Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-13
skeeles and Jonas in Close Quarters.


the licking I'm going to give you as near
IKE man as you can.
Skeeles and Jonas in Close Quarters.
Jonas was still pretty well dazed and
somewhat frightened besides. but the teach
ers words We're SO coolly insulting, as they
were meant to be, that the younger man
completely lost control of himself and
sprang madly at the teachers throat. TO
those of us who Were in the school room
the two men were not very uneveniy
matched Jonas was quite as tall Skeeles
ana almost as heavy, and we thought that
because he was younger he would make up
In qu1ckness for whatever he lacked IN
weight. We DIDN'T think that all out just
then, of course; we were too busy watching
to think at all, but we had thought ana
talked 1t out along that line every day since
the first day Of the term, and we certainly
looked for lively battle, with the odds
not far from even. and, If anything, in IA
vor Of Jonas.
What happened was fully as lively as
we expected. but not bit like what we
looked for. Jonas rush for Skeeles throat
was of no consequence whatever; he never
got within graphing distance at all. For,
with the same quickness he had shown in
getting the 'blacksnake' out of his desk
Skeeles shot his right arm out and into
/ Jonas face. Jonas stiffened as if he'd re-
ceived an electric shock. and, knocked clear
off the floor, his body described a beautiful
parabollc curve through the atmosphere
and landed in heap by the stove, at least
half way across that part of the school
room floor in front of the desks
"Skeeles looked a little anxious at first,
for he had hit Jonas harder than he in
tended, but Jonas scrambled quickly to his
feet, and, though rather logey, started to
make another rush toward the teacher
But the look on the older mans face was
too serious for even Jonas, crazy with rage
as he was. to disregard, and he stopped.
Jonas said Skeeles, L don't want to
knock you down again, but I shall if you
make it necessary. You'd better stand I'D
and take your licking.
TO the unbounded amazement of all US
boys, that's exactly what Jonas did. At
least, he stood up ready to take it. but
when Skeeles saw the boy was already con-
quered he put the whip away, drove all the
rest OF US out OF the room and sat down to
talk things over with Jonas.
Years afterward Jonas told me that
Skeeles told him he would give him lick
ing yet unless he would promise to attend
school faithfully to the end of the term.
:" 1 want to put you through Greenleaf
Jonas said Skeeles and you want to go
through. This will be your last winter in
root or the rule of three. Promise to come
steadily and finish the arithmetic, and the
licking will be indefinitely postponed. Other
wise he added with grim humor, we will
resume our exercises right now
Old Bill Skeeles' Blacksnake Whip.
Jonas promised, as he had to, and kept
his word. 1t made of him, as he told
me himself last year, when 1 met him in
London with his wife-she that was Mari
eta Stevens-and their oldest daughter
But you're mistaken If you suppose
Skeeles had no further trouble with that
school. He had plenty of it. 1t took him
about two weeks to get the rest of us in
order. You see. we didn't know the reason
Jonas didn't get his licking, for neither
Jonas nor the teacher told. anybody then,
and several Of us were foolish enough to
think 1t was because old Bill Skeeles had
weakened.
81 made bluff at being funny myself the
very next day, having taken the precaution
to stuff my clothing where l thought it
would do the most good. 1t was then that
| found out a little about SkeeleS' ingenuity
For, instead of whipping me in the con-
ventional place, he larrupped me with his
blackSnake about the calves of my legs
where 1 hadn't and couldn't protect myself
at all. Now want to say to you that the
big blacksnake whip that old Bill Skeeles
kept in his desk was better remedy for a
schoolboys foolishness than anything of
which l ever had personal knowledge.
AT least, half dozen besides myself had
to learn from personal experience how ex-
pert Skeeles was in handling that whip.
Every day for about a week one good, solid
blacksnake licking was administered to
some one big boy, who had to learn his
lesson all by himself, but by the time the
round of the biggest among US had had his
medicine, the work was complete.
There was no more disorder in that
school that winter, and once were
'pacifled, old Bill Skeeles proved to be a
very successful teacher He wasn't deeply
read, his English was eccentric-for in
stance, he pronounced column as if it We're
spelled 'collyum'-but he took us all
through all our books and he taught us
all to apply our minds to our studies and
to think straight
And as the man who has learned to think
straight and apply himself is already pretty
well educated, believe I'm right in saying
old Bill Skeeles was good teacher"