The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-01-08
From the New York Sun.
IN SEARCH OF A SCHOOL.
BY ARNOLD fiEncE.

was living in New Orleans at the
time--it was in 19T4-but MY sur.
rOundings and associations were
such that study was out OF The
question. My father had been n
practicing lawyer in the gulf OF
"cOw" counties of Mississippi, JUST
across Lake Borgne. BaySt. Louis
WIS, aud as | had personal ac-
qnaIntance with Mr. Heiderhoff,
the superintendent of pnblic eslu-
cation of the county, determined
to apply for school in the country.
The examination which | had to un.
dergO was neither exacting nor
difficult, and | passed it creditably.
The county was divided up into
school districts, each of which was
entitled to four months of school IN
each year. l was assigned to a
vacant school in Devils Swamp, a
settlement sixteen miles from Bay
st. Louis, l saw the trustees, Hi
ram Smith, Peter Nelson, aud the
third, whose name | cannot now
remember, aud all arrangements
were made for me TO enter upon the
discharge of my duties at once.
Devils Swamp WIS as near what
its name implies as one can we'll
imagine. The inhabitants OF the
settlement lived about two or three
miles apart, in log cabins built Oh
the strips of dry pine land that
coursed through the prevailing
swamps, which joined each other
in -eircuitOus folds, writhing over
the con4try like slimy serpents.
Each section OF swamp looked pre-
ciseIy like tue other, with its sickly
expresses aud bent green bays.
l honestly do not believe that
there is any place on earth where
more snakes in numbers and varie
ty can be found. An unfortunate
friend of mine who had seen snakes
once said tO me that bis boot con
tanned Over a million Squirming
reptiles at one time, but even an
imagintion as wild as that could
not picture the number of snakes
that crawIed aud hissed around
DEVILS Swamp. My schOOl-hOuse
was a little ten by twelve log cabin
two miles aud half from Hiram
Smiths, where I boarded. 1t had
no floor, and the dirt chimney had
crunbled down a year previous,
leaving only mOnnd of sun dried
mud. However, it was in the
spring, and fire was not needed.
| opened school with twelve pupils,
seven of them the children of lii
ram Smith. After the second week
| had five pupils, two OF the Smiths
being away on a cOw-penning ex-
peditiOn. According tO The public
school regulations, should hive
had at least sixteen, but that made
little difference to me. WAS there !
10 teach; aud, besides,
Trustees Smith and Nelson were
my friends. Every morning 1 roll
eel up my trousers, threw my shoes |
over my shoulder, and with a in !
bucket of corn dodgers and bacon
in my left baud. and Il stout stick |
in my right, walked OH foot logs to
the school.hOuse, and killed snakes.
In tie afternoon returned to the
Smiths, killing moro snakes by the
way. l do not exaggerate, when L
say that l killed on an average,
eighty moccasins, black runners
and other snakes day, without
having TO step off the foot log.
My conscience began to trouble
me little about my scholars, and !
one Sunday 1 made IA tour of the
settlement, insisting to parents the
necessity OF sending their children
TO school. NV efforts were reward
ed the next day by the appearance
of two Holden boys. s aud 10 years
old. The elder was very much of
a duuce, aud one day tapped him
slightly with the half Of an Ox-bow
TO accelerate his understanding. /
did not hurt him in the slightest,
put because it was an Ox.bow be
,ellowea like a CALLED steer. The
Holden boys were not at school
lext morning.. aud L learned from
he Smiths that jim Holden, the {
ather, was about to start on the
/ knew [ had no time to
ose, aud dismissing the younger
members OF the Smith family, |
Tent to the house and dropped
hirteen bnckshot into each barrel
f u shotgun. 1t was a pleasanC
,leasant afternoon, aud l walked
through the snakes to Holden's
abin. He was out cutting timber,
lis wife said, up on the ridge d lit
le distance away. l pulled both
IammeTs to hall-cOek; aud sdanter.
d Of to 6Bd him. The sounds
Bade BY the az cutting into tie
ellow pine som told ne where he
Ie was. l had never met the gen
lemau. sRd therei0rs introduced
myself as She new teacher. Mr..
Holden looked at mo aud at the
.ua. The experience was a new
ne me, but q knotledge OF the un-
manor Ia which dis
fkes were manitesed aad disputes
Iettled in that recon, made it in
Defative for me to . Hsl did. Re
,ogniziHg ny advauege, Dir. Hold
N c0nSented TO aeool my explana.
.i0nf add after a asant chat,
lgroed to allow the oxlioU episode
% be forgotten. il