The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-06-07
AN UNIQUE SCHOOL.
Teaching the Young idea How Not to
Shoot,

law w
Shoot.
eyes" said the SchOOlmaSter at Rus
tiers Gulch, as he rolled q fresh corn
husk cigaro, ''the history of this school
would no doubt prove interesting from
a newspaper point of view Its most
startling incidents, however, seem COM
monplace and tame to a frontiersman.
This school was started five years ago,
and | am the fourth teacher. I have
been here two years. About six years
ago Mr.. Robinson, y great sheep man
from the lower country, located in the
gulch, and established a ranch here
Many of his herders had families, and,
being man of influence and wealth, he
had no difficulty in establishing public
school and he built this house The
teacher hung his hat up on the floor in
one corner and sheived his books in an
other. The pupils brought sheep-skins
to sit upon, and every night rolled them
up with their books and piled the lot up
in the two unoccupied corners. Well,
after MIR. Robinson, the wealthy sheep
man I spoke of, had completed his
school house he looked about for u
teacher, and finally secured the services
of an old fellOW--ln eX-stage driver,
who could barely read and write This
country was full of Indians then, and
the teacher and larger pupils went arm
Cd He took his meals at Robinson s
house, but slept here on the mud floor
He had weakness for post whisky, and
got drunk on the slightest proYocation.
One Sunday, while he WAS lying there
before the school-room fire i'll drunken
stupor, Il wandering Apache happened
in and carried away the schooimaster' s
scalp as an educational trophy This
catastrophe caused the school to close,
and it remained without Il teacher about
six months.
One day very pretty and lady-lil1e
young woman rode up to Robinson $
ranch and asked for that gentleman.
He invited her in and she made known
her business. She was school teacher
and anxious to take charge of the Rust
ler's Gulch School. She gave her name
as Miss Emma Graham and entered up
on her duties the next day after her en-
gagement. Miss Graham WAS about 18
years of age. Robinson had a son a
year older. There were Indians in the
country still, and it fell to young Jack
| Robinson lot 10 escort the pretty
| schoolmarm to and from the school
house. He rather liked it, and being q
good-looking fellow and a triile more
| polished than ranchmen's SONS usually
are Miss Graham rather liked 1t also.
They became friends, and this friend
ship developed into very tender and
romantic passion. One night Jack Rob
inson was missing. The schoolmarm
| disappeared also. They were both seen
afterwards in Chihuahua. Mex, living
together as man and wife. Jack was
running saloon and the sometime
schoolmarm was dealing monte.
| at was more than a year when the
school was again opened. This time
the teacher was woman from the
States The board assembled and be-
gan the examination with great So
lemnity. They asked the most nonseGs-
ical questions with the greatest possible
gravity, and received the most prepos-
| ferrous answers.
CONNECTED with the examination in
mathematics is a story which eventual,
| ly leaked out and gave the whole thing
away. One of the board, Mr.. Smith,
had large flock of sheep and they
were afflicted with the scab. He was
preparing to dip and had purchased
many gallons of patent compound fol
the purpose. This liquid was to be prop
erly diluted with water. Smith hac
constructed big dipping vat but he
| did not know how much water 1t held
and he was anxious to learn its exact
capacity so that he would know how
much of the patent dip to put in. He
| It ! xff fl,,, ,NI fkt
| applicant for the school after a deal o
| figuring, told him how many cubic gal
Ions it would hold. Smith jotted dowr
this answer and turned the woud-bt
teacher over to Jones. Now Jones was
building new house, and was going tC
finish it off in the most approved man
ner. with doors, windows, Shlnglt
roof and plank floors and ceilings. HI
was about to order the lumber for thi:
house from FL Paso, but he didn't know
| exactly how much to order. He gave
| the dimensions, and the schoOlmarn
consulted her little figures and told hin
exactly how many feet of plank ant
boards aud how many bundles OF shin
giles il would take to build q house o
the dimensions given. Well satisfied
with his shrewduess, Jones dotted dOWT
the answers and passed the applicant t.
Brown. Brown is the cattle-king of thu
county and had just staiked off grounC
for Il big corral. He had employed al
Irishman who had been a NAVY on th
railroad to dig the ditch for the pickets
at so much per cubic yard of earth cx
cavated. He wanted to find out exact
ly how much his bill would be and IN
asked Miss Green. She told him. Thi
closed the examination. The trustee
consulted few minutes and gave he
the school.
'She lasted a month. Smith mike
his sheep dip according to her figure
and ran through his flock. The mex
day the herders reported sheep dyin!
; and, despite every effort to save tn
woolly animals, they continued to dro
off until his flock was diminished one
third. He learned then that the dip ha
been made about three times the rt
quisite strength. The schoolmarm'
figures had lied and Smith was furious
Jones made out his lumber bill and ser
tho order to the merchant. The amour
ordered was large one, but Jones wa
good and, after some little delay, hl