The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1917-06-02
In
The lists
BY RICHARD NIENKLEY

dreus diseases. Any boy Of my age
could lick me very easily.
. When I was about eighteen years. old
a feller come round -ivin' boxiu' les
sons. l went to see him give a lesson
! 1t was in a barn-and l was mighty
/ tickled the way he polished of some
O. the big fellers that he was teachin'.
He wasn't big himself, though he was
wtry; there wasn't any knOtty muscles
/ standin' out on his arms and legs; they
was jist good ordinary arms and legs.
AS for length, l reckon he measured
about five feet six in his stOckin's.
1t was all in the way he done it, A
feller who could throw a hundred
pounds O. hay up into a loft on the
end O. pitchfork would make a lunge
at him that if it had hit him square
without gloves would a made jelly of
him. But the little man wasn't there
to be hit. Before the big one could
git back into position he got blow on
the jaw.
I persuaded dad to give me the mon
ey to take boxin' lessons, and after a
dozen lessons / was the best boxer in
the county. What made me stuck on
it was that I was little feller with no
great muscle, and after I'd learned to
box / was cock O. the walk None o.
the big ones who took lessons could
down me. The reason for this was
that was mighty spry, and could
tell by watchin' the other feller's eye
jist what he was goin' to do next.
One day dad says to me, says he:
Josh, you've got a lot Of learnin' in
yer fists. l reckon you'd better git some
in yer head. There's a young woman
opened a schule over to the crossroads;
you better larn sOmethin' about readin',
writin' and 'rithmetic."
/ thort was too old to go to schule,
but when got there found the schol-
ars was mighty mixed There was
scholars all the way from twelve to
twenty-four years Old The schulemarm
was a young thing weighin' about a
hundred pounds and not mOre'n eight
cen years Old The first few days
things went mighty quiet, but after the
novelty wore off some o. the big fellers
begun to get tired O. behavin' their
selves and showed a disposition to do
purity much as they pleased. When
teacher told 'em to stop talkin' to each
other durin' schule hours they'd stop
for awhile, but it wasn't long before
they were at it again.
John Whitaker began ticklin' Sam
Talifer with a feather, Sam sittin' In
the desk in front of John. Teacher
told John to stop. He did, but in a
few minutes begun ag'in. This time
when teacher told him to stop he kept
right on.
l held up my hand, lettin' on want
ed to speak.
what is it, Josh?" asked teacher.
please, teacher, kin John Whitaker
and me take a recess?"
She looked at me, and John looked
at me, and we all understood one an
other.
"If you wish to be excused you may
go out" she said to me-
'HOw about me?" asked John.
"You may be excused toO"
John and l went outside, and as soon
as we got there he says to me, says
he, Reckon you want somep'n O. me-"
And 1 says, says I: Reckon I do. I
want you to agree to behave yourself
in schulz. What d. We mean, a great
hulk like you settin' yourself up agin
a little gal like that?' It's none o
your business" he says. iii make it
my business l says, and before he
knew what had happened he was
sprawlin' on the ground.
He got up and come for me like a
mad bull. But what could he do?
was never where he struck at, and
when l aimed blow at him he was
always there The second punch l
give him was in the nose, and the
blood bothered him. The third was
in his left eye and closed it up. There
wasn't anything tender about him, and
l was obliged to take him under the
jaw with all my might to put him out
O the fight.
While we was at it | caught sight o
the winderS of the schulehOuse. and
they was full o. the scholars. 1 reckon
ed teacher couldn't keep em at their
lessons while there was sOmethin' so
much more interestin' goin' on outside
Some O. the older scholars came out
TO watch the proceedin's and stood
around wonderin' how such a little
shaver could knock about a great hulk
Of a feller jiSt as if he was a bag o
sand. When l tux John under the jaw
l knocked it out O plumb. He got uE
slow, but he didn't come for me ag'in.
Holdin' on to his cheek, he went OF
to doctor to get it put in place ag'in.
The rest Of US went back to our
schule work. Nobody made any dis
turbance. Oncet two fellers started to
whisper, but l jist throwed a glance
their way, and it had the same effect
as if I'd throwed a stone. They stop
ped right away.
When schulz let out teacher she beck
oned me to lag behind. and did She
Euk my hand and squeezed it. but she
didn't say nOthin'. I reckon she feel
so much she couldn't talk
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