Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-12-14
MATTERS OF LOCAL INTEREST

P"it!eS. cuCe more the school pro-
eeeded without ripple
The plot began to thicken The
nold, bad gang began to think it had
struck an easy mark. The teacher was
evidently afraid. very much afraid OF.
he would never have allowed two such
breaks as these to pass unnoticed He
was putting on pretty bold front but
ms pluH was no good. So the next day
the oattle opened in earnest. Both
sloes mad chosen positions to their lik-
ing and everything was ready
For the third time seven scholars
were missing. The others had re-
manned Neutral and We're willing to be
SlnlpiS witnesses to the battle. 4
about the same time the seven cam
tronping In. The grins on their faces
had three days growth and the APP
parent unwillingness of the enemy had
Increased their courage nightly. I:i1
they did not take tiici. seats unnGticed
Iii>, time. The teacher WAS waiting for
them when they opened the door &nd
got the advantage of the start. With Il
roar like fog horn he ordered them
To line up on the straightesl crack on
the floor. The change of front was $ J,
'tuo' Il lASt tIt SduS WIS llttoN II
its guard and before it thought of Re
sisting was lined UP like raw recruits
Tor their first drill. The battle was
Won right there. With his back to the
wall to prevent any flank movement
the teacher selected his Victims at his
leisure and applied Il stout white oak
pointer where it could do the most
good. The grins that had been grow
ing for three days shrunk to nothing in
about two minutes. Streams of living
water followed the pointer and a very
penitcnt. subdued. bedraSgled seven
took their seats.
There We're no more skating parties
and no more trouble in that school. 1t
vas a hunlliating defeat and the gang
devoted the remainder of the term to
making peace on as favorable terms as
possible.
\ knowledge of boxing obtained in
The Colby gym" won 4 battle with a,
tough school for a Colby man much
more easily than. the one just related.
He had inherited from his smother. "a
llnack for school teaching and tough
schools was his especial prize as there
was more money in them. He had
conquered several during his college
course and had made quite a reputa-
ton in this line. So one winter he re
ceived an invitation TO go to one of the
little towns and teach the winter
term. The schoo! had a great reputa-
ton for toughness and his liking for
this quality preceded him so that he
anticipated bit of pretty strenuous
7 lite.
But the school. true to its kind, was
very quiet for some time. The teach
er, however, after the first few weeks
noticed that the boys of the school al
ways disappeared suddenly at recess,
although they never failed to turn up
again when the bell rang. Mistrusting
some kind OF mischief the teacher in
vestigated and found that the attrac-
tior was set OF boxing gloves in an
old barn within a small stones throw
Of the schOOlhouse. So one day ne
walked in to watch the sport. TWO ol
his largest scholars We're having Rt
that would shame any Maine priz.
fight that ever happened. There WASH
mach science but there was heap ol
sand in the contest and it was about
as hot as the participants could make
it.
The sight of his favorte spo-
Wa1med th.. blood of the teacher ant
IL. was soon cheering them on as Ell
usiastically as any one in the barn
TL.r, was so much fun that the Del
: rang 10 minutes later than usual tina
noon. But it was not according L
Hoyl.. that the teacher should be only
spectator and not furnish some I"
the sport himself. so after the boy'
got accustomed to his presence Will
.h.m they urged him to put on tn
gloves.
The Colby man was one of those oe
certiye athletes. He looked as II .
good fresh breeze would break him II
TWO but when YOU got hold Of him n
WAS like a steel trap. He was tall am
slim and listless, but wake him up ant
YOU had something on your hands tina
needed careful treatment.
So the boys marked him for a victim
They selected the biggest and strong
. est of their number and managed t'
coax the gloves onto the slim. white
hands Of the teacher They can Still
tell YOU all about what followed uo"i
IN, re- in that little town. A few tap
on the nose put the teacher out o
sight and he was then only the poxer
He forgot that he was not back IN IN
old Colby gym with his roommate
and companion on the Varsity batter!
ir front of him. The big fellow hat
sand enough and he kept coming unit
.bere was no come in him. He wa
used pretty easy but he realized ina
H.. was up against the real thins
When it was over there was about =
"a ar,oad more respect in the old bari
for the teacher than there had been be
fore That was the beginning. Whel
school closed the boxing gloves wer
pretty we'll battered but the boys kne'
more about the noble art OF seil oe
2 tense than they had ever dreamed ex
D isted and their teacher was Just TN
I hes, fellow that ever wore out sho
: leather. Another tough school h;'
( been conquered.