Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-03-28
WHY HE WAS WHIPPED.

~ o WE 4 0Opto.
WHY HE WAS WHIPPED.
He was seven years old, lived in Chey-
enne, and his name was Tommy. More
over he was going to school for the first
time in his life. Out here little people
are not allowed to attend school when
they are five or six, for the law saws:
"Children under seven must not go to
school,"
But now Tommy was seven and had
been to school two weeks, and such de-
ligghtful weeks! Every day mamma lis
tened to long accounts of how .sme and
Dick Ray played marbles, and Gus fel-
lers cracked the whip" There was an
other thing that he used to tell mamma
about, something that in those first days
he always spoke of in the most subdued
tones, and that am sorry to record it
Of any school-was the numerous whip
pings that were administered to various
little boys and girls. There was some
thing painfully fascinating about those
whippings to restless, mischievous little
Tommy who had never learned the art
of sitting still. He knew his turn might
come at any moment and one night he
cried out in his sleep: 'Oh, dear. what
will become Of me if I get whipped"
But as the days passed on and this pos
sible retribution overlook him not, his
fears gradually forsook him, and instead
of speaking itifully Of ''those poor chill
dren who were whipped" he mentioned
them in a casual, ohhand manner as
''those cry-babies, you know?" One
afternoon mamma saw him sitting on
the porch, slapping his little fat hand
with a strap. Tommy, child, what in
the world are you doing??" she asked.
Into his pocket he thrust the strap,
and the pink cheeks grew pinker still as
their owner answered:
"I-I-was just seeing-how hard I
could hit my hand-without crying;"
and he disappeared around the side of
more questions.
The next day Tommy's seatmate,
Dicky Ray, was naughty in school, and
Miss Linnet called him up, opened her
desk, took out y little riding -whip-it
was a bright blue one-and her and
there administered punishment. And
because he cried, when recess came,
Tommy said: '.Isn't Dick Ray just a
regular cry-baby?" Gle had learned
that word from some OF the big boys,
but, mind you! he never dared to say
it before his mother.)
Dicks face flushed with anger.
"Never you mind, Tommy Brown
said he, ''just wait till you get whipped
and We'll see a truly girl cry-baby then,
won't we, DaisyP"
And blue-eyed Daisy, who was the
idol of their hearts, nodded her curly
little head in the most emphatic man
ner, and said she ".wouldn't be one bi
s'prised if he'd boiler so loud that the,
would hear him way down in Colo
rado.'
Tommy stood aghast! for really ano
truly, he wasn't quite SO stony-heartcd
a little mortal as he appears to be; he
had been secretly rather sorry for Dick,
but-he wanted Daisy to think that he
himself was big and manly, and he had
the opinion that this was just the way
time he didn't know what Daisy did
that Dicks pockets were full of sugar
plums; tip-top ones, too, for Daisy had
tasted them, and knew that little pack
cts Of them would from time to time
find their way into her chubby hand.
All the rest of the morning Tommy
kept thinking, thinking, thinking. Ono
thing was certain: the present situa.
| ton was not to be endured one mo-
ment longer than was absolutely neces-
sary. But what could he do? Should
he fight Dicky? This plan was reject
ed at once on high, moral grounds.
Well, then, supposing some dark night
| he should see Daisy on the street, Just
grab her, hold on tight, and q Y
Now, Daisy Rivers, l won't let you
go till you promise you'll like me a
| great deal betterer than you do Dick
Ray" There seemed something nice
about this plan, very nice; the more
Tommy thought of it, the better he
liked it; only there were two objections
to it. Firstly: Daisy never ventured
out doors after dark. Secondly: Meth
err did Tom.
Both objections being insurmounta-
BILE, this delightful scheme was reluct-
antly abandoned, and the thinking pro-
cess went on harder than ever, till at
last-oh, oh! if he only dared! What y
triumph it would be! But then he
couldn't-yes, he could too. Didn't
she say tniI Sue Wotluu Y pt ouc ulG
s'prised if he hollered so loud that they
would hear him way down in Color
ado?:" Colorado, indeed! He'd show
her there was one boy in the school who
was not u girl-cry-baby!
Yes, actually, foolish Tommy had de-
cided to prove his manhood by being
whipped, and that that interesting little
event should take place that very after
noon!
What did he Go? He whispered six
times!
Had it been any other child, he would
surely have been punished; but Miss
Linnet knew both Tommy and his
mamma quite we'll, and therefore she
knew also, quite we'll, that only a few
days ago the one horror OF Tommy's
life had been the thought that he might
possibly be whipped. Then too, it was
his first term at school, and hitherto he
had been very good. So she decided to
keep him after school and talk to him
OF the sinfulness of bad conduct in gen
eral, and of whispering in particular.
This plan she faithfully carried out, and
the little culprit's heart so melted with
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