Away back in the fifties, when there was but few railroads in the
Northwest, I went by stage from LaCrosse to Portage City, Wis. It
was during the winter season, and a bitter cold day. I came very
near to freezing on the road, but I expected to make money, and I
guess that was what saved me. I had a keno outfit with me, and it
was my intention to play the surrounding towns after the manner of
a traveling show. The first thing to be done after my arrival was
to get thawed out, then to see the Mayor and get his permission
(or license) to advertise and run my game. I called upon his Honor
and stated my business. He did not know much about keno, so I
explained the little innocent game to him. The result was, I got
authority to open my game. I secured a room that had been used as
a school-room, and advertised that I would open the next night,
and in a short time after the door was opened the room was full of
pupils. Some of them had never been to such a school, so I had to
teach them the first principles; but it did not take me very long,
as all those that had taken lessons rendered me all the assistance
in their power, and I was very thankful for it, as I was anxious
to get to work. After distributing the books, I began to call the
numbers, and I must say I never saw a more quiet and attentive set
of pupils in a school-room. We were getting along so nicely that
I began to think it a pleasure to teach such nice boys, when a
great big, rough-looking fellow came in, stalked all around the
school-room, and made so much noise that I had to call some of the
numbers over again. Some of the boys told him to sit down, take
a book and study his lesson, but he would not do it. I saw he was
a bad boy, and would not let the other boys alone; so I spoke to
him very kindly, telling him to sit down, and see if he could not
learn something; but he was one of the worst boys I ever saw, for
he told me to go to h--l, and he would do just as he pleased. I
remembered when I went to school how my teacher used to serve me
when I was a bad boy and would annoy the other boys. So I told
the scholars we would take a recess for about twenty minutes. They
all threw down their books, and most of them went out to play.
During recess I walked up to the bad boy and said:
"You are a very bad boy to come in here and annoy my pupils, and
you deserve a whipping."