The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-01-29
I spy.
How Bill Nye Played 1t when He Went
To School.

Dear reader, do you remember the
boy of your school who did the heavy
falling through the ice and was always
about to break his neck but managed
to live through it all? Do YOU call to
mind the youth who never allowed any
body else to fall out OF a tree and break
his collar bone when he could attend TO
it him clf9
Every school has to secure the SER
wees OF such a boy before it can suc-
coed. and so our school had one. When
! entered the school i saw at glance
that the board had neglected 10 pro-
vide itself with boy whose duty ii was
to nearly kill himself every few days in
order to keep up the interest. So ap-
piled for the position. secured it
without any trouble whatever. The
board understood al once from my
bearing that | would succeed Aud |
did not betray the trust they had re-
posed in ne.
Before the first term was over 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
resorled to; been ierked around over
the north half Of the county by frac-
tiouS horse whose halter had tied to
INV leg. and which leg is now three
inches longer than the other. together
with various other little early eccen-
tricities which | c: mot at this moment
call To mind. My parents at last got
So that along about : 20 clock p. ID. they
wnni look anxiously out of the window
and say. Isn't it about time for the
bows to get here with Williams re
mains? They generally get here before
> o clock
One day five or six of Us were playing
II spy" around our barn. Everybody
knows how to play Il spy. One shuts
his eyes and counts 100, for instance.
while the others hide. Then he must
lind the rest and say Il spy so-ani-so
and touch the goal before they do,
II anybody beats him to the goal the
victim ma. to blind over again.
Well. knew the ground pretty Well.
and could drop twenty fee.t out of the
barn window and strike on pile OF
straw so as to land near the goal. .lOnch
it. and let the crowd in free without
getting found out. | did this several
times and got the blinder, james Bang.
pretty mad After boy has counted
U
in the crowd, only to get jeered and
temper. 1t was so with james Cicero
Bang. | knew that he almost hated
me, and Vet | went on. Finally, in the
fifth ballot. saw good chance to
slide down and lei the crowd in again
as had done on former occasions.
slipped out of the window and down
81 ~ do ha4 baR oh f..of
when | was detained unavoidably.
There was ''batten" on the barn that
was loose at the upper end ihink !
was wearing my fathers vest on that
day, as he was away from home and |
frequently wore his clothes when he was
absent. Anyhow the vest was too
large, and when l slid down that loose
board ran up between the vest and my
person in such way as TO suspend me
about eighteen feet from the ground in
prominent, but very uncomfortable.
position.
| remember it yet quite distinctly.
James G. Bang came around where ne
could see me. He said: II spy Billy
Nye and touch the goal before him.
No one came to remove the barn. No
one seemed to sympathize with me in
nv great sorrow and isolation. Every
little while James c. Bang would come
around the corner and say: 20, see
We. You needn't think you're out of
sight up there. l can see you real plain.
You better come down and blind. !
can see We up therei"
tried to unbutton my vest and get
down there and lick James, but it was
of no use.
1t was very trying time. | can re-
member how | tried to XII myself
loose, but failed. Sometimes | would
kick the barn and sometimes | would
kick large holein the horizon. FL
nally was rescued by neighbor who
said he didn't want to see good barn
kicked into chaos just to save long
legged boy that wasn't worth over six
bits.
1t affords me great pleasure to add
that while am looked up to and mad
ly loved by every one that docs not
know me, James c. Bar g is the brevet
President of a fractured Oank, taking q
lonely bridal tour by himself in Europe
and waiting for the depositors to die of
old age.
The mills of the gods grind slowly.
but they most generally get there with
both feet. tAdapted from the French
by permission.)