Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-12-10
MONTANA.
A little ABOUT THIS AND THAT.

SCHOOL III hOulduds way " "N'' -
much the better for you. I'll tell
YOU lust how they used pilgrim in
= school last winter. lie was a
eolden-haired, q mean red), long
nosed, little fellow from the Buck
eve state. You see the difficulty Is,
the boys are not a very meek-eyed
lot, and being used to be almost un
controlled, are like lot of long
horned Texas cattle When they
are penned up in school, they want
to act pretty much as they do out on
the range; whoup! when they want
70 and kick up row when they are
il the right mood. Notout of mean
ness, but from pure deviltry Things
looked dubious when be came around
20 open school the first morning; but
he was blissfully unconscious of
what was to come, having been used
to teach an orderly set Of little old
men back in the states Well, in
the first place, the trustees played
"seven-up" to have choice of their
men. The golden-haired pilgrims
man stocked the cards, or something,
and won the game, and thereby
hangs tale. a little, half-scared,
red-haired pilgrim stood, the first
morning Of school, behind the little
pulpit desk, in front of the little
blackboard dotted with tobacco cuds,
5ome fresh, others not so fresh, and
some left over from last season. He
was warned what he had to encounter
and felt sorry that he had taken the
school.
The five large cowboys in front
were big enough and reckless enough
70 eat mm, the big girls looked saucy
and provoking as miuXes, and the
small boys made AN internal noise
osteHtaliuusiy, which he in vain en-
deavoied TO repress Once he under.
took 10 strap the worst Of the small
.mps Instantly a big imp in shape
of a cowboy was on hls feet. LET
the kid alone, can't YER he yelled.
"Whwhy he wont behave" gasped
the teacher "Yer let him alone; he
can do as he pleases, guess Come
mere, Johnny, an sit by me" A lit
lie girl was the next object that
deserved correction, SO little "sissy"
was told to hold ont her hand.
"Don you do it, sissy" then shout
ed u big girl. "You Just let her
alone wont you, mister? No red |
headed school teacher is goin' to |
arrup my little sister Come here
sissy aud sissy came
hi. first attempt to organize the |
school into classes, four or five of
the big boys insisted that they we're
IN the first reader, while several
small boys were strong in asserting
thai they were in the fifth reader,
and knew the higher arithmetic by
leart. So he laborcd half an he Ir
with them IN mensuraton, where
,hey insisted they Ind been, but had
somehow lost the hang of the thing.
The large boys, who insisted ON
&eeping on their spurs and straps,
would snap their fingers, while por
wy over 'ner primers, ana shou
', ii' mister "na' docs cat SpelI:
wv MAI 5 COW "'i' say now,
"luh mean th3t Tor YOU as cad
o. 'oo4cto strikes mister IN the
ace thfe" III sam over there
ana looked rea'ly concerned Mean |
WINE s"'he 81 inc rest OF the schoI- |
ans amused themselves oy running
over the hea'S-slf'S ana all.
After n while, of course, the
scholars came naturally to their
proper studies from sheer emulation
Of each other. though things went
on Just about as before. But when
the blessed holidays were near,
along with the much desired yaca- |
tion, some one said "Say, mister,
amt YOU uoinv to set 'em ms An 4