The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-02-15
Lively Times in the Calaveras School.

Lively Times In the CaiaVeras Scnooi'
eve had about us ornery and trifiin'
a crop of kids in Calaveras county 80
years ago as you could gather in with
fine-tooth comb and brass band in
fourteen states. For ways that were
kittensome they was moderately active
and abnormally protuberant. That was
the prevailing style of Calaveras kid
when Mr.. George w. Mulqueen come
there and wanted to engage the school
ut the old camp, whore l hung up in
the days when the country was new
and the murmur of the six-shootcr was
heard in the land.
George w. Mulqueen was 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.
$50 fur as l was concerned L 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 q passed. 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 q long-handle
shovel and bloodshot tone OF voice.
That's what seemed to catch the Gala
veras kids in the early days.
George had weak lungs. and they
kept to work at him till they drove
him into mountain fever and finally
into a metallic sarcophagus.
..Along about tho holidays the sun
went down on George w. Mulqueen's
life just as the eternal sunlight lit up
the dewy eyes. You will pardon my
manner, but it seemed to me just as II
George had climbed up to the top of
Mount Calvary, or wherever 1t was.
with that whole school on his back,
and had to give up at last.
at seemed kind Of tough to me.
and 1 couldn't help blamin' it 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.
"Well, they killed him, anyhow, and
that settled it.
"Thc school run kind of wild till
Feooowary, and then a husky young
tenderfoot, with fist like mules
foot in full bloom, made an application
for the place, and allowed he thought
he could maintain discipline il they'd
give him chance. Well, they asst him
when he wanted to take his place as
tutor, and he reckoned he could begin
to tutc about Monday follering.
Sunday afternoon he went up to
the school house to look over the
grounds and to arrange plan for an
active Injin campaign agin the hostile
hoodlums of Calavcras.
Monday he sailed in about 9 a. m.
with his grip-sack and began the dis
charge OF his juties.
HE brought in a bunch of mountain
willers, and after driving a big railroad
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 Mt him In o
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 out bible and q new self-cocking
weapon that had an automatic dingus
for throwing out the empty shells. 1t
was one of the bulldog variety and had
the laugh Of joyous child.
"He read short passage from the
scriptures, and then pulled off his coat
and hung it on n nail. Then he made
few extcmporancous remarks, after
which he salivated the palm of his
right hand, took the self-cockino song
ster in his left and proceeded to wear
out the gads over the various protuber-
ances of his pupils.
speos,le t,assinv bv Thought thew