Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-04-01
A BITING WEAPON.
It's Lifelong Effect upon tho
School Bully"

It's Lifelong Effect upon tho
School Bully"
a rosy October sun was lighting up
the western window pancs of u small
country school-houSc in Northern New
York, whilc Ut her desk, in deep thought,
sat the young teacher. The tcrm.which
ended with the summer. had been her
first experience in teaching. That She
had given satisfaction. both To parents
and teachers. was evidenced 10y the fact
that she had been re-engagcd for the
winter term. which was usually taught
by man. She was endowed by nat
urc and by education, and had the rare
faculty Of inlparting instruction; yet
she had not succeeded in qucllnG Il
certain turbulent spirit. Peter bean.
one Of her pupils. had given her con-
slant trouble. lie had turned out
every female teacher for the past three
years, who didnot ut once take the az
grcsSivc with him lie rcjoiccd in the
title of Bully Of the school For
this he was BATTERED by the weak. bad
element Of the school, feared by the
weak good; looked upon 10y all as a
leader. and one who would never "bc
bosscd by u school marm."
Miss Emery had just been enjoying u
short vacation. She had been able to
bcS,ow some portion Of her summers
earning, upon her invalid father, and
the hard-workcd. though refined moth
or. who lived in an adjoining village.
She saw now that her winter term
would comprise different class Of pu-
pills from any she had taught in the
summer Farmers boys, taller than
hcrsclf.who came with i desire To learn
something. but with all the rustic
youths natural antipathy to the ruling
OF mere girl, with general contempt
for her cndowmentS and methods She
saw to her sorrow that Peter Dean was
still king. and that none Of the new
bows were brave enough To- be her
knights. They all sided with the enc
INV. Only that morning, ON suddenly
looking up at the blackboard. seeing
ewes and smiles directed thithcr she
had read 10 her modification
MISS EMERY
MISTER wILLETS."
There wa, also remarkable repre-
scn,ation Of these two people in all the
angular chalking uglineSS Of black
board sketch. a swift glance about
the room discovered TO her looks of
amazemcnt on all the faces but one.
that one. which was Peters, was bent
upon his book in prctcrnaturnal uncon-
seriousness of what was going on.
A little maid. who loved her teacher
and sorrowed for her, came TO her side
aud said:
"May rub it out, Miss Emery"
Eyes, Nellie"
But the insult had not been erased
from Miss Emcry's heart, nor was her
spirit Gained by the fact that Peter
was constantly inyeniing new schemes
Of evil. and new indignities, while no
appeal to his manlineSs could avail.
and no wonder that 1t did no; avail.
for that quality had not Yet been
evolved from the class Of this
bows nature. This had been
one of his "tcrriblo days Wish
ing to give him every advantage
of mild rcproof, she had tried "moral
suasion" without effect. He had shown
his satanic character, by despising it.
and. leaping out of the window with
an Indian war.whoop. in order to show
his disrcspcct before the Others, when
it came his turn to say goodnight
This was the cause Of Miss Emery's
dependency as she sat alone in her de-
serted school-roOm. She wac mediate
ing an attack, an armed onslaught,
should the next day be as fruitful Of
misery as this had been, since all else
had failed. As the quiet and epose Of
the autumn day stole upon her, her
thoughts took new direction.
perhaps john would help me II /
should ask him."
John Willets was one OF the younger
trustees, a collcge-bred young farmer.
who lived with his aged father and
mother. in the white cottage not i've
yards distant from the school-house.
"Shall ] ask him3" mo; not yet. /
shall not confess weakness. l shall
conquer. John would be pleased.
perhaps, IL / mastered this boy who
has been the terror Of the school so
long. What was il he had once said?
They could find teachers enough, but
not masters. Some Of these boys
needed a strong master-spirit.'"
When her thoughts wandered again
from the subject, she looked toward
the blackboard with. frightened
glance. as II the characters would APP
pear again and accuse her.
ut is so seldom i have spoken with
John. how could they have guessed2"
Though II was John" always in
her. thoughts, it was MIR. Willets "
when the thought passed from heart
to lip. She did not finish her revery.
for Just then Mr.. willets went by on
his handsome gray. and. CHANGING
through the dingy window. lifted his
hat in passing as II he had known Jus,
where TO look for her.
"He Is going to the POs'-oiiics," she