The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1893-07-14
SARY AND TOBE.

For weeks there had been no seriou.
trouble in my school on Raccoon noun.
tain. The rule against the use of tobacco
was no longer resisted. The married
people were learning well: so. too, vert
the grass widowers and widows" The
little ones were more lovable every day
One morning, however, our peace WA
disturbed by the news of a fight on tn.
way home from school the evening be
fore. A dozen or more were implicated.
By noon l had a very correct account
of the affair. That afternoon l requested
the guilty ones to remain after school.
Little groups of two, three or four
stood around and discussed matters in
awestruck whispers. | heard one OF
two little girls say:
"The teacher tol Henry to stay. Did
you know she did,"
"La, no, did she? D'reckin Henry'll
git a whoopin? Wouldn' that be aw.
full fer a big boy lack Henry Che was "a
years old) to be whooped? She can't
whoop Henry. He's bigger'n she is"
When school was dismissed, half a
dozen children in my room kept thei1
seats. As the line came down stairs some
four or five dropped out of it and took
seats in the rear of my room. motion
ed them front and went out to see the
rest off.
Some went ~lingeringly, glancing back
+hVo,,o1, @L0 rr,Ja-, ~ xrlo.a A. ~
prits sat.
When l came into the room, funeral
gloom seemed to have settled on the lit
tie group. I could imagine that it had
just settled there, for l was confident
that before my entrance sundry winks
and smiles had been exchanged.
Sary Camp and lobe Mullins were the
principals; the others were simply acces
series.
Sary was a thin, pug nosed girl, who
looked old enough to have had years Of
experience. lobe was a freckle faced,
cross eyed boy. perhaps two years older
than Sary.
well hear from lobe and Sarah first.
l am sure lobe will be gallant enough
to allow Sarah to speak first. Besides,
if she does, he will have the last word"
II don cyur," said lobe. "But if l
git the lais' word hitIl be the first time
Sary ever femme have hit" And one of
his cross eyes winked slyly at the other
as a litter went through the room.
go on, Sarah. Tell all about this
trouble you and lobe had on your way
home from school,"
"Well, I'll jist tell you heow hit wuz.
As a passed. Nv us wuz gwine home yis-
terday evenin we stopped jist t'other
side Nv Mr.. Milligin's on that rocky hill
to rest. We all set deown, an we wuz
all a-settin talkin, an me an lobe Null
Inns wuz a little peace off from the bal
ance Nv I'm, an (here Sary blushed) lobe
he tried to kiss me. I don't let no boy
kiss me Swelling with conscious %virtue),
an l jist uped an hit him in the meouth
18th his dinner bucket. The led fell of'n
the bucket, an jist then Henry Taylor he
come up an he says, says he, 'Whut's
matter, Tobe?' an he kicked Tobe's buck
ct led deown the bluff.
'Tobe he tuck and slapped Henry Gaze
he kicked the bucket led, an then Bob
Taylor he run up an kicked Tobe's
bucket an knocked it down the bluff.
lobe he picked up a rock an hit Bob, an
then the balunce Nv the Taylor boys an
the Joneses jined in. Jist then Brother
Henry he come long an he says: 'Whut's
the matter hyur? Whut you all on lobe
fer?
Thar wuzn't much fghtin after that.
I b'lieve the Taylor boys th'owed some
more rocks too"
lobe was evidently very much pleased
that Sary's story was so favorable to him
self, but when she remarked by way of
conclusion: Hit all started frum lobe
tryin to kiss me. If hit hadn't been fer
that, thare'd "a been nothin Nv hit, an if
you whoop anybody lobe he's the one to
whoop." He blurted out:
'Sary Camp cussed."
This remark was ~variously received.
The Taylors and Joneses giggled. Sary
uttered not a word, but every feature of
her face. even to the tip Of her pug nose,
and her entire manner said plainly:
"That beats me-"
And Sary's ~1S-year-old brother Harry
said, well, that's the fust time I've
hyurd Sary 'cused Nv cussin sence she
jined the church"
Sary frightened at this and remarked
with animation, eyes, an I've had my
health a heap better sence I jined the
church"
Her simple faith moved me. It was
SO like that of the woman of old who
thought but to touch the hem of his gar
ment and be made whole.
what did Sarah say, Tobe?"
"She said, Dad blame you, you lT'
black devil"
"That hain't cussin," said Sary. 81
hyurd paw cay that, an I axed him if hit
was c@ussin, and he said hit wuzn', an
paws a church member too"
"My pap hain't no church member, an
I axed him if hit wuz cussin, an he said
course hit wuz," said lobe.
"Hit amt .cussin, is hit" said Sary,
appealing to me as the court of last re-