The Dickinson press., 1883-05-19
THE WISE SCHOOL TEACHER.

There, L told you so; 1 knew we'd
got q new teacher before | saw her,
cause Susie Mills father is committee
man, and she told me SO yesterday.
Miss Hurd is married, you know"
And little Nellie Ayers smoothed her
white apron in a consequential way as
she walked beside her playmate, Matte
Jones.
"What did you say, Nell?' asked a
handsome but Notwithstanding boy
G.: about 10 years, lis he pulled Nellie's
curls.
"Be still now, Frank Ayers, or I'll
tell mother. We've got a new tie cher.
Matte didn't believe it till she saw her.
| hope she'll whip you every day, and
make YOU behave yourself"
"Sho! guess it will take more'n a
dozen like her to make me mind, Nell"
And with aoyish gyrations he quickly
reached the entrance, and peeped in at
the teacher.
from the desk, and the children entered
quietly, all but Frank Ayers, who stood
pecping in and making faces until they
NSlC vi sSttlShj III lIlCii, Will u SlUMl1-
ish gait, noislly followed.
The teacher waited until he took his
seat, and then, after r%eading the Bible
and prayer, she vent around with a
book and pencil, to learn the names of
her scholars, when her attention was
called by a small, appraised hand.
"What do you wirl.':" she asked.
"Frank Ayers says he shan't mind no
dough-head Of teacher
YOU had better not repeat any such
language" she replied.
"Well. but he meant You"
Miss Stephens tapped with her PEN
Gil on her head, and smiling. s~id:
eff my head is dough, 1 think it is
quite we'll baked" and went on with
her duties till sna came to the form
where Frank Ayers sat, and Il sup
pressed litter went around as she
stepped beside him and asked his name.
"~Abednego M%ulliken," lie replied.
A tittering laugh followed this reply,
and the teacher looked around rcprov-
ingly, and said:
81 am surprised, children: that you
age, Abednego?:"
Eighteen last hoeing-time," ina loud
voice.
Books were raised to cover laughing
faces. UnminJful OF it, she said:
"That would be about June. You are
very near my age. | would not think
you were so old, and Won are not quite
80 advanced in your studies as is usual
at that age"
And, smiling, she passed on. leaving
Frank with a flushed, uneasy looking
face.
This was most unexpected, having his
replies. for which he expected to be re-
proved or punished. taken in this way,
and he became very uncomfortable,
from the name that he had given him
self, which was freely applied 10y the
schoolmates. All of his roguery was
treated in the same manner, and the
teacher was kind to him. while his
scloolmates were constantly turning the
!augi, intended for the teacherupon him,
shrcwd one to deal with, and her kind
ness was like punishment to him in his
rebeliious state.
Thus three weeks passed, and no vio-
lence married the harmony ofthe school.
The other scholars became very fond of
the new teacher.
Snowy posters were put up in every
conspicuous place, announcing the com
ing of a great circus and mcnagerie. All
the boys in town We're nearly wild over
the great event. Miss Stevens found i!
difficult TO keep them from whispering
about it during school hours. Frank
Ayers was much excited, anu knew just
which way it would come, and just what
time they ought to start to meet it, as
they proposed.
Now, Frank, active as he Was, had one
bad, lazy habit, which his parents tried
to break him of, but which, l fear, he
did not try very hard to overcome, so
long as it did not interfere with his plans
or pleasures. His father often reproved
in season at the breakfast table; yet still
Frank seldom rose betimes.
When called at the usual time on the
morning of the circus. he turned lazily
over, as WIS his custom, ami settled
down for another nap, and that nap
proved too lo~g for him to keep his APP
pointment with the boys. They waited
a While for their leading spirit, and then
hurried away, wondering what kept
him.
Nearly an hour too late, clustering
and f~retting, Frank seized his hat, and
rushed away without his breakfast. He
took the nearer way across the pastures,
and rAn tleetlv along, startling many a
sttid bossy at her breakfast. Halt way
across the third one he came to sudden,
most unexpected stop, as he was thrown
violently forward into a rapidly flowing
brook. One loud cry of pain, and then
he lay moaning in Inconsistencies.
There we're hurried steps near, and
oon a white, startled face vas bending
over the insensible boy, and trembling
hands strove to raise him up. Miss
Stevens had been to watch through the
night with one Of her pupils who was i'll,
and was just returning to her boarding
place passing along by the sill of the
brook, this being her chosen, usual way
to the school-house, instead ofthe longer,
less agreeable way by the dusty road
Striving to raise him up, she found that
his feet were entangled in a wire, which
was carried some distance across the
narrow path, q cunning snare.
She quickly released his feet, scarcely
wondering at the snare in her fright, as
she found the blood flowing freely from
his nose, and a deep cut made by a
pointed rock near the left temple,
Greatly alarmed, she laid him lack on
the grass, and ran to an adjoining field
and called some laborers. One of them
carried Frank to his home, while the
other went for a physician. Miss Stew
ems fastened on to inform his parents.
Upon examination i. was found that
one arm was broken, and his head was
badly bruised, beside the wound upon
the temple. He was unconscious for
some time after he got home, and, as
Mrs. Ayers was much affected by the ac-
cident, Miss Stevens remained with her,
and so tho first face that met Franks