The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-06
THE SLIM TEACHER.
What Game of a Conspiracy to Break Up
School.

1t was given out in church Sunday
that school would open Monday morn
ing After the evening service the boys
got together and talked it over, and de-
cided to give the new teacher just a
week. 1t had been thawing for day
or two, and the boys were tired Of skat-
ing, so they thought they could afford to
spend week in educating themselves
in how to break up school. That
evening we were duly elected a member
OF the class of hard citizens, and we
were to open the ball and do something
bad, get the teacher to lick US, and then
the boys were to jump in and help.
Monday morning the school commenc-
ed, and the teacher proved to be sick
Unlocking, slim sort of fellow, timid,
nervous man, with hand and face like
girl. Every time he looked at one of
the boys there seemed to be an express
sion On his face as though he would say,
Il hope you will be good, When he
had anything to say to the scholars he
sSte please, and gave other evidences Of
being pretty soft, we all thought. That
| morning the weather changed, and it
froze hard, and at recess the boys got
| together and said we would wind up
the school before noon and go out on the
ice.
1t was our turn to bp bad, and it COM
menced right off The big boys had to
carry in the wood and lay it quietly by
| the stove. We took in an arlnful and
dropped it on the floor so that it shook
| the building and loosened the stovepipe.
| The pipe came out of the chimney and
filed the room with smoke, but it was
put back, and the slim teacher only rep
rirnanded us, and said that it must not
occur again. We just ached to go after
some more wood, but there was no OPP
portunity Pretty soon the teacher said
we might go and get q pail of water,
and while at the well we decided to
| stumble on entering the school-room,
and spill the water all over the floor,
and thus give the sickly-looking teach
er chance to show what he was made
| of. The teacher was near the stove,
and we stumbled, and the water went
all over everything, wetting his boots
and making him pretty mad. In pick
ing him up we hadn't noticed that bis
| eyes were as black as GOALS, and that be
seemed to be about eight feet high, but
as he looked at US We could see it plain
". He seemed to read our thoughts
and knew that it was done on purpose.
and we have always thought he heart
the boys talking it over at recess. Any
way, he jumped clear across the room
| grabbed us by the neck, and sat u!
down in the water; then he lifted us W
and shook us so our teeth ratified, ther
he seemed TO grab US all over and jus
maui us.
We got chance once or twice to lool
around to the back seats, as he was re
yolving US around on our own axis, tt
see if the other boyswere coming to hell
us put him out doors. but they were thu
most studious lot Of boys we ever saw
They had their heads down in thei
books, and their lips were moving in 81
lent prayer, After the teacher had mop
lped the floor with us, he took usby the
slack Of the pants, just as dog woult
carry duck, and went to his desk ant
got big hickory ruler, and proceeded
to dry our pants. Well, twas the mean
est way to dry pants that ever was, an,
: while it dried them web enough, it lei