BEATEN.

Manawatu Herald, 21 April 1898, Page 4

BEATEN.

A. "Teacher Who Was an Eye Opener to the Wholo Town. "You don't want to brag too heavy 'bout your muscles, my boys," said Uncle Lislia Todd to a group who wero testing their strength in front of his store. "You can't tell nothin 'bout what a man's made of from bis talk, no more'n yor can tell from a catamount's haowl how much damage he'll do." The boys did not gainsay the truth of this assertion, and the old man continued: "Now, Lem Cole, he was given to thinkin uncommon high of Lem Cole's Btrongtli till ho learned himself more thorough." The boys dropped down upon the steps in happy expectancy, for they knew a story was coming. "There was a schoolmaster come here a good spell back to teach up there to that little red institution of learnin in the holler. He were a mild, slim, hungry lookin chap, an when ho landed off from the stagecoach Lem sighted him an decided ter 'tend the fall term. He 'lowed ter the boys he could pick up the master and snap him between his thumb an finger, same's you would a little green snake in the spring. "Well, it come commencin day, an the teacher called 'em ter order an made a little gentle speech to 'em 'fore he begun. Then he up an asked Lem, bein he was the oldest an biggest, where they left off in figure's in the spring. "Lem, he got up kinder slow an says, 'Wo were a-studyin subtraction of fractions, an our teacher, bein only jest a •tttle. small part of a man, we subtracted : :■ 1 outeu the winder. There was au.'.r u ' one ter carry, an I guess we'll go n. vi: from there,' an go sayin he up a.. picked up tho schoolmaster an started fur the winder. • "Now, the master bed college learnin, an ho fit scientific, an 'fore Lem knoweii it ha \va3 in the woodbox au the cowr ehet down. There was ei-aekrt enoagh ter keep 'im from smotherin, an the teacher kep' him there three hours. ' 'After the scholars hed gone he opened the lid, an says he, 'Are you sure 'twas subtraction? 1 And Lem no auswered up mighty perlite an says, 'Coino ter think it over, I guess 'twas partial payment, an you'vo begun all right. 1 "An after that he were the stidiest boy in the whole school. He never boasted no more on himself, Lem didn't, and that ' teacher he were jest a c3 r eopener ter the whole town."— Youth's Companion.