The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-02-15


Every country boy in New England
Knows that the village echool- house is
generally located upon the top Of the [;
,leakost hill in the neighhorhoOd, and
> the sport Of every sddying gust of
wind that drives down from the great
pine wilderness Of Maine, heaping the
great drifts across the road and about
The door for the children to break
through and then shake themselves
tree of the clinging snow like 20 many
Newfoundland.
And whore, BY any chance, was
there ever a school-house containing q
stove that didn't roast the scholars
seated near it, and leave the others to
freeze!
All wide-awate boys who know the
pleasure Of skating will Agrse with nc
that however cold or stormy it is ny on
the hill top. the mill-pond (and what
does . village amount to without =
miil-pond, indeed y is always down in
the coolest nook between the hill,
where the wind can't come With more
force thsn Is needed to blow the fall
Ing fakes across its smooth surface,
pi!ing them in great heaps among
the bordering Willows. and leaving the
ice in tempting order for "shiuny."
In fact, upon this the coidsrt morn
ing Of the winter, the school. house on
the hilltop 10 not to b mentioned or
thought Of in comparison with mill
ponds for comfort or attractiveness.
and it 10 h:rdly surprising that Mr..
Cnalksr, the school master, walked to
and fro in solitary state, Surveying
with vexed air an array Of vacant
desks. He WAS not altogether alone.
however, for three bows bad fought
bravely through tine drifts, and now
sat huddled By the rsd-hot stove. try
ing hard to look - though they, at
least. did not think the weather q good
excuse for staying at home to hunt
hens nests in the depths Of the hay
nov.
Nov Schoolmas.er Ch.lker WIS a
shrewd observer, and loved q good
joke - well ss any one. He had
adopted many original plans Of in
struc:ion. He could zee one cod Of the
mill pond half . nile away from bis
window. and % he gszed out upon the
bleak waste Of snow-clad fields he saw
. couple of small black figures gliding
over its surface, and q trace Of a
smile shown among he wrinkles 90
an idea seemed I, strike him. Per-
haps he had recalled the time when
he, too, was . lad and the "wildest cub
in tbs town." - his father often de-
clared. Turning to one of the boys he
said: "Rsn, it seems to ne that the
pond 10 much nicer place for Us than
the schoolhouse to day. Lets 90 6sh-
ing. I can't skate, but perhaps ! can
show you how Nc used to catch pick
erel down there fifty years ago"
Ben and his two companions looked
at Mr.. Chalksr with widely opened
eyes, but they soon found that be wss
in earnest. and they' agreed to the
proposition joyiully.
Now" said Mr.. Chalker, 1.-TWO of
you get out the bob-sled, aud heap on
plenty Of sticks from the wOodpile.
Be sure and get some big ones and
you, Berion, 60 down to Mr.. SAmp-
son, the miller, with this note. He
will let you have some lines, and a
few miDnows for bait"
When the schoolhouse bad been
property locked up, and they had
s,arted. dragging tho sled after them.
it occurred 10 Zen to suggest q slide.
So ali three 60; upon the wood, and
slid away merrily toward the pond.
The road was steep but straight, though
near the bottom there was q sharp
curve where the wicd had blown
away the snow. leaving the crust o.
smooth ice. Over this they sped at .
lively paee, Ben steering. Poor Ben
couldn't torn the corner and in another
second the sled, schoolmasier and all
plunged into the depths d . big drift.
othiog was TO &c seen Of Mr.
ChaIker for a moment but bis heels,
but he soon emerged. putting and
laughing heartily. much tn the boys
relief, who had begun to think the fun
was all over. But Mr.. Chalker shook
himself and declared be enjoyed it,
and vas ready to try it over again ; in
fact, be didn't act q bit ike . school
master, but just like boy let loose
. very old boy. to b sure. but . very
hearty one, for all that.
1t only required q lev minutes to
cut q couple Of round holes in the
ice, and to build . roaring Ere on .
platform Of heavy sticks and Eat
stones-a Are that flung its forked
tongues into the keen air in merry de-
Sance Of the frost king and all his
servants. The halfdozsn boys already
ON the pond viewed this preparation
with considerable wonder, but gath
ering courage finally skated up and
warmed their fingers at the Ere.
Then somewhat moro than Q dozen
other boys looked out from the windows
Of the houses scattered along the bill
side, and said something like this
"Mother, I guess there amt any
school to-day 1 don't ses any smoke
comiu' out Of the chimney. Can't l
90 down to the pond p
And an equal number Of mothers
replied:
"Why Of course not. It's much too
cold for ysu to 90 out. You said %
yourself, and besides you dent feel
very we'll"
There's lots Of boys on the pond,
mother, an the skatiDs's splendid. l
don't feel 90 bad now. Can't l 60?
l won't STAY long. l think you might
let"
Upon which all the mothers said,
in effect. Nv ell. do 90 along; but