[Sidenote: Creating a Ringleader]
Georgie Bently had just been presented with a beautiful green top as a
birthday present. The length of time it would spin when he wound it and
gave it just the right fling was something quite wonderful. It was the
dearest of all Georgie’s possessions. He took it to school and every few
minutes would take it out of his pocket, feel of it caressingly and look
at it admiringly. At last he ventured to wind it with the long string in
his pocket, so it would “be ready” when the recess period came.
At this point in the proceedings, Miss Harriman, his teacher, caught
sight of what was going on.
“Georgie Bently!” she called out, in a voice so startling that Georgie
involuntarily jumped. “Haven’t I told you boys that you mustn’t play
with toys and marbles in school time? Bring it right here to me, now.”
“There!” she added, as she gave it a careless toss into the drawer of
her desk. “You can’t have it again until Friday night.”
Humiliated Georgie crept back to his seat and buried his face in his
arms folded on the desk before him, in order to hide a briny tear or
two. Then he amused the children near him by making faces at his
teacher; but this was rather monotonous fun. He finally decided that the
appropriate thing to do under the circumstances was to draw pictures of
Miss Harriman, and relieve his feeling by jabbing his pencil through the
eyes, mouth, etc., of the drawing. The other children saw the point and
expressed their sympathy by doing likewise with similar drawings of
their own production, giggling all the while as they did so, and
occasionally breaking out in mirth which again called forth Miss
Harriman’s expressions of disapproval.
“My children have acted like little demons today!” said the tired
teacher that night, as she flung herself into the rocking chair upon
reaching home. “Sometimes I wish I never had to go back again into that
school-room!”