Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-03-31
SCHOOL TALES.
Iold By Three School Masters 0
State Fame.
The eIocutionist's Modei-The New Posses
sive Case--The Lost Gun.


and they sat in a department of the
State House telling stories of their ok
periences, not the disagreeabe ones,
but those in lighter vein, for three with
their jovial dispositions cannot always
remember the sober thoughts and trials
that they once experienced, but con-
stantly they remember some of the
events that liven up school life at the
time,1 and make good food for stories
after.
they were all prominent in the
affairs of the State, and they have their
names in print so often that insteai
of liking. they have grown to rather
dislike it, probably because it has
grown to be such an old story, so with
this assurance that they are men whose
names are familiar to all il is perhap
policy-for the writer-to let the real
name go
The country school often furnishes
some Of the best of readers. and some hat
make world wide reputation" said
the first man. Now don't pretend
that one of my scholars made world
wide reputation, but he did the next
thing to it; he helped an elocutionst
win for herself quite a reputation.
This boy was one of the awfules.
readers il was ever my lot to hear. AMI
he had no more regard for the periods
and commas, than the Spanish govern
verse was always sung TO the same
tune.
One time the lady elocutionist was
in the village and She visited my
school. She heard the boy through and
wanted TO hear him again. The result
was that for one of her limitations sha
had that of country school boy reaG-
ing. and | never saw anything acted
out any truer to life than her imitation
Of that boy"
Il once had a class in grammar, and
one of my scholars said bright thing
the second man
Il was one day asking them about
the possessive case, and | thought l
had them all We'll taught on the SUI
ject l asked the duh boy to give me
sentence in which there would be i
noun in the pOssessive case.
The cat has caught a rat said the
boy
II could hardly see where the pos
sessive noun was, and asked him what
it was.
Cat he replied.
How is cat in the possessive case
l asked
why. he answered proudly, hasn't
she had the rat in her possession
Il had to admit that he was right il
a sense, but hardly in the way 1 hal
asked for"
When | was boy in the 'deestrict
StuOol, i W dS OIt vi llpSC SpbIS e,opdS
boys, who never get in trouble, AMI
would sooner die than to do wrong.
In the same school was another boy
who was right the opposite to what
was, and day was seldom known to
pass without well deserved whipping
being administered to John.
Johns father knew of his sons mis-
chievousness, and determined in some
way to put a stop to it. The first
means he tried, was to offer an induce
mene, and if that failed he would take
stricter measures, so he offered John
Gun if he would go through the term
without being whipped The offer wa
alluring, and John determined to win
the gun if. possible, and the first step
he took toward the matter was to ask
me to sit with him. well knowing that
would not whisper or play with MN
and in that way make it easier to nc
complsh his end
II had made arrangements to sit with
another boy, who was much like my
self. but John pleaded so earnestly. and
besides. he offered to let me shoot the
gun half of the time, that | yielded.
Everything went along sWimmingiy
for a few days. and ,'ohn was one ct
the best behaved boys in the school,
much to his teacher $ surprise, hu'
there was an end to his angelic career
Il was sitting one afternoon bending
over my studies. When something
struck me in the side of my head that
made me see stars, and to cry out
John had seen how deeply engrossed
was in my work, AMI could not resist
the temptation of butting my head
with his own.
The teacher saw the act and called
John out into the floor. The scholars
all knew of the prize that John Woul1
lose if he was given a whipping, ana
4. T,tI1-.