Middletown transcript., 1911-09-02

0u JO61 E0GerS DIS GuEu Ol bHe
road brought the district school
in sight.
Not very, said Susie Conover,
frankly though I confess that
the thought of Tommy Belding
rather alarms me. One boy like
that in a school can upset the
discipline Of the entire body and
1 have heard nothing but Tommy
Belding since I arrived.
He's a limb O. Satan, agreed
Peters, cheeringly. ] was going
to have a man teacher this year,
but you begged SO hard for the
place that-well you can't say
I didn't tell you before you took
the job, he reminded as ne
cramped the wheels to let the
girl climb out of the buggy.
You'll have to do the best you
can and remember there's a
state law against whipping IN
the schools.
The school committeeman
touched his horse with the whip
and the speedy mare vanished in
a cloud Of dust, while Miss
Conover went in with a show OF
sternness to ring the bell that
should call the first session OF
the fall term.
Carberry school had gained
an unenviable reputation among
pedagogues. Following the ez-
posure of a scandal in a large
city school an alert legislator
had passed a law against punish
ment of any sort in the public
schools with the exceptions OF
the imposition of extra tasks and
keeping unruly pupils in their
seats after the regular dismissal
time. It was argued that pun
ishment would be administered
at home when needful, but the
lawgivers had argued without
Mrs. Bedding.
Left a widow with an only son,
she had made an idol of the boy.
She had declared that he should
never be humiliated by being
punished and contented herself
with moral suasion-an exceed
ingly insufficient means of con-
troll when even scolding stopped
at the first sign of tears-and
Tommy could cry with a prompt
ness and ability born of long.
practice.
Icould not bear to see tears
in eyes SO like his fathers, ex-
planned the doting mother and,
as Peters puts il, Tommy worked
his eyes for all they were worth.
Extra lessons and staying in
after school had no terrors for
Tommy. He fatty refused to
learn his lessons and few teachers
kept him in more than once.
AS a result Tommy's influence
was ALI for evil and the Carberry
school had from three to five
teachers a term. Joel Peters,
who was chairman Of the school
committee, had grown weary OF
looking for new instructors and
had started to town for the pur-
pose of engaging some quick
tempered man as teacher who
might forget state laws in his
passion and spank first, think
ing afterward. Susie Conover
had pleaded SO hard for chance
that he had abandoned his hope
of revenge temporarily and had
given her the position with the
assurance that she could not
last a term out.
It was a very tremulous
teacher who stood on the plat
form watching the pupils file in,
but she did not betray her
nervousness to the class and to
her surprise she soon had things
in order. By four o'clock the
school was organized for the
term.
Peters was waiting to drive
her home and he regarded her
curiously as she came smilingly
down the path.
Get through without being
killed? he demanded with
chuckle as he helped her into
the buggy.
I think that Tommy Belding
has been sadly slandered, de-
clared Susie with warmth. He
was the best boy of the entire
school.
You'd better knock wood,
advised Peters, sagely. Mebbe
he was good today, but the
devilment's there and it's natur.
ally bound to come out.
The ominous warning dashed
Susie's confidence, but the days