The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-23

There was once a wretched little
implanted school house that stood In a
sand-bank all summeE and a>snow-
bank all winter. waiting for strong
north wind to bi@w it over.
Say, what will YOU sell that school
house fur?' asked q traveller Of al lit
tie boy who stood on one foot on the
rickety doorstep.
For a bunch of matches answered
the little hoy as quick as thought. The
man laughed and rode on.
The hoy was kimball Price, the
rogue Of the town of Skoodac, Dis
tFiCt Number Three, and the trYpa-
thence of all his teachers He was q
handsome lad, ten years old. l do
not mean he was always ten, but that
was his age when Miss Pentecost
whipped him and that Is where our
story begins
Now Miss PenteCost taught the
school that summer at District Num-
Der Three She liked KIM everybody
liked him; but that was no reason why
he should he allowed to tie the girls
by the hair-they wore long braids in
those days-~or fire paper balls or eat
choke cherries, or stick pins in the
benches to make the a, b, c scholars
cry. "Oi" when they were not saying
their letters. Miss Pentecost never
winked at naushtiness. and. as whip
pings were fashionable at that period.
she whipped Kim regularly three
times a week. 1t was considered the
most direct way of reaching the con-
science.
But Kim never could remember n
whipping more than a day and half.
or at the longest three days; and Miss
PenteCost began TO grow discouraged.
Must X "a Iva doing mis-
chief and neglecting his lessons. a boy
who could learn so well if he chose .
She knew his mother, a poor widow
with large family of children. and
she was sure Mrs Price could not
afford to send Kim to school merely to
play,
What can I say or do to make an
impression ON that chiId?" thought
Miss Pentecost one day as she tied the
strings of her Bingham log Ca bin"
under hcr chin ana stepped out Of the
school house
Just then she caught these words
spoken by Kim with great energy, and
a flourish Of fists: Tell you it's true.
Bob Whiting, for mother said so; and.
If mother says it's so, it's so, If It
amt So"
Miss Pentecost laughed oil to her
self and passed on through the sand
bank into the dusty road. When sho
had gone as far as the big willow, she
paused a little and laughed again.
Il like to hear a boy talk about
his mother. even if II is nonsense. Kim
is an affectlonate little fellow, and I
shouldn't wonder if he is a pretty
good son. Anyway, / have nidea, and
I mean to try it, and see how it
viii work"
Next day was the time for one of
kms regular whippings. He had
been more trying than usual. and
Miss pentecost sent Bob Whiting out
for "A remarkably strong birch stick,
which could express her feelings bet
ter than the old one. which stood in
the corner. She spent some time in
trimming the new twig, though she
was careful to leave a few knots on
il. which would give emphasis TO the
blows
Il think never saw better birch
stick" said she looking at II admir-
ingiy. Now. Kimball, you may take
off your jacket"
He was so used to taking ii off that
ne always kept half the buttons un-
fastened to save time. Miss Pente-
cost gave him an unusually hard
whipping, and after II he cried till he
could hardly see out of his eyes. He
thought that was enough and 1t was