The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-14

room but probably duck me In the
creek besides. For moment 1t seemed
| a clear case of 16 to l.
What did you throw me down for?"
screamed Worrall, throwing on his
| band wagon coat and starting for me.
! Two forms darkened the doorway. the
''old fighters" entered and the fun
commenced. The boys had very poor
show and were cuffed right and left
| without ceremony; men who had many
| a time cleaned out bar rooms full or
men who called themselves fighters
did not have hard job in cleaning up
that lot of school lads. 1t was hard
| medicine. but no one approved or my
course afterwards more than their
parents.
| Suddenly in the midst Of the conflict
! (for blocking the door so the boys
| could not escape we were giving them
good warming). there came whirl
| ana rush and the water from the
dam above the school came rushing in
So that 1t covered the floor nearly two
feet. 1t was a small dam and the creek
had quite deep bank or else the little
| building would have been wrecked.
How did that happen?" asked Harry
Walker, who had been an attentive lis
tener to the story. well the boys had
stationed Wesley Worrall up there with
| an axe with instructions when the run
had got under full headway and the
girls and small boys had got out, to
break the dam and let the water down,
and as Wesley was up by the church
| quite ways off he did not know but
things We're going his way, so that ac-
counted for the deluge. 1t cost life.
however Dan Spauldings old brindle
COW was drinking at the creek. below
the store. and the water carried her
| inf Wripht's mill
| where she was drowned. The water
| and the fighters were too much for the
| boys and they yelled for mercy and the
| battle ceased. The school house was
sight to behold, desks were broken
as well as seats, water covered the iioor
and Nichols, he and the stove had be-
come intermingled during the contest
| and of his elegant brass band suit moth
! ing was left but the band around the
collar of the coat and the pants would
have disgraced Il scarecrow. Worralrs
coat that he had thrown off tn fight me
on the start was carried away in the
| flood and never recovered. He felt 50
bad they carried him home on the
| blackboard.
Well, my mission at West Nicholson
| for the time being was ended, and ac-
companied by the two fighters We went
wagon were hitched and started for
Nicholson by the back road. OF course
it kicked up big racket. but my course
was generally approved, the boys had
got beat at their own game" Wesley
Stark and old Reynolds laughed until
they cried. and Dan Spaulding was the
only one who got real mad. He start
ed a law suit and the boys had to chip
| in and pay him for the old brindle COW.
He said he didn't care so much for the
| real value of the 'critter." but he had
brought her. from York state with him
when he moved there.
a couple of weeks later I received a
letter at the postofiice addressed to me,
when, on opening. much to my surprise,
read as follows:
Mr.. Harding:
| Dear Sir: We, the undersigned and
many more would earnestly request
| you to come back and teach our school
again. We Will use you like a gentle
man and promise faithfully we will do
So We deserved what we got and we
will show you we can be good scholars
| Please come"
Signed-C. NJ. Nichols, William Wor-
rail-, Kite Wise. John Shibley, Ben
Travis and many Others.
Well | went back there and no man
was ever better used. and never shall
| forget when Christmas came how that
night up at the church my name was
called and how in brief seech Doc
Reynolds, on behalf of the scholars
presented me with an easy chair and
how the boys fiocked around and shook
! hands with me and wished me a "Mer-
ry Christmas" and many of them.