Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-13

of the hearth. He was peering up through
the dense cloud of smoke when the rock,
loosened from the top, came bounding
down upon the hearth, bringing with it a
cloud of SCOT, and dropping with thud
into the Goals and ashes.
1t was like the sudden discharge of
volcano. The SCOT and ashes filed the
eyes, nose, ears and wide-open mouth of the
head of the school, while the coal and
burning bark were scattered in every d.
rections.
Zephanian, having placed goodly dis
lance between himself and the scene of his
escapade, stopped at small brook to re-
move some of the SCOT from his hands and
face, and then to consider what he would
do next.
He was "bound boy," who had been
taken from the care of the town by shift
less family of the district, from whom he
received kicks, cuffs, and very scant food,
il return for all the labor that could be
got from his small body, when the con-
tract did not compel a certain number OF
weeks attendance at school.
He knew that if he returned to school
he would receive most unmercifui fog
ging. If he returned to the place he
called home, the same emphatic attention
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 day. Vari-
Gus stories were set on foot accounting for
his disappearance, none of which agreed
in any essential particular.
In tie meantime the master, having re-
covered from the disagreeable effects of
SCOT and ashes upon his learned person,
continued to drive home many important
educational truths with the fiat aide of the
hickory ruler. The school moved from
house to house throughout the district;
summer, with feminine authority, sue.
ceeded the season of vigorous masculine
rule, until winter came again.
Two years had passed, and the school
had once more assembled in Aunt Sally
Woodbridge's dining-room, with the same
stern old man looking sharply after mis-
chievous boys through the same enormous
goggles. On mild forenoon, when the
water was dripping from the caves out
side, and the class in the Fourth Reader
inside was mournfully "tolling the knell
of parting day." Zephaniah Ezekiel Trask
came sauntering up the road,
He had grown to be great, numbering
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 Wood
bridge house, and that his old adversary
was in command. Coming in sight of the
house, desire to torment that learned
gentleman took possession of him.
Seeing no one in the rear of the dwell
ing, he stealthily climbed wall and came
out behind the back kitchen. Having
provided himself with a 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 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 tiue as if shot from a catapult, gath
ering 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 considerable 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 startling
effect upon the scholars, but the grim, old
master, recognizing the situation, 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
moment.
Sarcastically remarking, $50 We con-
cluded to come down, did YEP" he gave,
then and there, most forcible proof that
his right arm had los: none of its cunning,
nor the hickory ruler any of It's impress
siveness. There was an interest account,
too, which the master settled at the same
time, on the liberal compound system of
reckoning.
snow, We take your book and larn your
lesson" said the grim preceptor, as he re-
leased Zephaniah Ezekiel, "and don't
throw any more paper balls. Take your
seat, We young rascal l'- Webb DonnelL, in
Youths Companion.