Arthur was not a vicious character, but life flowed at a fast pace
through his veins and at times he seemed hardly responsible for the wild
excursions he made into school adventures.
[Sidenote: The Fun-maker]
He came into high school well taught in all the devices for fun-making
used in all the school. He tested every teacher just as a driver snaps a
new whip—to see how much rebound there is in it. He entered every
opening for forbidden actions, but always stopped when compelled to
submit to authority. He did not merely drift into forbidden paths by
heedlessness.
A prohibition was a challenge to him. It offended him. He had a free
spirit. Scenting limitations, he chafed and tried to overleap bounds set
up by authority. On matters not mentioned for his admonition, he made
not the least trouble. There was nothing interesting to him in
undisturbed routine.
Only one instance can be given. He sat well back in the study hall and
when Miss Green kept study hour, life was a torment to her.
On Tuesday morning following some warm words from Miss Green on the
preceding day about better conduct, Arthur brought a mink skin to school
and stuffed it into his desk before school opened. During Miss Green’s
supervision of the study period, the following remarks were made:
“What’s the cause of all those grins, etc., back there?”
No answer, but a mild subsidence of noise, and some show of work. In a
few moments a girl’s scream shocks every one in the room. Miss Green
looks up quickly enough to see Arthur drawing in his arms from the seat
in front and stuffing something down under his desk.
“Arthur, what’s that you have there?” says Miss Green. No answer is
given her, and she nervously rises from her seat and marches to Arthur’s
desk.
“What is that you put in your desk?”
“A mink,” says Arthur with a look of hypocritical sheepishness.
“A mink! Get that thing out this minute.”
[Sidenote: The Mink skin]
Arthur fumbles, spills his books on the floor, looks around to see if he
is being properly watched by the pupils, shuffles his feet on the floor
and almost slips from his seat before he succeeds in “catching” his
“mink.” Then slowly he draws forth the mink skin, elbows boldly
projecting, and slams it down on Miss Green’s hand as if making a hasty
delivery of a longed-for treasure. She snatches her hand away in
ill-concealed terror and all eyes are turned on her.
“Take that thing from here instantly to Mr. Ensley’s office.”
Then an argument begins between her and Arthur. After several violent
thrusts of authority have been made, Arthur lumberingly ambles across
the room, out of the door and down the hall.
A partial quiet is restored while Arthur loiters a moment outside and
then enters, not having made the appointed call. He returns to his seat
feigning anger. Miss Green is sorry she has provoked Arthur so much as
to distract her mind while digging out thirty lines of Virgil.
Miss Green suspected what Arthur had done. Before now she had sent
Arthur to the principal for disciplinary purposes, and although he had
labored with Arthur, no good had come of it.
She later mentioned the incident to the principal, who promised to take
it up, wishing at the same time that his Latin teacher had a strong will
and a firm and effective method of discipline.