The Forrest City times., 1899-07-21
Dan Roby's 'Tige By J. l.. Barbour.
SSITHOSE dog is that?"


 jabez Jordon, the new teacher, speak. He had nodded unsmilingly toward sev- .cral 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 hill under a cluster of silver naples. There were about 35 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 hand-bell with great vigor. It 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 a yellow-and-white uncollared dog of mongrel origin came sneaking in. as if we'll 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, boy of 15, replied: "He is my dog, sir"
 Well, put him out. Don't you know better than to bring dog to school?'
 T didn't intend to bring him. He followed me of his own accord, and 1 couldn't drive him back. Come, Tigei" 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 ant, 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 tance. Five minutes later Dora Harvey, a tardy conner, opened the door to enter the room, and Tige darted in ahead of her. wagging his tail joyfully.
 Jabez Jordon scowled fiecely.
 "What did you go and let that dog in for?" he demanded of Dora Harvey, who was one of the gentlest and best girls in the district. The smile on her face gave place to look of combined fright and amazement.
 Fl 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 have happened said Jabez. Then he turned to Dan.
 Drag him out again and take him bome!" he shouted. This isn't a school for dogs!"
 Tige was even more unwilling than before to go out, and when Dan ap- preached, ran up and down the aisles, trying to evade capture. In his flight Tige overturned the small wooden box on which the water-pail 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 is off, the bail having dropped down around his neck. In his frantic writhings, he overturned a small wooden bench on which Tommy Dodge and "Henny" Pope sat, and they suddenly lay wailipg 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 a very favorable impression of Mir. Jordon in the minds of his pupils. His predeces- sor, Mir. Haskins, had been a gentle spirited and kindly man, and some of the pupils remembered that once, when Tige had followed Dan into the school room when MT. Haskins was teacher of the school, he had said gently: Il must ask you to take your dog out, Dan, he attracts so much attention, and Mir. Haskins had allowed the children to laugh unrebuked, and had himself laughed over Dams almost unavailing efforts to remove Tige.
 The pupils of the Silver Maple school speedily discovered that a sense of hu- nor did not form any part of MT. 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 concede 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 or'using the long birch rod he kept on his desk; but when the rod was used, it was with brutal force and cruel effect.
 Mir. Jabez Jordon was extremely vain of his personal appearance. He dressed we'll and with great care. He even kept small hand-mirror in his desk, ana although he assumed that its purpose Was to make pupils who came to school with dirty faces look at themselves, It was certain that at recess he would sit with the mirror in one hand and pocket-eomb in the other, and as the boys expressed it, fuss with his hair. This hair of his was noticeable for it's great abundance and glossiness. ltwas