Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-08-17
CHAPTER II.
"soIdier, Lawyer or schooIteacher7"

80
"SoIdier, Lawyer or SchooIteacher7"
90, studying and working-and
y fighting sometimes-until he was
little johnny 40 more, Johnny
Pershing grew and grew until he out
grew the little village school in La
clede. The little store paid well
enough to warrant the expenditure of
money on Johns education, and a fam
lily conference resulted in the sending
of him to the normal school at Kinks
vile, one of the noted schools In that
part of Missouri. Throughout the
years which he spent there-years of
happiness, with plenty of hard work
at his books and plenty Of outdoor rec
r%eation-the idea of becoming a law
yer persisted in the lads mind. Many
a time he spoke of it to boyhood
friends, and it seemed that he. would
surely become an attorney after pass
ing through the stage through which
so many of our American country bred
lawyers have passed. that of school
teacher.
Mother" said he one day on one of
his visits home from Kirksville, i've
been appointed teacher at Prairie
Mound. l feel as though l ought to do
something now to help dad and you.
So I'm going to teach school and try to
earn enough SO that l can study law.
l did want to be a soldier, but | don't
believe there'll ever be another big
war, and | don't want to be a soldier
all my life unless l can see active
service"
Soldier or not, John was to see a
lively bit of fighting before he had been
a schoolmaster very long.
BILLY" said he one day to one of his
bigger pupils, did you study your
spelling l~esson?' mo, and 1 amt Ago
in to-" was the sullen reply Of the big
boy. The entire class looked up with
sudden, keen interest. Billy had al
lowed" before them all at recess that
day that he was tired of Johnny
Pershing's bullyin'" and he was "go-
In to show him that a teacher isn't
the whole school anyway"
why not?' asked the teacher
quietly.
"'Cause l didn't feel like it." was
Billy's impudent reply.
you'll stay after school and study
it," The words of Judgment came with
a snap from John Pershing's square
jaws.
Wont, neitherl" said Billy. And in
a moment, as the teacher reached for
his collar (this was long before the
days of moral suasion'), there was a
lively mixup in the country school; but,
Of course, the teacher won. and the
thoroughly thrashed and cowed Billy
stayed in.
Next day the school had a visitor.
He was Billy's father, and every hair
In his red side whiskers bristled with
anger as he drove up to the school
From his mouth came a stream of
curses on Johnny Pershing. He'd
show him whether he could lick his
boy or not. In his hand was a big
army revolver. 1t looked pretty sc.
rious for Johnny Pershing. The young
fellow did not scare. In a quiet, even
tone he said to the angry farmer:
"Get off your horse, put up your gun,
take off your coat and fight like G
man.
With all his buster, the man was not
a coward. He accepted Johns invita-
ton, and there was the finest scrap
ever seen in that part of Missouri
John was then only a lad of seventeen
or eighteen, but he whipped the grown
man to a fragile.
John said Mr.. Pershing to his son
one day not long after this fight, "Mr.
Burroughs is going to appoint a young
man from this congressional district to
West Point. You've always had a
sort of idea that you wanted to be a
soldier. Why don't you try for the
appointment
"I1l do it, father" said John. II am
sure 1 can pass the examinations if
Mr.. Burroughs will give me permission
to try. I'll go and see him today"
So "Towhead' Johnny Pershing went
to call on Congressman Burroughs and
obtained his permission to enter the
examination for the great, wonderful
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