Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-11


The fourth, the largest form in the
school, was a centre of rebellious feeling,
whence all disturbances emanated. The
genius of the fourth was To-day. In most
schools, public or private, there is a pre-
eminent leader of mischief, who organizes
eonspiracies and heads rebellions, and
who may generally be bounced upon when
anything in the shape of a contraband
movement is expected to be set on foot
At Tozers it was To-day, who was a sort
of juvenile Jack Cade, HOtspur and Guy
Fawkes rolled into one. He was fourteen
and-a-half, small for his age and plump;
and equally nimble with his fists and his
feet. Nothing delighted To-day so much
as the prospect Of a fight or a sWishing.
There was rarely a fight Of importance in
which he did not act as second to one or
other Of the combatants; and it was quite
refreshing to observe the gusto with which
he arranged the ring, and called, ''TIme,
gentlemen, if you please" In the matter
OF swishings Teddy was always ready to
take his own share; and indeed, in this
respect, he might be described as the Ben
jamin Of TOzers, for his portion was full
seven times that of any other fellow in the
school. His popularity was universal,
and TOzer himself, though he said that
Teddy had cost him a small fortune in
canes. was believed to have a remote and
it was Teddy who took a leading part in
most Of the disturbances which tried the
peace of ToZer. Among the most memo
rable Of these was the rebellion named
after resurrec tiOn-pie, which, if | remem-
Der rightly, occurred during my first term.
We had for dinner ON Fridays a villa
nous species of pie, stony as to the crust,
and PUPPY and leaden-hued as to the meat.
Moreover, Friday was a non-pudding day,
which fnfpnSifia1 ba
resurrection compound grew from bad to
worse until an order was issued that no
more pie should be eaten. Orders of this
kind We're not to be disObeyed; for DISC
bedience meant a cObbing in ene's night
dress-a horrible form of running the
gauntlet, in which the runner was flogged
with ockethandkerchiefs, into one corner
OF which was tied big pellet Of soap.
Accordingly, when Friday came round
again and the pie was served cut at din
ner, each Of us left his portion untasted
on his plate.
Tozer, wondering that ne plates were
returned for second helping, inquired of
Jenkins, the serving man, who answered:
please, sir, the young gents 'asn't heat
wat they as on their plates"
Tozer, seeming mischief, trowned and
was evidently on the point of sending to
Cakebread, the gardener, wholesale Or
and resolved to try the power of example.
Falling to on the instant, he ate pie with
OstentatiOus voracity, until he had made
an extensive breach in the enormous
structure before him. We watched him
admiringly, yet not without a feeling of
pity, for we knew what store of suffering
he was laying up for himself. But we ate
no pie and IOZer perceived that his move
had failed. 1t was then that he delivered
the speech which all old TOzerites regard
to this day as his oratOrical masterpiece.
Rising slowly AID letting his gaze wander
from one side of the hall to the other, he
said in measured tones:
"Gentlemen, the pie is made from prime
beefsteak' groans and Kisses and cries
of "Oh, TOzer" "TOzer, for shameV
"Where are your morals, TOzer?") "and
what is more, gentlemen" he continued,
quite unmOVed, ''let me tell you that it is
a question either of pie or OF birch" IRE
newed demonstrations, amid which Tozer
quietly resumed his seat)-
We were dismissed dinnerless and re-
bellious. 1t happened that just at that
time bull-terrier pup which some one
in freak, it must have been, of irOnic
generosity, for he hated dogs-had given
as present to TOZer, disappeared from
the house and grounds and was no more
heard of; and we chose to regard the cir
cumstance as connected in some mystic
rious way with the falling off in the quail
ity of the resurrection-pie. To-day COM
posed some verses, which some one else
set to music, and "rhe Touching Ballad
of the Puppy and the Pie'' was rehearsed
and sung by the whole school in process
sion round the playground. The first
stanza, | remember, began thus
boJ n