Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-04-03
April Fool Day at St. Joseph High School

April, the month of showers,
was ushered IN on Wednesday with
the usual number of April fool
jokes. The pupils of the ST. Jo-
seph High School had long since
planned practical joke on the
faculty. 1t was their purpose to
} take French leave of school ut the
recess hour and enjoy II delightful
impromptu picnic far from the
din of the monotonous school
room and the stern eye of the
teacher. Everything for the sue
cessful accomplishment of this
coupe d'tat had been cut and
drledi every detail looked care
fully into and all confidently i've.
lieved that there could not pos
sibly be hitch in the proceed
ings, but, alas! the pupils little
, realized that they were SOON to
learn perhaps their first lesson in
life's disappointments. Would in
deed that 1T could only be their
GREATEST
Unfortunately for the success
of their s6heme the secret was not
sufficiently kept and the faculty
had caught ON To their little game.
When the gong sounded at 8
O'Clock, calling the children to
class, their attention was called
to the black-boards, where, Oh!
horrors, mid-term examinations
were in readinessl Was this the
way they were to spend the day,
i'll the tiresome, brain. racking
routine work afforded by hateful
examinations when such delight
full time on the picnic grounds,
meath sunny skies, aud gentle
zephyrs whispering in the signing
trees, had been SO fondly antici-
pated? And the children looked
ut each other in amusement; their
countenances fell and they WON
dered if their teachers could real
ly be So crnel. The thought of
hasty exit from the school build
ing may have passed like meteor
through the minds of the leaders,
but was instantly dispelled when
a moments observance showed all
avenues closed and exits guarded.
Link by link, ere their suspicion
was even aroused, a strong though
silent and invisible chain had been
carefully woven and drawn about
them by the teachers, and the
pupils could but frankly confess
that they were euchred, their plan
to joke the faculty had turned
tables,-the latter had gone them
one better and they we've as rats
caught in a trap. Their efferves-
cent spirits sunk below par, aud
the weary tasks in hands were re-
luctantly taken up, and n set of
erstwhile happy but now long
faced children underwent after
some form very long and un-
usually hard examination, instead
of playing on the green. green
grass. They were then convinced
that their teachers were but yes
terday school boys and girls them
selves and ON to all the ropes
known to the latter day idea.
They were forced to acknowledge
that they were confronted not by
nightmare hut awful reality, and
in their hearts they swore revenge.
The merciful teachers, however,
after keeping their dear children
OH the racks for several long and
tedious hours, and mindful of the
happy days of their own child
hood, i'm consideration of the hard
mornings work and loss of the
usual recess hour-the time APP
pointed by the children for the
exodus-extended the STUDENT
body the generous and welcome
hand of clemency and gave half
holiday. Several through wound
ed pride preferred accepting no
favors from hard hearted leach
ers who would so cruelty Illustrate
such anticipated pleasure, but
happier counsel prevailed and the
children repaired to their homes
at the noon hour, sadder but wiser
by their days experience and
thoroughly converted to the be-
lief that the Goth century school
teacher is truly a smooth article.
| After night, however, their pent
up spirits were given full vent,
when the entire school body,
armed with COW bells, tim pans,
/ fog horns and everything else cap
able of making noise, called on
their teachers and RECALLED them
! with n terrible. de1fenipg. ear