The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-11-15
CARRYING OUT THE TEACHER

I -
"He don't know hawk from hand
saw |" said Jad Day. "If he did h
wouldn't come here"
"But we'll teach HIM so't he'll know
atore we git through with him. Hell
get the consate taken out OF him,
laughed Jote Yates.
Wont he, through |" chorused Zib.
Swain, "Cuffy" Wyman and Nat Dur
fee.
These were some of the Kaidger boys
They were lounging about the school
house waiting for the new master. tn,
winters school was to begin that morn
ing.
20, you think yer smart" retorteC
Sally Briggs. Talk about consate HI
may take the consate out Of you. I'll
be pity if he DON'T"
"Who's that just spoke up and sait
nothing p sneered Jote, looking roun'
with more seriousness.
The others laughed and Sally was 81.
lent, but she determined not to forge
the insult.
"They say he wears store cloes," sale
libby. 81 s'pose he thinks we neyeI
saw any here. Wont he feel highly
honored, though, when he hears us al
salute him when he comes in 2"
Here he comes. fellers, just rount
the turn by the alders thar" cried Nat
BE ready now to yell when he comes
in. Bray and whInny just your pretties
soon's he shows his head in the door,"
The boys at "Kaidger Hill" were s
rough set. They had the reputation o
being the worst in the country. Sine,
the town was first settled there had beer
trouble in school every winter. 1t wal
not wholly the fault of the boys. The
parents were constantly quarreling, one
family with another. The year before
there had been loud contention concern
ing the school house, the old one having
mysteriously BURNED. Some people
wished to build a new one, but the ma
jority decided to occupy log house
which a settler had abandoned. 1t wal
strong structure. At dIsian oI
twenty-five feet there was cow barr
connected with the house by covered
way. The cow-barn with the covered
walk was used rs wood house. There
was n door opening out of the schoo
room into the covered walk and another
door where the walk connected with tn,
wood house. The outside door of the
COW barn was nailed up, so that the only
way into the wood house was from tb'
school room. The doors were provided
with strong iron clasps" and staples
The wood house bore among the boy
the nickname Of the "trap." Jay Day
Cuffy Wyman, Jote Yates, Nat Durfe'
and Ziby Swan were rough youngster
| from seventeen to ninet' en- years Ole, no
lacking in bone or Drawn, boastful o
their powers at rough and tumble, ant
CORRESPONDENCE deficient in intellectual
gifts. For three years there had NO
been a complete winter term in the dis
tricl. Four "masters" had been "car
ried out" by the boys. Their mode o
doing the carrying out" was commonl.
to rush upon the unfortunate pedagogu
and carry him out of doors, and throw
him into the snowdrift, or else put hin
INTO the trap and keep him there dur
ing the rest Of the day. Usually tn
lucklees victim was glad to depart-a
soon as he could-from the district
One, however-a young theological stu
dent--returned to his post the mex
morning after being carried out. II
was taksn to the top of the long hil
lashed fast to hand-sled and sent to tn
bottom of the hill, wild ride of nearl
MILE. He did not return even for b
hat, which flew off his head midway {
the hill. The next master was an itir
Grant Methodist minister whose plan
was to combine religion with mentI
teachings. The method gave great o
fence to TO the Ksidger boys. For
week they pretended TO have great r,
spect for him., some rven pretending
become 'fconver,ed."I The deceive
man went abcpt openly rejoicing ovt
the good work he had wrought. Bl
two mornings later the young barbarian
carried him into the woods, bound hiI
to the top of birch tree which they hs
bent down by main strength and the
let it go. The poor man was hurled u
ward and left dangling fifteen feet fro
the ground, and it was two OF thII
hours before his shouts brought assis
ance. There was no more school tn
winter. A sign "to let" was nailed
the boys on the front door of the scho
house, and each of the brutal cliql
smashed a pane of glass every time
went past.
The following autumn young lar
IBuTNbNOT, Autlul INV u
township TO "run,' certain lots of Ian
He was rather above the medium heig
and muscular, but his most distinguish
feature was his eyes, which were vel
noticeably blue, and had habit
dwelling with unusual sieadiness (
every person with whom he was spea
ing. The school agent asked him Oh
day whether he had ever taught schot
"Never," replied Ammi Bray.
"Wsl. | don't keer of yer never did
exclaimed the agent; Il want yer
take our scule this winter"
"But, my dear man." replied N
Bray, sit would not be, from all a
counts, a good place for an amateu
Besides, though l know something
mathematics, and once knew a lit
grammar and geography, do not fe
qualified to tesch."
II dunnos l keer ef ye dont's know
> from bulls foot" exclaimed the pt
= picked agent. "What want is a mi
!. that ken whop them confounded boy
q 'Tharll never be scule here till th
r are whopped and cowed. And belle
/, you re the man to do it. But l tell
Il what they're a parcel Of hyannysW
u added, almost doubtfully. 81 dunn
sometimes, as the man walks as K
whop um |"
Ammi Bray took day to think OF
and then he told the agent that he won
take the school. Thus we find the 81
veyor on his way TO the school hou
: "iust rounding the turn by the alder
. as Nat Durfee said, and the Kaide
!. boys waiting to "s'lute him" And I
q moment he showed his face in the dO'
J, way q dozen lusiy throats poured fol
,, chorus Of raspy WINNINGS and bra
II as a personal insult 10 his pecul
6. name Of Bray. But Ammi seemed I
= at all disturbed. He presently called
school to order. His steady blue G
= was so assertive Of authority that son
. how the Kaidgers were little disturb
m themselves.
Perhaps the muscular case with whi
the new master tossed the great 10
stick and "back-logsn into the d
place served to hold them iu CHEF
Then. too, hrs manner of giving a
= hearing lessons was of-handed n
manly: For the next four days th
were impelled to behave quite well. /
It would never do to let him rule th'
week.
The eight of December wass bite
cold day and the wind blew piercinl
keen. II was a cold walk to the sch
house, and on his arrival there Mas
Ammi found the chimney had refus