The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-05-02

town that afternoon and there was no
one in the farm house.
Leading the mule forward until it
stood in front of the teachers little
table, 81 called out to Jerry Dunn:
say, jerry, you come and hold this
royal charger while l assist our young
friend to mount, SEEM that he will
probably decline to mount the beast OF
his own accord"
Jerry came forward with a grin on
ms face, and when he had taken the
halter in his hand, ST whipped off his
coat and said
Now my friend, you are goin to
mount this royal steed whether you
viii or no. And before you do so yoI
might as well take a fond adieu of
your beloved scholars, for 1 can tell
you that this is your last day as their
dear teacher"
He said this with leer and stepped
on the platform to lay hands on the
teacher. To his amazement and to the
surprise of the whole school, Mr. But
Ter stepped forward, drew back his
right arm and planted a blow squarely
between the eyes of Silas who gave a
yell of rage and pain as he staggered
back directly behind the mule. Then
there was a still louder yell from Silas,
for the old mule suddenly let one bony
hind leg fly out and ST went reeling
to the wall of the school room, where
he fell in heap, crying out:
"Oo-oh! He's killed me! He's
killed me! O-o-oh, my leg, my leg!"
The teacher was on his knees by the
side of 81 in an instant. Every trace
of anger and resentment was gone
from his voice as ne said:
I'm sorry, Silas! Are you badly
hurt?"
Suddenly there was a yell of pain
from some one else who had also been
hurt. Fright\1ed by the yels of ST and
rebelling against the entire situation,
the mule had suddenly caught Jerry
Dunn's arm between its big, yellow
teeth, and had bitten him until Jerry
dropped the bride and began to howl
with pain. The mule, now free from
restraint, would probably have made
sorry work in the school room had not
the teacher suddenly jumped to his feet
and caught the animal by the bride
and called:
Whoa"
There was something in his voice that
compelled obedience, and the mule stood
quietly as the teacher stroked him
gently for a moment, and then led him
to the door and turned him loose into
the barn yard Then Mr.. Butler gave
his attention to Slas. who was still
lying on the floor writhing in pain. as
we'll he might, for after hurried ex-
animation the teacher said:
We'll. Silas, I fear that it is you in
stead of l who will have to say good
bye to the school for while, at least,
for your leg is broken and 1 fear that
it is very bad fracture Well get
you home as soon as we can and one of
the boys must go for doctor Let me
see what has been done for you, Jerry"
Jerry had dropped into a seat, grasp
ing his arm and winching with pain.
There were holes in his sleeve caused
by the sharp teeth of the mule. When
he had taken off his coat it was seen
that his shirt sleeve was soaked with
blood, and the teacher feared for a
time that the teeth of the mule had
fractured the bone of the arm, but this
did not prove to be the case.
You'll have a lame arm for long
time, jerry said the teacher, "and I
advise you to go home at once and
have. your arm attended to. l shall
have all 1 can do looking after Silas.
He must be taken home at once. School
is dismissed for the rest of the day"
Mr.. Butler, assisted by some of the
subdued chums, hitched one
of Avery Sharp's horses to a wagon,
the bed of which they filled with hay.
They lifted ST into the wagon and Mr..
Butler himself took the reins and drove
to the home of Sis father. 1t was after
dark before the doctor arrived from the
town four miles distant, and it was
nearly midnight before the teacher got
away from the Barton farm. He went
to see ST nearly every day, and long
before the injured boy was on his feet
again he had become, one of Mr.. But
ler's firmest friends.
There was peace and harmony in the
school from the day of the advent of
i'the new scholar as some of the chill
dren laughingly called the old mule.
The fearful bite he had received and
the unexpected exhibition of grit" and
on the part of the teacher, had
so subdued the cowardly Jerry that he
was as tractable as any 5-year-old boy
in the school; and with Jerry and Silas
both under subsection the teacher had
nothing at all to fear from any of the
3ther pupils.
The remainder of the term was one of
he most delightful in the history of the
district, and when a handsome new
school house was built the next sum-
ner it was the unanimous vote of the
school that Mr.. Butler should be the
.eacher He accepted the position and
never before had Happy Hollow been
'uch an appropriate name for the
Burton, in American
Boy.