The Helena independent., 1892-11-13
"Rohby shaftoe's gone to sea,
silver buckles on his knee:
He'll come back and marry me:
Pretty Bobhy Shaftoe.

Pretty Bobby Shaftoe
-HIS OLD AND MUSICAL NURSERY
NJ had been running in my head all
CLIO day as went about my work. My
work was teaching school at Gar
rats Mills, a small village in northeastern
Pennsylvania. The school house was near
the head of the mill pond by the side OF the
uublio road, half way between Garre'ts
Mills and Bentley's Dam; so situated in or
der TO accommodate children from both
villages.
Whv that ancient nursery rhyme should
have been singing itself in my head all day
I do NOT know unless because one OF my
pnp;ls. popularly known as Bobby Shaftoe.
had that morning given me an unusuai
amount Of trouble. How and when ne re-
ceiysd the nickname never heard; perhaps
ID was because Of his oft-deolared amol'ioh
to be q sailor and go TO sea; posslply IL was
on account of a similarity OF sound between
this name and his real one. lie was ~
Years old bright and active, and the moss
,nischieyous child l ever saw-not mall
cionsly mischievous but irrepressibly. I'M
csasinolv mischlevous. Such mild PUNISH
ment as his mild misbehayior deserved hao
INT a momsntary effect on him, ana one
,,ust have had an unusually hard heart to
have chsstised Bobby with any degree oil
severity.
On the June day of which ! write Bobby
was more than ordinarily full of pranks ana
practical Jokes. He had been busy WIN
them all the bright morning, and he was
holding his own steadily through the not
and sultry .afternoon. l had reprimanded
him times without number, had punished
him mildly again and again without lasting
effect. Finally seated him on top of the
co,d stove in order to humillate him but
from that conspicuous perch his comic
motions and queer grmaces, when my oack
was turned, kept the entire school smoker
ING till / took him down. After thas ne
made an amusing picture on ms slate OF
himself sitting on the stove ana nero 40 w
to be laughed at by the boys IN his vlcln-
itv! hat before l could capture ie Els
sponge had obliterated forever this TRIUMPH
OF his urt. His next achievement thae At
ternoon was the production OF TWO NIUE
pasteboard figures of men pinned to SUCK
and fighting each other furlousiy az nis .s
deft fingers pulled the strings attacneo TO
them. / caught him at it squareiy.
n, al me have them, Bobby" / said.
He turned them over to me without
murmur, exrlaining as he did SO: You
want to pull thth thtring to make 'em fight,
Mlth Mitchell, an tultA bhpAAAS SA ~
knockth i'm down. He .. I'll theow you
thee? Don't they jutht lambathte each
other, thought
II is needless to say that the school was
again diverted. Everyone save Bobby and
Iorinned broadly. He was sober and was
ANNOYED. "
"Give them to me at once" said sharply:
"What am going to do with such boy!
How shall punish YOU? I've tried every
thing except a severe whipping. Shall
give YOU that or can yau suggest some
thing more effective?"
He cast his eyes to the ceiling and Sc ewed
his mouth up comically as If in intense
thought. The school broke out III renewed
laughter. Finally he said: You mlght p1t
me up in the lott, Mith Mitchell. haven't
been up there yet"
Very we'll" Ireplisd quickly, "up in the
loft you CO."
He was little startled by the suddenness
of my decision. l don't think he really In
tended me to adopt his suggestion, for the
loft was not pleasant place to 90 into; it
was dark and hot and empty, with the roof
slopinR down on each side SO that only
through the middle of it could even boy
stand erect.
Here. Bobby I continued, help me
set this table under the opening-that's it;
now give me that chair"
The horizontal aperture that led to the
loft was just over the high platform that
stretched across the rear end of the room.