak.
There was such fear of an attack for
several days that the school was closed.
But the Indians moved another way
and then more than half the men Joined
volunteer company, to go against
them. The danger of an attack there
was thought to be passed, and school
began again.
A few minutes before the forenoon
recess, day or two after that, Nucky
left his seat on q sudden and came down
to my desk.
Please, men," he said, cts jest
ben lookin' out o. the winder agin. I"
eyes, said /, 81 am sorry-but what
of it 2"
"There's redskin out yer," said he,
with flush of excitement on his face.
"An Indian, Nucky?" 1 exclaimed.
"You are mistaken, ] think"
''No, l Amt, men," persisted Nucky
"You jest come yer-no, not to the
winder, but back yer where I be, or
he'll see yer, sure pop! Now you look
where 1 pints. Out by that thar ole
cottonwood butt. Yer can't see i'm Jest
now, but he's thar, an eff We look sharp,
an keep yer eye thar, yer will see i'm.
He's thar r
/ didn't half believe Nucky was right
but l kept my eye ON the stump indi-
Gated for near a minute, when, to my
horror, / saw the feathered head of O
tawny red-skin poked slowly out to one
side of it. After n sharp look at the
school house, the Indian crept forward,
gun in hand, from that butt to another.
My heart gave jump. For an instant,
l was near fainting from sheer terror.
The other children had overheard
Nucky and saw my alarm. They began
to cry. 1 turned to hush them. But
Nucky pulled my sleeve eyer jest bar
the door, men," he said, with such a
brave look in his ugly little face that
felt courage come to me from it. "Bar
the door, or let me, an then eff you'll
jest hist the back winder an put me
out, I'll cut back through the dogwoods
an run fer old Dad Grover and the
Gainses."
Nucky was master of the situation.
| was only too glad to do his bidding.
First thrusting the wooden bars across
the door, showed aside the back win
dow. In an instant Nucky was wrig-
Cling out. Expecting every instant to
hear the whoop of the savage, let
Nucky down to the ground.
He "cut" away like fox through the
bushes In the rear of the school house,
and SO noiselessly, that when turned
to peer ont at the other window, saw,
to my great relief, that the savage had
not heard him, and was still watching
from behind the butts.
But a moment or two after, having
apparently satisfied himself that there
were no men about the house, the red
skin crawled from the butt to the log
fence inclosing the school lot. For a
minute or two 1 saw him peeping be-
twixt the logs. Then he leaped over
the fence, and, bounding to the door,
threw his weight against it to burst it
open. The bar held, but the whole
house shook.
The children ran screaming and
shrieking to me.
Then heard the Indian fumbling at
the latch.
He again threw his weight against
the door, when, finding he could not
break the bar, he began to cut into the
door with his Ratchet. With almost
the first stroke the bright blade came
through. The children screamed, each
one trying to get behind me.
At very few hacks, the Indian chop
ped hole; and 1 saw his face as he
glared in, and heard his exultant grunt
of satisfaction, as he beheld our defence
less condition.
Then again he piled his Ratchet to cut