Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-07-03
Woodtick Williams Story.

Eve had about as ornery and trihin'
crop of kids in Calaveras County
thirty years ago as you could gather in
with fne-tooth comb and brass band
in fourteen States. For ways that was
kittensome they were moderately active
and abnormally protuberant. That was
the prevailing style of Calayeras kid,
when Mr.. George W. Mulqueen come
there and wanted to engage the school
at the old camp, where / hung up in
the days when the country was new
and the murmur of the six-shooter was
heard in the land.
George W. Mulqueen was a slender
young party from the effete East, with
conscientious scruples and hectic
flush. Both of these was agin him for
promoter of school discipline and
square root. He had heap of infor-
nation and big sorrowful eyes.
so fur as l was concerned, I didn't
feel like swearing around George or
using any language that would sound
irrelevant in ladies' boodore; but as
for the kids of the school, they didn't
care blamed cent. They just hollered
and whooped like passle of Sioux.
They didn't seem to respect literary
attainments or expensive knowledge.
They just simply seemed to respect the
genius that come to that country to win
their young love with long handled
shovel and blood-shot tone of voice.
That's what seemed to catch the Cal
averas kids in the early days.
George had weak lungs, and they
kept to work at him till they drove him
into a mountain fever, and finally into
a metallic sarcophagus.
Along about the holidays the sun
went down on Geo ge w Mulqueen's
life just as the eternal sunlight lit up
the dewy eyes. You will pardon my
manner, Nye, but it seemed to me Just
as if George had climbed up to the top
of Mount Cavalry, or wherever it was,
with that whole school on his back, and
had to give up at last.
1T seemed kind of tough to me, and
1 couldn't help blamin' il onto the
school some, for there was half a
dozen big snoozers that didn't go to
school to learn, but just to raise Ned
and turn up Jack.
We'll, they killed him, anyhow, and
that settled it."
"The school run kind of wild till
Feboowary, and then a husky young
tenderfoot, with a fist like mules
foot in full bloom, made an application
for the place, and allowed he thought
he could maintain discipline if they'd
give him q chance. Well, they axt him
when he wanted 70 take his place as
tutor, and he reckoned he could begin
to tute about Monday follering.
Sunday afternoon he went up to the
school-house to look over the ground,
and to arrange plan for an active Injin
campaign agin the hostile hoodlums of
Calaveras.
Monday he sailed in about 8 a. m.
with his grip-sack, and begun the dis
charge of Institutes.
"He brought in bunch of mountain
willers, and, after driving a big rail-
road spike into the decreasing over the
latch, he said the senate and house
would sit with closed doors during the
morning session. Several large, white
eyed holy terrors gazed at him in a
kind of dumb, inquiring tone of voice,
but he didn't say much. He seemed
considerably reserved as to the plan of
the campaign. The new teacher then
unlocked his alligator-skin grip, and
took oct Bible and a new self-cocking
weep, II that had an automatic dingus
for throwing out the empty shells. 1t
was ooe of the bulldog variety, and
had the laugh of joyous child
7 4.
Scriptures, and then pulled off his coat
aud lung t on nail Then he made
iew eytea'i oraneous remarks, after
which lie saliratcd the palm of his right
hand took the self-cocking songster in
his left, and proceeded to wear ont the
gals over the varied protuberances of
his pupils.
"Ieople passing by thought they
must be heating carpets in the school
house. He pointed the gun at his
charge with his left and manipulated
the CAD with his right duke. One large,
oyergrown Missourian tried to crawl
ont of the winder, but, after he looked
down the barrel of the shooter a mo-
ment, he changed his mind. He seemed
to realize that it would be violation
of the rules of the school, so he came
back and sat down.
After he wore out the foliage, Bill,
he pulled the spike out of that door,
put on his coat and went away. He
never was seen there again. He didn't
ask for any salary, but just walked off
quietly, and that summer we accident
ally heard that he was George W. Null.
Queens brother. ".BiU Nye.