New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1903-02-11
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W eyes. 90 49, :
You chaps can go and be
taught by a burgher if you like, but
not me" 8
won't your father lick you, Wat?''
"Shut up! He's got no father, and
his mother never icks him.
Wat walked off, with his nose in the
air, and just around the corner he ran
squarely into the schoolmaster who
was to take the place temporarily Of
the regular teacher, who had broken
his leg. Wat shifted impudently and
would have walked past, but Jan de
Jough put out a hand to stop him-put
it out with diffidence, hesitatingly, al
most as an inferior might do.
sit is time for school, Master
ThOms," said he. .@
81 am not going to school today"
"And tomorrow
'Not tomorrow"
MAY know why ?''
Wat looked to one side and another,
rather abashed. and then insolently at
the young SchOOlmaSter.
"White men," said he, should not
be taught by-by black men,"
He ran away and did not see the
flush of anger and sorrow that red.
dened De Jough's olive cheeks. The
schoolmaster looked after him for a
second and then slowly proceeded to
open the school.
This happened in Natal, where are
many men of different races-English,
Dutch descendants, Portuguese, Ma
lays, descendants of the soolies
brought in old times from the East In
dies as plantation workers, and KAT
frs. So, there are many social ranks
and grades. Wat was an English boy,
brought out to the colony when baby,
and as the English rank highest in the
country and never would think of
mingling intimately with the other
races Wat, being only twelve years
old, had a rather exaggerated idea of
his own and his peoples worth.
Jan de Jough was not black man,
though his skin was dark, like most
Italians. He was the descendant of
Dutch and Portuguese ancestors, who
long, long ago had owned the country
| before the Englishmen took it as the
| spoil of war. just as America today
has come into possession Of the Phil
ippines.
Mr.. de- JOugh was dOwnhearted.
| Most of the boys were of English par
entage, and if Wat. their leader. re-
belled he foresaw a falling off in at
tendance and the consequent loss of
| his first position, his first stepping
stone. He was right. The boys, small
as they were. were impudent and un-
ruly, and Jan dismissed the school de
spondently.
Meantime Wat, for sufficient reason
did not go straight home. He doubted
! his reception by his mother might not
be altogether cordial and appreciative
1t was hot, as it usually is on the coast
Of the Indian ocean. One advantage
the heat brings to the boys is that one
can go swimming any day almost al
the year round. Wat. wandering along
by the surf, soon felt the sun Cypress
i've, and when he came to GOV
which he and his chums knew well a!
a swimming place where the surf die
not break too violently he naturall.
came to the conclusion that bat]
would be good thing to break tn
lonely monotony of the morning. II
was, like most boys in warm countries
a first rate swimmer. and he had NJ
hesitation in plunging into the hug
Indian ocean even when quite alone.
He left his clothes on the beach nea
some rocks without fear of pilferin
wanderers. for the cove was some dis
lance from the town and a spot wher
few ever wandered. He ran in with
dash, paused to catch an incomin
breaker just at the right moment be
fore it broke, dived beneath it's cres
swan vigorously under water for
minute and came up putting and blow
ing on the glorious swell Of the wave;
with the sun glowing down upon hir
in warm hearted approval
Wat turned on his back and let hin
= self be rocked luxuriously. One me-
ment he would be lifted up SO that b
could look far out to sea or inland a
the vast extent of greenery, and TIL
, next he was down in a great hollow
with nothing before his eyes but til
cloudless blue above and the glass
waters reaching up at his sides lik
precipitous mountains.
"Poof-oof- ow!'' cried the boy 9TH
is better than d stufy schoolroom, wit
a low burgher making you study tn
idiotic history of the country. He ha
d a cheek to think he could teach Ems
fish boys. wish he was here, and r
e teach him to swim. Wouldn't due
t him? Oh. no! Certainly not!''
. He was like a fish. He reyeled an
! played in the sea like one of it's ow
, inha bitants. A home bred boy of q
D colder climate. used to one or tw
: months swimming in the summer hol
+ days, would not have believed
j twelve-year-old youngster could be S
. much at ease on the breast of the fail
e omless ocean. Wat struck out to dee
= err water with a bold. swift side strok
: and soon was standing, monarch Of a
e he surveyed. on a great black roc