Smyrna times., 1897-04-07

Lie ulluule class OF the Smyrna High
School has been doing very commend
able work in composition, and num-
Der of the pupils manifest ability that
we trust shall be put to good use in
then work in life. On last Thursday,
under an exercise in narrating, the
lesson being to illustrate, Gone who is
butt ofhis companions coming out in the
sOmeway superior to them" the fol-
lowing well composed short stories
were handed to Prof LeFevre:
JACK ELsON.
Jack ElsOn was the son of a farmer
who lived just out side of Smvrna.
His father was an intelligent sort of a
man but all of his education had been
gained from observation so he did not
see any necessity of Jacks going to
school any more than enough to learn
to read and write, and to add, subtract,
multiply and divide. So Jack had
been sent to country school during
the months in the winter when his
father did not need him to work on the
| farm.
When Jack was about sixteen years
of age his father died and his
mother taking things into her own
hands decided that Jack should go to
school in Smyrna. So during the
summer she took boarders from the
city il order to fitJack out as he should
be when he was to enter such an aris-
tOcratic institution as the Smvrna
Public School. Jack was meanwhile
reading and studying as much as he
could. One of the boarders seeing the
boy so much interested in books let
him have the use of such as he had
seen fit to bring to the country with
him. One day Jack came to Mr..
Gray room to return book which
he ] ID borrowed and while talking to
his +. lend he picked up a book which
he sa" on the table. "Why," said he,
"What is this, it looks like the 'Pied
Quotations" which come in the news
papers" " Mr. Gray explained to him
that it was book written in Latin and
commenced to read to him, call Gaul
Is divided into three parts, etc"
When he had finished Jack ex-
claimed, ooh! could do that? Could
learn to read that way?" Mr.. GRAY
feeling that the boy was in earnest
and would really like to learn promised
to teach him. But he said ''you can
not learn in day or a week or even
month. If You want to learn you will
have to study hard. Your mother tells
me that you are to enter the Smyrna
School in the Fall and | know that I
can fit you to enter the middle class if
you are willing to do as | tell YOU.
No, to not thank me 1 will be glad to
revl, my books which l have not
opened for so long" Jack did not
know what to do or say, so he simply
held out his hand and grasped Mr..
Gray's in such a hearty clasp that it
achCd for sometime after ward.
During the summer months Jack
worked with will and Mr.. Gray be-
gan to be quite proud of his promising
pupil. By the first of September he
had learned the elements and principles
of : lgcbra. He had read so much that
he was well versed in History and also
IN current events. MIR. Gray felt sure
that he was qualified to enter the mid
die class of the Smyrna High School,
but did not encourage him to set his
heal upon it.
Jack walked up the path to the beauti-
full school which is the pride of Smyr-
ma. / he boys on the play ground, of
course, began making fun of the awk-
ward looking fellow. Jack flushed
angrily and clinched his fists but
made no reply. Mounting the steps
and OF ening the door he efound himselfin
a large hall in which were many small
children. He inquired of them the
way to the principals room and going
straight there entered and walked up
to the desk at which was seated the
teacher of the High School. When he
was being questioned as to his studies
he gave straightforward answers and
the teacher found out that Jack could
enter the middle class. He was given
book, and desk near the front. When
the scholars enter there is much sport
made of his cOuntrifed appearance.
However the school was soon called to
order and the boy distinguished him
self III the Algebra class, but this did
not make any impression on the BOYS.
But when they went out on the play
grounds at recess (the boys coaxed him
to go hoping to have some fun he
showed that he could play ball better
than any of the rest of them. Then
the boys commenced to admire him
and when he told them of some of his
experiences while hunting and fishing
IN the country, they all thought he
was "a brick" as they elegantly ex-
pressed it. 1t was much easier after
the boys commenced to be friendly
with him, so Jack got along famously.
He did not stand at the head of his
class, because the girls reserved that
place for themselves but he stood a
head of all the boys and although he
was always ready to play when he had
time, he would not neglect his lessons
and the boys all learned to admire him
and to look up to him as the weak will
look up to the strong.
EMMA J. HAzELL.
JACK ROBINSON
Jack Robinson, tall lad of seven
teen, was thought to be rather a dull
boy, because it usually took him so
long to learn lesson or grasp a situa-