The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-03-25
THE SCHOOLMASTER
UP A TREE.
MI.
-
W
By c. A. STEPHENS.

|
After while they came out, and go
ing around by the rear, went under
the house. There they remained at
least half an hour. ! could see the
CLEAN Of light and heard them saw
ing.
Afterward they came back indoors
again, and were going back and forth
for at least an hour longer, 50 that al
together ] had long. cold time OF it
up in the hcmlock. But / had deter
mined to remain quiet and examine for
myself what they had done, after they
| left
At last they went away, chuckling;
| and when the sound Of their boots in
the snow had died away ! descended
| from my cold perch. / first went in
! side to the stove and warmed myself,
then proceeded 10 investigate with
! lighted splintcrs.
| In the schOOlrOOm nothing wrong
could be seen; but on going down un-
der the house finally discovered what
| they had done, but not till 1 had
| looked carefully.
From time TO time, as the house grew
old, the schoolroom floor had been
| strengthened and stiffcncd by props.
set up irregularly beneath il. What
| these rogucs had done was 10 saw off
three of the wide floor boards, direct
| ly under where the pupils ana | were
| accustomed TO stand when working at
the blackboard. They had also sawed
off the ends Of three sleepcrs on which
the boards rested. The two end ones,
| however, remained supported by two
how the floor could fall-not till | had
| looked more carefully
Then ] discovered that they had set
| the foot Of each prop on a round stone,
| about as large as mans two fists.
| Some old, dry bOughs had been thrown
against the props, not only concealing
| the round stones, but also Il loop OF
bed cord" rope, attached TO each prop.
This rope extended back into the
dark space behind the wood and UP
among the cobwebs, TO point beneath
| the back seat where LOscn, Shamus
and Little Web sat Here hole had
been bored, and the end of the rope
passed W th~)ugh the floor and Sc
cured by a knot.
The nature of the trap was now fully
| apparent. Those scamps meant to
wait for me TO 80 TO the board, then
| jerk away the props beneath, leaving
the schoolmaster to take sudden drop
Of seven feet and disappear, heels over
head in the gulf below! 1t would then
be a comparative easy matter TO hold
the door-and | should bc out of the
| sChoolhouse and ont of n job.
| When | first perceived the full. fell
intent of the Contrvance, Indignation
fired my soul. Then | began - smile
| inwardly, for fOrCwarnCd is fore
armed.
| Youth is never charitable. At pres
Cnt | certainly should think twice and
many times, before prCcipitatiug Il hu-
man being down such hole ms that.
At eighteen no such compunCtion trou-
blcd me. | was convinced that what
they thought was good enough for me
was good enough for them.
| went home chuCkliug; and over
night l concluded ! could improve on
their effort. The next morning | pro
cured some screws. a gimlet and a
scrcwdriver and toolhox at my board
ing place, and set of Il little earlier
than usual for the sChOolhousc. Or
dnarily ! went at :, for | had the fire
TO build and the room TO put i'm order.
After building fire | brought up
wnat wood thought we might require
for the day. and then screwed up the
old door that led to the basement hole
under the house so solidly that any one
shut in there would have found il
next TO impossible 10 break out.
The pupils came 10y o, and calling the
school 10 order | had them read from
the Testament. according 10 custom
| noticed that l.oSen and Shamus were
watching me covcrtly. but l proceeded
exactly as usual, sending the first class
i'm arithmetic to the board in turn
quite rs If | supposed that everything
: there was all right, then called out the
second class. to which Loseu Shamu,
|
an advanced class They had reached
1 simple interest that week.
: Now, tbis is an important rule"
J said, zone that you ought To master
thoroughly. You will need TO under
e stand interest all through life. Let n
{ try TO make il practical. Suppose yo,
g held my note for S175. dated bacl
r twelve years. 10 1877. What would
| amount to at the present timeY
k They were all three sitting on IN
n front seat. and could not reach In
+. rope, 50 | stepped TO the board an
!, wrote such note. i'm the usual form
@ with names. dates and rate OF Interest
L While writing | saw Loseu stealth
Il back To his own seat, and looked rounC
d rs IL In surprise.
" II only wanted TO get my arithm,
tie said he, and returned 20 the rec
n tation seat.
u ! knew better for he had his book
,f his hand when he came cut to recit,
N | took no notice OF the falsehood how
2. ever. and finished writing the note.
,e Now. Losen. find what that not
re- will amount 60 at six per cent. simpl
Sc interest in seven years. six month
III and twentyfour days" | said. AN
W you. Shamus. tell us what | woul
have TO pay you in ten years. An,
rs Webster. you find what it will amour
ne TO in twelve years. There is room {,