The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-07-13
AN UNIQUE SCHOOL.
Teaching the Young idea How Not to
Shot

GuyOL.
Eyes" said the sclOolmaSter at Rus
tiers Gulch, as he rolled 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. have
been here two years. About six years
ago Mr.. Robinson, a great sheep man
from the lower country, located in tho
gulch, and established 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 shelved 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 Mr.. Robinson, the wealthy sheep
man spoke of, had completed his
school house he looked about for
teacher, and finally secured the services
of an old fellow-an cx-stage driver,
who could barely read and write. This
country was full Of Indians then, and
the teacher and larger pupils went arm
ed. He took his meals at Robinson's
house, but slept here on the mud floor.
He had weakness for post whisky, and
rot drunk on the slightest prOvocation.
One Sunday, while he was lying there
before the school-room fire in a drunken
stupor, wandering Apache happened
in and carried away the schoolmaster
scalp as an educational trophy. This
catastrophe caused the school to close,
and it remained without a teacher about
six months.
One day very pretty and lady like
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 Mi - Graham was about Is
years Of age. Robinson had son
year older. There were Indians in the
country still, and it fell to Young Jack
schoolmarm to and from the school
house. He rather liked it, and being
good-looking fellow and triile more
polished than ranchmen's sons usually
are Miss Graham rather liked it 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.
1T was more than year when the
school was again opened. This time
the teacher was n woman from the
States. The board assembled and be-
gan the examination with great So
lemnity. They asked the most nonsens-
zeal questions with the greatest possible
gravity, and received the most prepos-
ferrous answers.
Connected with the examination in
mathematics is a. story which eventual
~ leaked out and gave the whole thing
away. One of the board, Mr.. Smith,
had a large flock of sheep and they
were afflicted with the scab. He was
preparing to dip and had purchased
many gallons of patent compound for
the purpose. This liquid was to be prop
erly diluted with water. Smith had
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
gave the dimensions Of the vat, and the
applicant for the school after deal of
figuring, told him how many cubic gal
Ions 1t would hold. Smith jotted down
this answer and turned the would-be
teacher over to Jones. Now Jones was
building a new house, and was going to
finish it off in the most approved man
ner, with doors, windows, single
roof and plank floors and ceilings. He
was about to order the lumber for this
house from FL Paso, but he didn't know
exactly how much to order. He gave
the dimensions, and the schoolmarm
consulted her little figures and told him
exactly how many feet of plank and
boards and how many bundles Of shin
giles il would take to build house OF
the dimensions given. Well satisfied
with his shrewdness, Jones dotted down
the answers and passed the applicant to