The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-07-26
Too Much 'SpOnsibility.

There were seven Of them-Nora,
Ella, Jenny, Arthur, Willy, Merrick
and Mary Ann, and they had all been
bad children. That is to say, they had
disobeyed the teacher. But the teacher
did not know it for some time after
ward. This is the way he found it out:
1t was along toward two o'clock in the
afternoon; he had heard the class in
grammar recite and the big boys and
girls physical geography lesson and
was now drilling the second class in
mental arithmetic. He had just asked
Joseph Corrick the question:
eff thirteen goats cost $50, what
will eight goats cost?"
Be prompt" he said, sharply; for
in his exercises he required the schol-
airs to think quickly, without stopping
even one minute to reckon. Suddenly
there came a loud knock at the door.
Joseph felt relieved with the teachers
eye off him, and cried out, 49," just
as the teacher threw open the door.
There stood farmer Campbell in his
blue shirt-sleeves, an OK whip in his
hand, and with very red and angry
looking face.
"See here, Mr.. Melvin" he ex-
claimed, some of them there scholars
of yours have been getting on my hay
stack again, spite my telling YOU last
week TO make 'em keep off. They've
pushed half of it down fiat on the
ground, a-slidin' off and on it, and now
| want it stopped, once and for ALL"
and he set his heavy foot down very
hard and glared around the room
threateningly.
Willy, Merrick and Mary Ann would
all have fairly quaked in their shoes,
only that they were barefooted, for
they knew they were the guilty ones.
And the good children, those who had
kept away from the forbidden stack,
looked on much interested. 1t was
change f,om the grammar and the
physical geography and the mental
arithmetic lessons, you know.
" How many of you have disobeyed
me about getting on that hay again?"
asked the teacher, sternly.
There were seven of 'em," inter
posed the farmer. " seen 'em runnin'
away from it when your bell rang, and
| counted jest seven. l was mad
enough to have attended to 'em myself,
right then and there, every one Of 'em,
but couldn't leave my oxen, and they
was down the road a SPELL"
Here farmer Campbell glanced out of
the window at his oxen, and seeing
that they were leisurely walking away
down the road, he hurriedly walked
away after them.
"Those seven scholars that were on
Mr.. Campbell's hay stand up" COM
manded the teacher.
There was a solemn pause. You
could have heard pin fall, it was so
quiet.
Then Mary Ann, the teachers own
daughter, and the youngest of the
seven, rose slowly to her feet. 81
was on the haystack, papa" she said,
soberly.
"You, Mary Ami" said her father
in a stern voice. $50 stand in the
middle of the floor"
Mary Ann blushed very red and
obeyed, and the good children looked
on still more interested.
"Who were the others?" asked the
teacher.
Then Nora, Ella, Jenny, Arthur,
Willy and Merrick rose.
"All of you go stand on the tloorl"
said the teacher.
So the whole seven of them stood
there in row on the floor, and the
teacher gave them severe lecture on
disobedience, and closed by saying:
"You will stand there for half an
hour. And as for you, Mary Ann,
will attend to you at home"
So after school little Mary Ann was
punished again. And when her mother
put her to bed that night, Mary Ann
whispered in her ear:
Mamma, l don't like to go to school
to papa"
"Why?" asked her mother.
Because" said Mary Ann, 81 al
ways have to be punished once for be-
ing his bad scholar and once for being
his bad girl, and that makes two pun.
ishments for every one bad. It's toe
much 'sponsibility, mamma. DON'T
you think I'd better 60 to Miss Bakers
school after this?"
Her mother laughed, but she did mo-
seem TO think Mary Ann had better &C
to Miss Bakers school. "You must be
good, Mary Ann, and then you won't
have TO be punished at all" she said
To cure nervousness your nerves
must be fed on pure blood. Hood: