Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-07-10

of the ground. just as he slipped over
the edge of the chimney, one of the
top stones, loosened by the weather,
was knocked from it's resting-p.ace and
bounded down the chimney with 1nuch
humping from side to side. Zephaniah.
terrified by this catastrophe, slid down
the roof and disappeared behind some
bushes.
In his eagerness to watch the smok-
ing-out of his offending pupil, the
master had dropped on hands and
knees upon the edge Of the hearth.
he was peering up through the dense
cloud of smoke when the rock, loos-
ened from the top, came bounding
down upon the hearth, bringing with
1t a cloud OF SCOT, and dropping with a
thud into the coal and ashes.
1t was like the sudden discharge of a
Volcano. The SCOT and ashes filled the
eyes, nose, ears and wide-open mouth
OF the head of the school, while Goals
and burning bark were scattered in
every direction.
Zephaniah, having placed a goodly
distance between himself and the scene
OF his escapade, stopped at a small
brook to remove some of the SCOT from
his hands and face, and then to con-
slider what he should do next.
He was "bound boy" who had been
taken from the care of the town by
shiftless family of the district, from
whom he received kicks, cuffs and very
scanty food in return for all the labor
that could be got from his small body,
when the contract with the town did
not compel a certain number of weeks
attendance at school.
He knew that if he returned to school
he would receive most unmerciful
flogging. If he returned to the place
he called home, the same emphatic at
tention would be bestowed upon him
as soon as a report from the school
should have reached his master.
The result of his deliberations was
that Zephaniah Ezekiel was seen no
more in that neighborhood for many a
day. Various stories were set On foot
accounting for his disappearance, none
of which agreed in any essential par
ticular.
In the meantime the master, having
recovered from the disagreeable effects
of SCOT and ashes upon his learned per-
son, continued to drive home many i'm
portant educational truths with the fiat
side of his hickory ruler. The school
moved from house to house through
out the district; summer, with feminine
authority, succeeded the season of
vigorous masculine rule, until winter
came again.
Two years had passed, and the
school was once more assembled in
Aunt Sally Woodbridge's dining-room,
with the same stern old man looking
sharply after mischievous boys through
the same enormous goggles. On a
mild forenoon, when the water was
dripping from the caves outside, and
the class in the Fourth Reader inside
was mournfully "tolling the kneli OF
parting day." Zephaniah Ezekiel Trask
came sauntering up the road.
He had grown to be a great, lumber
ing boy, with arms and legs extremely
long. He had evidently learned that
the family to which he had been
"bound' had moved away, leaving him
free to make what shift he could TO,
himself. Where he had been or wha,
he had been doing were points on which
he was very reticent.
While passing up the road, b.
learned from some farn~laborer whom
he met that school was in session al
the Wood bridge house, and that his
old adversary was in command. Com
ing in sight of the house, a desire te
torment the learned gentleman took
possession of him.
Seeing no one about the rear of the
dwelling, he stealthily climbed a wal
and came out behind the back kitchen
Having provided himself with large
stone from the wall, he climbed frs
upon the water-hogshcad under the
! caves, and thence gained the roof and
cautiously crept up to the chimney
Swinging himself to the top, he seated
4 himself upon one side, with his fee
hanging down within, and posing the
rock over the middle of the opening
he let it drop.
But alas! in his eagerness he leaned
! too far forward, and slipping from tn,
icy stone on which he sat, he bounded
down the lue as if shot from a cata
putt, gathering 81 good deal of SCOT or
! his passage down.
The houses of those days were low
so that he had not far to drop. Still
he was moving with considerable
rapidity when he appeared in the opel
fireplace, and it was with considera
BILE energy that he sat down in the bee
OF ashes on the hearth, marked on al
the prominent parts of his anatom,
with streaks of SCOT.
His sudden appearance had a start
ling effect upon the scholars, but tn,
grim old master, recognizing the stu
alton, promptly seized this dolefu
specimen of fallen humanity by tn,
collar, as if the savory meat-stew, The
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