The Afro-American advance. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1899-19??, 1899-07-29
Dan Roby's Tige
BY J. Z. Harbour.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
lXIIHosE dog is that ?n


wv These were the first words the
pupils of the Silver Maple school heard
Jabez Jordon, the new teacher, speak.
He had nodded unsmilingly toward sew
eral of the boys and girls who had
reached the schoolhouse before him
that frosty October Monday morning
when he took up school" in the little
brick schoolhouse ON the crest of a hill
under cluster of silver naples.
There were about IS boys and girls
of from five to eighteen years of age in
the schoolhouse yard when, at nine
o'clock Jabez Jordon came to the door
and rang a hand-bell with great vigor
1t seemed to some of the larger boys
and girls that the notes of the bell
sounded like slogan of defiance.
They had filed into the house rather
soberly, and were taking their seats,
when yellow-and-white uncollared
dog of mongrel origin came sneaking
in, as if well aware of the fact that he
was an interloper. He was skulking
forward, casting furtive glances around
him. when Jabez Jordon called out, in
harsh, high-pitched voice:
Whose dog is that?''
Dan Roby, a boy of Is, replied: ''He
is my dog, sir"
well, put him out! Don't you know
better than to bring dog to SCHOOL,"
II didn't intend to bring him. He
followed me of his own accord. and
/ couldn't drive him back. Come, Tige!"
Tige refused to go, and Dan had to
grasp him by the hind legs and drag
him toward the door amid dolorous
whining and yelping. Some of the boys
and girls laughed, whereupon Jabez
Jordon struck his desk with his fist and
said, sternly:
"Slence!"
The effect was instantaneous. A pin
could have been heard to drop. Tige,
in the meantime, was scratching on the
closed door and whining for admit
lance. Five minutes later Dora Harvey,
tardy conner, opened the door TO enter
the room, and Tige darted in ahead of
her, wagging his tail joyfully.
Jabez Jordon scowled fiecely.
"Whas did you go and let that dog in
for?" his demanded of Dora Harvey,
who was one of the gentlest and best
girls in the district. The smile on her
face gave place TO a look of combined
fright aid amaZement.
II didn't mean to let him in, sir.
He pushed in ahead of me when
opened the door," said Dora.
IF you'd been here on time it
wouldn't nave happened" said Jabez.
Then he rurned TO Dan.
Drag him out again and take him
home!" he shouted. This isn't a
school for dogs!"
Tige was even more unwilling than
before TO go out, and when Dan APP
preached, ran up and down the aisles.
trying to evade capture. In his fight
Tige overturned the small wooden box
on which the WATERFALL stood, thereby
drenching himself from head to foot |
with icy water. More laughable still, |
he caught the descending pail on his |
head, and could not get it off, the bail |
having dropped down around his neck |
In his frantic writings, he overturned |
a small wooden bench on which Tommy |
Dodge and "Henny" Pope sat, and they |
suddenly lay wailing on their backs in |
pool of water.
Get that beast out of here!" fairly |
roared Jabez, striding down from the |
platform toward Tige, who suddenly |
extricated himself from the pail and |
took refuge under the stove in the |
center of the room. Dan dragged him |
out by the tail, and they went home
together, neither boy nor dog returning |
that day.
This incident did not leave very |
favorable impression of Mr.. Jordon in |
the minds of his pupils. His predeces-
sor, Mr.. Haskins, had been "a gentle
spirited and kindly man, and some of |
the pupils remembered that once, when /
Tige shad followed Dan into the school
room when Mr.. Haskins was teacher Of /
the school, Ire had said gently: Il must
ask you to take your dog out, Dan,
he attracts SO much attention. and |
Mr.. Haskins had allowed the children /
10 laugh unrebuked, and had himself
laughed over Dams almost unavaiIing /
efforts TO remove Tige.
The pupils of the Silver Maple school
speedily discovered that a sense Of hui
NOR did not form any part Of Mr.. Jor-
don's mental makeup and that he was
an unnecessarily and unreasonably
harsh man, with no sympathy for child
hood and no disposition to eoneede any
thing to its natural tendencies. The
pupils were too obedient for even a |
harsh and tyrannical man like Jabez
Jordon to find many excuses for using
the long birch rod he kept on his desk;
but when the rod was used, it was with
brutal force and cruel effect.
Mr.. Jabez Jordon was extremely vain
OF his personal appearance. lie dressed
well and with great care He even kept
small ha-d-mirror In his desk. and
although he assumed that its purpose
vas TO make pupils who came to SCHOOL
with dirty faces look AZ themselves, II
was certain that al recess be would ait |
with the mirror in ore hand and
foc 2ef-eomb in the other. and "a the
soys expressed IL. ''fu8s with his hair
This hair of his Was noticeable for its
uaat abundance and glosxinexs IL vsma