The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-07-11
SCHOOL BOY DAYS.
A BUSY SCHOOL ROOM.
The Paper Wad-In Aim nnd End and
Wbnt was Sure TO Follow.

There were two-handed, double and
twisted giants in the land in those DAYS.
says Burdette, but when boy got his
licking Mt school that was the end Of il.
Ii he was Of revcngcful disposition, he
stole chalk from the school house and
drew fearful and wonderful pictures Of his
teacher on the nGghboring fences, TO
the great wrath Of the residents and
prOpcrty.owncrs. And that there might
be no mistake, he wrote the teach
er's name under the photograph, or on
the nose Of it, the length Of the nose
being proportional to the pupils hate
and mercilcss vengeance. And no mat
ter how young the teacher was, il he was
only boy from college, twenty-five
years old, the indignant pupil always
called him "Oll" so.and-sO. But
all the same, the boy got licked
sometimes when he needed il, rarely
when he didn't and never when he
wanted II. And he rubbed his stripes
and showed his wells 10 his cheerful and
delighted fellows, for We were always
well pleased 10 see another boy
licked, and ne grinucd rather rue
fully over them himself. but he didn't 60
whining into court with them. Great
Scotland, some Thursday afternoon in
Juuc, when the day was warm, and the
room was close, and the flies buZlrd
against the dingy window paues, and q
storm was in the air, and spirit Of mis-
chief pcrvalcd the atmosphere, when
there was boy doing pcnance behind
each blackboard and another one stand.
ing on the chalk box, and another sat on
the long front bench, softly weeping
into dog-carcd Wchstar's spelling.
book and dclicatply rubbing the place Of
the slate frame when the mouotonous
buz.z-2-2 Of study was timed of on the
girls side Of the room ~ those angels in
plut1'cls beat their breasts in rapid syI.
copatiou, as they COINED over the pages
Of United States history or buzzcd down
the column Of words Of three syllablcs
ending in "ible and cable" when old
Tlimnau sat watchiul and suspicious
with the t1sty slate frame in his hand,
worrying some drowsy, stupid urchin
with thrce-fourths Of twelve il what
part Of scycniy-two.' Suddenly some
idle boy, supplied with work by the
usual contractor, would fire II paper wad
clear across the room "spOt % on ilIcOld
mans blld head. Soul Of the tempest,
how the cloud would burst. Before the
boy that shot that wad hat time TO yell
" never done it p more than once, he
wouId hc colucd and yankcd over the
desks and benches, back on the floor,
heels in the air and the slate frame Nv
ing like ihe sails Of mill. and tho
shrek Of " never done it !" changes to
"Ill never do il aoain !" "Oh, you
you wOn't!' says the old man, with saw
age sarcasm, al you didn't do it this
time how are you never going 10 do it
again ?" Aud the slate frame whncks
away ike trip-hmumcr, the boy rolls
on the floor aud pounds vigorous tattoo
with his mguish-atrickcn heels, the
chairs go over, the dust flies in clouds,
the boy on the chalk box gets upset in
the melee, fine prisoners behind the
blackbrmds come out 10 sec the circus,
smiling away their own disgrace, tho
culprit on the bench iorgcts his own
wells in his Joy ut hcholdmg new ones
located on another boy, the girls cry in
shrill tones Of fright and pity, covering
their faces with their aprons or wringing
their pleading hands, the boys on the
back seats, iurthost out of sight 10y
ously repeat, III cXryngant pantomimc,
the gyrnllons aud conturtions Of the boy
who ~ rchcmsing his part in the great
slate lrumc act; and rs oft us old Human
gets in IN unusually good whack, there
isn general subducd Gown !" all over
the boys side, expressive alike of the
kcencst appreciation Of the ncalncss of
the " lick ~ and the painful siiumtion of
the receiver and all the time that old
slate frame Keeps going like mad, wild
thing, until the curtain goes down in
glare Of red fire aud the low mutlcring
Of distant thunder in the mouutains.
That was an old-Iimc licking in old Hin.
mans day, and no court can stick it's nib
into the matter, either.