Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-05-25
The Smart Bow.

fun" cried Rufus Green, as he reached
the schoolhouse door at full run one
Monday morning. 1--WE brought
piece of chalk, and wen have good
time before old Pratt comes.
Haven't time" said Rob Smith,
shortly. algebra lessons hard, and
want all the time can get to study
it,
"Algebra!' shouted Rufus. II
haven't even looked at it; there was too
much fun going on on Saturday for
that. Just let me know when it's five
minutes to nine, and I'll be all right.
Come ON, boysr' And followed by a
noisy troop, Rufus rushed into the
schoolroom, and soon was the centre of
an admiring circle.
Rufus was a smart boy; every one
said SO, and it was clearly impossible
that every one should be mistaken. So
Rufus thought; and thus thinking, he
took very little trouble TO improve
the abilities which he had. In truth,
among the boys at school Rufus was al
ready a great man. He was leader in
all their games of skill, he was full of
fun and jokes, he could tell exciting
stories, and, best of all, with single
stroke of chalk upon the blackboard,
he could produce absurd likenesses of
people, which they would even recog-
nize themselves, and which caused
shouts of laughter from all the boys
around him. With these talents you
would expect Rufus to stand first in his
class, and make great progress in
study; and, in fact. no boy in the school
could get hard lesson into his head SO
quickly as Rufus.
His talents helped him further than
this; no boy could make so fair recita-
tion on so little real knowledge as our
''smart boy and naturally no boy
could forget the whole subject so en-
tirely when the hour of recitation was
over. The fact was that Rufus never
gave himself time to think about the
lesson at all; the words, which rung
through his head like the notes of a
song, were all he knew about it. 1t
was not strange, with this habit. that
Rufus often fell behind in his classes,
and was not nearly so great person in
the eyes of his teacher as of his COM
panions.
This morning Rufus was even more
entertaining than usual. He was draw
ing graphic picture of scene which
he had witnessed on Saturday, in which
their teacher, Mr.. Pratt, had taken
rather ridiculous part His sketches
: were very clever; no one could deny
: this Even Mr.. Pratt himself, when
he stood at the schoolroom door and
looked over the heads of the boys, who
were too full of their fun to notice him,
said with shake of his head: THAT
boy has talents, certainly; but no per
severance, no steadiness. / am afraid
it will prove his ruin"
Five minutes to ninen shouted o~e
Of the little boys, who was on the
4 watch. But his shrill voice was hardly
t heard amidst the shouts of laughter
S which greeted every new stroke o
0 Rufus's hand.
+. -Four minutes, Ruf!' shouted thC
9 little hos; but Rufus was just givine
!. the finishing touch to Mr.. Prattl
head. and he could not stop then.
Three minutes, Ruff! Time mos
up!'' shouted the little boy again.
e Here, boys! quick! cried Rufus
: reused at last. Pratt will be down OF
= us in a minute. Sam, rub off tina
a board, will you? Bob, give me tina
9 book; show me the lesson; I'll have i
= in a minute" And the smart boy
J, sunk into the nearest desk, and wa
a aborb in the lesson in a minute.
:. But it would not do to-day. TIL,
: lesson was one which really requires
Y study, and coming over the words di'
9 him no good. Trusting TO his memory
) which had so often stood him in goo,
IS stead, Rufus learned off by rote the ex
e ample which one of the boys had care
y fully worked out, and with this, an
y the rule. of the meaning of which h
l. had no idea, he closed the book.
h The class was called immediatel
a after prayers, and Rufus took his seal
n feeling rather uneasy, but little su:
D pecting that Mr.. Pratt was fully awar
S of his occupation during the past houl
N As the time went by, he thought b
1t was escaping very easily, when sudden
lie ly Mr.. Pratt called him to the boar
" and asked him to state and explain u
le problems OF the mornings lesson.
,e Like most people who are fond I
Dr. ridiculing others, Rufus was very niue
~ afraid of ridicule himself, and he fe
IN hot and uncomfortable when he foun
Q, himself standing so helplessly befoi
is the group of boys whom he had ente
re tanned at that board half an hour b
e. fore.
Mr.. Pratt intended that he shou
feel the disgrace fully, and piled hi
with questions, calling on the boys
. a.aant 4l,a a,,,.o,,r II, tho tiouraS NJ