Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-01-30
SCHOOL OVER A GROCERY.
Amusing EpI,odCs Told by IA Tiourcr school
Teacher of Lsadt lille.

Amusing Episodes Told by II rinurrr schoo
Teacher Of LeadIillc.
] taught one Of tire first schools ever
taught in The great mining camp of
Lcauvillc, Colo, and naturally enough
l had many unusual aud amusing ex-
perionces. The schoolroom was the Sec
oud floor of q two story log building,
the lower floor being used for a gro
Gerry store.
Everything in the schoolroom was
of the most primitive kind. The seats
were long pine benches. There were
no desks, no blackboards and not an
inch Of plastering in the whole build
ing. There was nothing between the
grocery store and the schoolroom but
a loosely laid floor Of unseasoned pine
that became looser as il seasoned. Ii
was, unfortunately, full Of knot holes,
and whenever a customer came into
the store for a bar Of soap or a pound
of sugar, the school heard the entire
transaction, and as the merchant was
q very l~oquacious man we often heard
some funny things.
The schoolroom water pail was kept
on a pine box at one end Of the room
and it was accidentally overturned a
good many times that winter. and,
strangely enough, the boys sitting
nea it could never tell just how these
accidents happened, but they always
occurred when there were more than
the usual number of customers in the
store below, and they never failed to
throw the school into paroxysms of
joy. The effect was different on the
groceryman.
Here you. Mister Teacher!" he
would roar up TO me.
well, what is itf'I would ask in
as calm and dignified a manner as !
could assume when talking through
knot holes at my feet.
Them boys is p%ourin' water down
here ag'in and victim my goods and
my customers, and | amt goin' to
stand itf'
''Boys!" | would say sternly, did
any Of you upset that paili'
mo, sir" would come from n dozen
of the innocent ones.
".And they did," the groceryman
would shrek out, you Just come
down mere and seel II you can't make
EN- behave ! kin now and I'll do it
tool"
One day he carried his threat into ex-
ecution. There We're several customers
in the store and | was busy with aclass
in geography when an ominous splash
and TIE giggling Of two boys told me
that the newly filled water pail had
gone over again. There were little
feminine shricks below, aud the next
minute the grocer, sugar scoop in
hand. appeared in the school room.
Without deigning TO notice me he
ran Gacl; 10 where the overturned pail
was and began laying about him with
the sugar scoop, and before could re-
cover from any amazement nearly
every pupil had gone shrieking and
laughing down the stairs. with the
irate grocer in mad pursuit, hammer
ing away with the scoop on the heads
and backs of the guilty and the inno-
cent alike.
A few minutes later he reared up the
through the knot holes:
Now, if you cant make them
youngsters behave themselves and
have some manners, ] kim
This singular lesson in courtesy had
such a salutary effect on the school
that the pail was not overturned again
for two whole days. The next week
We moved into "A new and better room
on the ground floor, greatly 10 the de-
light of the grocer.-J. l.. Harbour in
Wide Awake.