Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-03-07

Bill Nye's "Reminiscences Of His
school Days.
The Trouble Re Experienced from TIL
Battan On the Barn.

to live through it all9 DO you call to
mind the youth who never allowed
anybody else to fall out OF . tree and
break his collar bone when he could
attend to it himselfg
Every school has to secure the SER
vices Of such boy before it can sue
coed. and so our school had one. When
I entered the school I saw at q glance
that the board had neglected to pro-
vide itself with a boy whose duty it
was to nearly kill himself every few
days in order to keep up interest. 50 I
applied for the position. l secured Il
without any trouble whatever. The
board understood at once from my
bearing that l would succeed. And
Ibid not betray the trust they had re-
posed in me.
Before the first term was over I had
tried to climb two trees at once, and
been carried home on a stretcher: been
pulled out Of the river with my lungs
full of water and artificial respiration
resorted to; been ierked around over
the north half of the country by
fractions horse whose halter had tied
to my leg. and which is now three
inches longer than the other; together
with various other little early eccen-
tricities which ] cannot at this moment
call to mind. My parents at last got
so that along about 2 o'clock P. NJ. they
would look anxiously out of the win
dow and say: "Isn't it about time for
the boys to get here with Williams re-
mains? They generally get here before
2 o'clock"
One day five or six of us were play
ing Il spy" around our barn. One
shuts his eyes and counts 100, for in
stance. while the others hide. Then
he must end the rest, and say ~ spy
so-and-so and touch the "goal'' before
they do. If anybody beats him to the
goal the victim has to 'blind" over
again.
Well, / knew the ground pretty well,
and could drop twenty feet out of the
barn window and strike on pile Of
straw so as to land near the goal, touch
it and let the crowd in free without
letting found out. / did this several
times, and got the binder, James
Bang, pretty mad. After boy has
counted five or six llndred, and work
ed hard to get in the crowd. only to
get jeered and laughed at by the boys,
he loses his temper. It was so with
James Cicero Bang. knew he always
hated me, and Jet went on. Finally,
In the tifIh ballot, saw good chance
to slip down and let the crowd in
again as I had done on former occa-
sioas. slipped out of the window
and down the side OF the barn about
two feet, when was detained un-
avoidably. There was . ssbatten" On
the barn that was loose at the upper
end. think was wearing my
fathers vest on that day, as be was
away from home. and / frequently
wore his clothes when he was absent
Anyhow. the yest was too large, and
when / slid down, that loose board ran
up between the vest and my person in
such q way as TO suspend me about
eighteen feet from the ground in a
prominent but very uncomfortable
position.
! remember it quite distinctly.
james G. Bang came around where he
could see me. He said: II spy Bill
Nye and touch the goal before him.
No one came to remove the barn. No
one seemed to sympathize with me il
my great sorrow and isolation. Every
little while James 9. Bang would come
around the corner and say: ooh. 1 see
We. You needn't think you're ont Of
right up there. I can see you real
plain. You had better come down and
blind. ! can see you Up thereg
I tried 2 unbuttOn my vest and ret
down and lick james. but 1t was 10
use.
j. was very trying time. I en-.