Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-07-04

He was a stbound boy, who had been
taken from the care of the town by a
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 certain number of weeks
attendance at school.
He knew that if he returned to school
he would receive a most unmerciful
logging. 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 fat
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 knel of
parting day. Zephaniah Ezekiel Trask
came sauntering up the road.
He had grown to be 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 for
himself Where he had been or what
he had been doing were points on which
he was very reticent.
While passing up the road. he
learned from some farm-laborer whom
he met that school was in session at
the Woodbridge house. and that his
old adversary was in command. Com
ing in sight of the house. desire to
torment the learned gentleman took
possession of him.
Seeing no one about the rear Of the
dwelling, he stealthily climbed wall
and came out behind the back kitchen.
Having provided himself with large
stone from the wall, he climbed first
upon the water-hogshead under the
caves, and thence gained the roof and
cautiously crept up to the chimney.
Swinging himself to the top. he seated
himself upon one side. with his feet
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 the
icy stone on which he sat, he bounded
down the f1ue as if shot from cata-
putt. gatherings good deal of SCOT on
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 open
fireplace. and it was with considera-
BILE energy that he sat down in the bed
of ashes on the hearth, marked on all
the prominent parts of his anatomy
with streaks of SCOT
His sudden appearance had a start
ling effect upon the scholars. but the
grim old master, recognizing the situ-
alton, promptly seized this doleful
specimen of fallen humanity by the
collar. as if the savory meat-stew, the
dance on the crane and the birch-bark
fire were things of the present mo-
ment.
Sarcastically remarking: 80 We
concluded to come down. did YEP" he
gave. then and there, most forcible
proof that his right arm had lost none
of its cunning, nor the hickory ruler
any of its impressiveness. There was
an interest account, too, which the
master settled at the same time, on the
liberal compound system of reckoning.
''Now We take your book and larn
your lesson" said the grim perceptor,
as he released Zephaniah Ezekiel;
land don't We throw any more paper
balls. Take your seat. We young ras-
calr'-Webb Donnell. in Youths Com
panion.