The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-10-17
Selected Storm.
Carving Ont the Teacher.

" He don't know hawk from hand
sawl' said Jad Day. IF he did he
wouldn't come here"
" But wen teach him soft he'll know
afore we git through with him. He'll
get the consate taken out of him."
laughed Jote Yates.
"Won't he, thought" chorused Ziby
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 mas
ter. The winters school was to begin
that morning.
40, you think yer smart" retorted
Sally Briggs. {" Talk about consatel
He may take the consate out of you.
It'll be pity if he don't"
who's that just spoke up and said
nothing?n sneered Jote, looking round
with more seriousness.
The others laughed and Sally was
silent, but she determined not to for
get the insult.
"They say he wears store cloes,'
said Ziby. " s'pose he thinks we
never saw any here. "Won't he feel
highly honored, though, when he hears
us all salute him when he comes in?"
"Here he comes, fellers, Just round
the turn out by the alders thar" cried
Nat. /" Be ready now to yell when he
comes in. Bray and whinny just yer
prettiest soon's he shows his head in
the door,"
The boys at " Kaidger HILL" were
rough set. They had the reputation of
being the worst in the country. Since
the town was first settled there had
been trouble in school every winter. 1t
was not wholly the fault of the boys.
The parents were constantly'quarreling,
one family with another. The year
before there had been loud contention
concerning the school-house, the old
one having mysteriously burned. Some
people wished to build new one. but
the majority decided to occupy log
house which settler had abandoned.
1t was a strong structure. AT dis
tance of twenty-five feet there was
cow-barn connected with the house by
a covered way. The cOw-barn with the
covered walk was used as wood-house.
There was a door opening out of the
school-room into the covered walk, and
another door where the walk connected
with the wood-house. The outside
door of the cow-barn was nailed up, so
that the only way into the wood-house
was from the school-room. The doors
were provided with strong iron
hasps" and staples. The wood-house
bore among the boys the nickname of
the trap" Jad Day, Cuffy Wyman,
Jote Yates, Nat Durfee and Ziby Swan
were rough youngsters from seventeen
to nineteen years old, not lacking in
bone or Drawn, boastful of their powers
at rough and tumble, and correspond
ingly deficient in intellectual gifts.
For three years there had not been a
complete winter term in the district
-Four "masters - had been carried
out" by the boys. Their mode of
doing the carrying out" was COM
monty to rush upon the unfortunate
pedagogue and carry him out of doors,
and throw him into a snowdrift, or else
put him into the " trap" and keep him
there during the rest of the day
Usually the luckless victim was glad to
depart--as soon as he could-from the
district. One, however, young theo-
logical student-returned to his post
the next morning after being carried
out. He was taken to the top of the
long hill, dashed fast to hand-sled and
sent to the bottom of the hill, a wild
ride of nearly mile. He did not re-
turn even for his hat, which flew off
his head midway of the hill. The next
master was an itinerant Methodist min
lister whose plan it was to combine re-
ligion with mental teachings. The
method gave great offence to the Kaid-
ger boys. For week they pretended
to have great respect for him, some
even pretending TO become "con-
verted." The deceived man went
about openly rejoicing over the good
work he had wrought. But two morn
ings later the young barbarians carried
him into the woods, bound him to the
top of birch tree, which they had
bent down by main strength and then
let it 90. The poor man was hurled
upward and left dangling fifteen feet
from the ground, and it was two OF
three hours before his shouts brought
that winter. A sign "to let was
nailed by the boys on the front door OF
the school-house, and each of the bru.
tai clique smashed a pane of glass
every time he went past. The follow.
my dutulnu younS lduu surveyor
Ammi Bray, came into the township tC
"run " certain lots of land. He was
rather above the medium height ant
muscular, but his most distinguished
feature was his eyes, which were very
noticeably blue, and had habit o.
dwelling with unusual steadiness or
every person with whom he was speak
ing. The school agent asked hin
one day whether he had ever laugh
school.
Never" replied Ammi Bray.
Wal, don't keer of yer never did, ,
exclaimed the agent; 4" / want yer II
take our scule this winter"
But, my dear man." replied Mr.
Bray, it would not be, from all &C
counts, good place for an amateur
Besides, though l know something o
mathematics, and once knew littl
grammar and geography, l do not fee
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