Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-09-16
GRAMMAR.

Ihomasyille was IN rnptures one bright
June mOruiu" for after long months Of
closed blinds aud barred doors the school
house on the hill WAS at last 10 be opened
aud aired and the cobwebs brushed away,
not only from the building, but from the
minds Of the pupils as well, for the young
idea Of the place had been left 10 sprout,
twine and tangic at its own sweet will and
had hitherto ran riot 10 such degree as To
demonstrate fully To those who cared TO
note the signs that the -choolmaster was
indeed abroad az 1homasyills.
Nor was che younger portion of the com
munity the only ones who reioiced at the
prospect of once more having school "to
keep" for indeed with their pleasure was
mingled also a little apprehension lest the
paths Of knowledge might contain, with
the flowers of wisdom, "A little Of the birch
of wholesome discipline, but the parental
element was also Chucklng with glee,
mainly, fear, at the pleasant prospects Of
being able in so cOmmcndable "A manner to
shift unruly burdens onto shoulders clearly
paid for carrying them so many hours daily.
Six months before this bright June morn
ing the stage Oh its daily rounds had de
posted at the door of the village tavern a
pale and hollow eyed young lady, who had
evidently come To this faraway western
settlement for "A breath of tho health giving
breezes blown into Thomasville from its
surrounding mountains-a sure tonic for
an overworked body aud brain. The Thorn
asville breezes had sustained their rcputa-
tion for healing, and the young lady, an eX
perienced teacher In city school, was
about To return home and resume her du
ties, but at the urgent solicitation OF the
villagers, who had gained some knowledge
of her efficiency rs "a teacher (pdrtly through
her own efforts in the Sunday school, she
had been induced To accept the Hrduous
post of schoolmistress in frontier village
And so this bright June morning Miss Raw
son was inducted into her post rs instructor
bya trio of the county board, composed
Of Tony Tressel. the blacksmith. Deacon
Horsefall, the grocer, and the irrcpressible
Squire Jones, "A self constituted committee
OF introduction and installation
Everything went well for IA few days In
the little schoolhouse Oh the Hill, and the
village was loud in it's praise of the new
teacher, of whom il was said that she had
even crossed the sea, where Queen Victoria
herself had pcrslstcntly urged her To stay
and be governcss To the little princesscs in
the Tower of London, but that her patriot
ism had gotten the better of her desire for
glory and had led her to refuse so tempt
Ing an offer, greatly To the advantage of
the youth OF Thomasville, u. ;. A, etc.
But one day the proverbial cloud arose.
AT first no bigger than "A mans hand, 1t
finally descended ia u storm of wrathiul in
dignatiou on the unsuspecting teacher =
head. Ii was reported one day at home
10y the hopeful Tommy Jones that the new
In I., 81,
laws Of grammatical construction as laid
down by Lindley Murray ana his success
sors, had gone 50 far as To make chem all out
liars in order to make grammarians of
them. 1t had happened In this way; Tom
my Jones, the squire's third hopeful, had
been late one morning and was also un
usually indolent, not even making an effort
to do the sums which were his mornings
work.
On being reproved for this, he had ex-
cused himself on the plea that he hadn't
got no pencl-he done lef' il at home"
"Now, Tommy said Miss Rawson, you
don't mean you haiut pot uo pencil, for
that would bc equivalent To saying you had
one. You mu,teither say 1 have no pencil,
or i haven't any pencil '" This admouition
and correction being repeated at home was
understood rs conveying the impression
that Tommy had lied AZ regarded the pencil
and these sterling frOuticrsmeu looked upon
au untruth ~ a disgrace, 80 that this nat
urally caused a whIrlwiud Of Indignation.
IN the midst Of which squire Jones accom-.
panied Tommy back 20 school TO relieve his
mind TO the teacher
Il tell you, Miss Rawson,n said the In.
dignant squire, when my Tommy says he
haln't got no pencil, lac haint got none.
aud it's no use tryin To make him lie outen
it," In vain the teacher protested against
this construction OF her words IL was OF
no use. II that was grammar, then they
didn't want their children 10 laru gram.
mar, aud no teacher frum uowhurs shouldn't
larn 'em To lie" The excitement finally
grew 50 great that it was decided to hold a
board mCetin,' at which il was decided to
ask the teacher To resign, 70 make way for
"A more competent teacher a conservative
element cOunselCd arbitration, however
There was ia the village a lawyer OF un
doubted education aud ability, who had
impressed even this ignorant community
with a sense of his worth. lie was tempol
rarily absent, but it was decided 10 await
bis rsturp and submit the case to him II