The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-03-25

| well refuse. IL was our usual mode OF
work. They felt sure that ] suspected
nothing. and they know that the floor
was safe unless some one pulled the
| rope. SO all three went 10 the board
| and began TO work on their sums. !
| walked up and down the aisle. pointing
out their mistakes, for they were great
blockheads.
For time ] could see that Little
| Web was watching me out OF the cor
ncr OF his eye; but went on explain
! ing interest 10 them and the others
| from where ! stood IN the aisle, till
they had become puzzled with their
computations. Then, turning sudden
| ly, reached for that rope knot and
pulled with all my strength.
The props came away, and about ten
| feet of the floor, there by the black
board. fell With q Grassland the boys
with it. They went out Of sight as If
by magic, and left the whole school
staring, terrified at the chasm.
rushed forward and could see the
upiurned faces Of all three OF them
down in that dark hole. Shamus
sprang 10 the old door that led out, but
found it fast. He and Losen then
leaped up, and catching with their
bands on the edge OF the floor, tried
TO climb out. But ! pushed their
hands off with 10 great gentleness.
you are going 10 stay right there" i
told them. / took down the large
blackboard. ana throwing it over the
hole piled the stove wood upon it..
Then they began battering the old
door with sticks Of wood; and fearing
that they would stave il down, ! ran
out. prOpped il on the outside with
two logs, ana set five Of the younger
boys 10 pile rick Of loose stones
against it.
Then ! sent Mary Ann nome to tell
her father what had happened, and
ask him to ride TO the village OF ".
four miles distant, for the three mem
bcrs Of the school committee.
After that / mounted guard over my
prisoners with stick. | kept my pu-
pills i'm the house. but il was needless
TO say that lessons were a farce that
j
school board and seven or eight Of the
ncighbOrs and parents arrived at about
1890. The end OF the affair, however,
was rather tame, and not at all what
| thought it should be. j stated the
facts TO the committee with vigor, eX-
pccting their sympathy; but from the
outset all three Of them appeared more
solicitOus for the boys down in the
hole than for me.
Better let them out" they said. Let
them out, and then we Will talk it
over"
The blackboard with the load Of
wood was removed, and Loscn, Sha-
mus and Little Web were assisted 10
climb up into the light Of day.
The senior member Of the committee,
dry old village lawyer, questioned
them at length They owned up to
the trap, and ne contemplated the
depth ana darkness of the hole.
Young master he said, dryly, turn
ing TO me. "dO you~~nink ii quite the
proper thing TO pitch-holc three Of your
pupils down into such place as that"
"Wcll. sir said J., lit was their
nccks or mine. l preferred it should
be theirs"
All three committeeman regarded me
with great thoughtfulncss. There
must be sompNtrng schoolmasters, l
suppose" one Of them remarked.
In fact, the wholly pacific. dispas-
"a
very disappointing.
They questioned the other pupils,
particularly Mary Ann. whose account
of the matter fully established the
guilt of the three culprits
You may dismiss school" one of
the board said 10 me at last "The
school agent will have to repair this
large hole in the floor But begin again
tomorrow morning. and see il you
cannot get along with less fireworks
They did take Losen. Shamus and
Little Web aside, however, and give
them a severe rcprimanG
looked for a pitched battle the next
day; but, strange to say, matters quiet
cd down at once. and We went through
the remaining three weeks of the term
rather amicably than otherwise.
On the last day of school Losen. Sha-
mus and Little Web came to shake
hands with me. and Shamus even
blundercd forth something to the ef-
feet that { | would come back the
nc.;t winter they would behave better.
But | never went TO Ararat again
Youths Companion