Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-10-30


that frostyMonday morning when he
"took up school" in the little brick
schoolhouse on the creast of hill un-
der cluster of silver naples.
There were about thirty five 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. 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-andwhite uncollared
dog of mongrel origin came sneaking
in, rs if we'll aware of the fact that he
was an interloper. He was skulking
froward, casting furtive glances
around him, when Jahez Jordon called
out, in harsh, high pitched voice:
"Whose dog is that?"
Dan Roby, q boy of fifteen, replied:
"He is my dog, sir"
"Well, put him out! Don't you
know better than to bring dog to
school?"
81 didn't intend to bring him. He
followed me of his own accord, and 1
couldn't drive him back. Come,
Tiger"
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 aud girls laughed, whereupon
Jabez Jordon struck his desk with his
fist and said, sternly: "Silencel"
The effect was instantaneous. A
pin could have been heard to drop.
Tige, in the meantime, was scratch
ing on the closed door and whining
for admittance. 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 fiercely.
''What did you go and let that dog
IN for?" he demanded of Dora Har-
vey, 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.
'I-I didn't mean to let him in,
sir. He pushed in ahead of me when
I opened the door," said Dora.
"If you'd been here on time, it
wouldn't have happened" said Jabez.
Then he turned to Dan.
+ in @nIr l. -,
nome!" he shouted. "This isn't q
school for dogs!"
Tige was even more unwilling than
before to go out, and when Dan ap-
proacRed, 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, there
by 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
pail having dropped down around his
neck. In his frantic writings, he
overturned small wooden bench on
which Tommy Dodge and "Henny'
Pope sat, and they suddenly lay wall
ing 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 CEN
tire of the room. Dan dragged him
out by the tail, and they went homo
together, neither boy nor dog return
ing that day.
This incident did not leave a very
favorable impression of Mr.. Jordon in
the minds of his pupils. His pre-
decessor, Mr.. Haskins, had been q
gentle-spirited and kindly man, and
some of the pupils remembered that
once, when Tige had followed Dan in
to the schoolroom when Mr.. Haskins
was teacher of the school, he had said
gently, 81 must ask you to take your
dog out, Dan, he attracts so much at
tention, and Mr.. Haskins had allowed
the children to laugh unrebuked, and
had himself laughed over Dams al
most unayailing efforts to remove
Tige.
The pupils of the Silver Maple
School speedily discovered that sense
of humor did not form any part of Mr..
Jordon's mental makeup, and that he
was an unnecessarily and unreasona-
bly, harsh man, with no sympathy for
childhood and no disposition to con-
cede any thing to its trral tenden.