The Penn's Grove record., 1894-05-04
IN THE %"'PRATUS-BOX



another once before recess, | Shall
shut you in the wood closet"
Miss Carberry's eyes were very
bright, and her cheeks we're very
pink. Patsy knew that for a bad
sign. He turned to the map OF Africa
and began a terrible buzzing, that
was meant to show Miss Carbcrry how
hard he was studying.
Instead Of saying over the names,
however, he was merely saying "Bz-
bz-bzl" like an enormous bumUie-bce
or an angry blue-bottle fly in 4 corner
Of the window-pane.
Miss Carberry didn't like humble
bees or blue-bOttle flies, She walked
careleSsly up behind Patsy, and
stUpped him suddenly ia the midst OF
a terrible 'bz.." that sounded Ike i
whole hive Of tumbie-btes
The next minute Patsy found him.
self tumhled all IN 4 heap into what
the boys called the ''Pratus box -
And then the button turned.
The gtven-name Of this little dark
closet was the Apparatus box" and
IL mean a place in which to keep
globes aud pointers and chalk anl
Did maps II was also used some
times as YOU nave seen, TO put.
naughty boys in.
Patsy shiverei as tho hutton
snapped, and he was Gagged As tast a.
any bird,
Its dark as a ptck-pockat," be
muttered, and began TO cry aud wipe
nii dirty face on his little ragged
sleeve. 1t was hot, too. Miss Car
herry's headache must have been very
bad, indeed, or she never could have
done ii.
He was getting rather drowsv, and
might have gone off to sleep to the
tune of MISUNDERSTANDING
I've" as Lille porr wa5 droning it,
when a sudden rdjtling and shulIing
away Of books acd other litter from
the desks made him sit up and listen
with both his cara Somebody was
speaking 10 Miss Carberry, and Miss
Carbcrry was answering in tones
derTully soft AMI sugary.
"It's the committee-manS," said
Patsy to himself. "I'm going to see
something"
go he iumbled somewhere in his
rags and produced a penknife. A
very good one, too. Patsy could
"trate knives" with anybody.
Softly and cautiously, as a lit
moCse begins to nibble in the closet,
Patsy began to bore a little hoe in
the "'Pratus-box." How much you
eau see outU one little round hole!
Patsy Jaw two-thirds Of the school
room out Of this one, and there was
the platform with three old men Oh
it In three old rickety chairs chat
they'll have TO sit very still IN, or
they'll so smaSh-hang on the floor
thought Patsy. Two Of them had
goldhcaded canes, and one wore q
Wig that had slipped a little 'un.
straight" All this Patsy noted with
intcres.
The hoe, or rather the light that
came through it, let Patsy see better
inside as well. Now what do you
suppose was the first thing his eye
lighted on as he looked around him?
A popgun!
q. Miss Carbcrry! Didn't you know
DIDN'T you ever learn sin the Nor
NAL" or did you 10 come at it some.
how by the light Of nature, that a boy
and a p0pgun were always meant to
80 together?
But oh! for a look at Patsy's eyes,
big and black in the darkness
'rve got some peas In my pocket,
/ know" lie said in an excited voice,
'and if l don't straighten his crooked
wig for him, it'll be cause I.can't."
The mild old gentleman on the
edge OF the platform put his hand to
his ear in a troubled way, as Patsy's
popsu1 opened fire, Then he ran his
fingers through his hair, making his
wig crookeder than ever,
Finally he turned to Miss CaIGerry
with Il kind OF gentle amusement that
made Patsy (who had taken many a
ride in ''his muSty old chase
ashamed Of himself in the "Pratus.
box"
'l'm afraid, ma'am-ahcm!-that
-ahcm,-some of your boys are a lit
Tic roguish this morning."
"Why--what are they doing?:" said
Miss CarbeIry, astonlshed She
hadu't seer anything.
"Oh, nothing very bad" smiled
the blessed oil | man. Il was a boy
,ncc. Haven't forgotten 1t. Trln.
peas, ma'am."
"Let me Catch u OF them said
Miss Carherry, as grimly as If sh
Terc an Ogre or a dragon, instead 0
4 pretty young woman with PINK
cheeks and the brightest brown eye
IN the world. Every boy on the back
seat shook in his shoes.
"Oh. amt it jolly fun?" chuck'ed
Patsy in his closet; and he began Dor.
luE more 'cannun holes" as he calle,
them. Six in all he made, And an
Did pointer OF two made excellent car
rilses to mount his popgun battery
i'll.
II was so hot in there that by and
by Patsy got tired. He wanted ;
Z ink of water more than ever A
asst he snuggled down in a heap o
dusty maps aud fell fast asleep
Meantime a thunder-cloud HAD
rolled up big and black out of tn
t,eh The three Old men said the
must he going. Mss Carberry locke.
nerv5usly at the ragged black sky.
AID thought of her new hat with the
GaiSes on il.
Let the school out" said the CON
r.jttee, 'and one of US will take 20,
home"
In two minutes the school-rooll
wls empty; the little girls were
,eImperiug home With their apron: