He was seven years old, lived in Cheyenne, and his name was Tommy.
Moreover he was going to school for the first time in his life. Out here
little people are not allowed to attend school when they are five or
six, for the Law says: "Children under seven must not go to school."
But now Tommy was seven and had been to school two weeks, and such
delightful weeks! Every day mamma listened to long accounts of how "me
and Dick Ray played marbles," and "us fellers cracked the whip." There
was another thing that he used to tell mamma about, something that
in those first days he always spoke of in the most subdued tones,
and that--I am sorry to record it of any school, much more a Cheyenne
school--was the numerous whippings that were administered to various
little boys and girls. There was something painfully fascinating about
those whippings to restless, mischievous little Tommy who had never
learned the art of sitting still. He knew his turn might come at any
moment and one night he cried out in his sleep: "Oh, dear, what will
become of me if I get whipped!" But as the days passed on and this
possible retribution overtook him not, his fears gradually forsook him,
and instead of speaking pitifully of "those poor little children who
were whipped," he mentioned them in a causal off-hand manner as, "those
cry-babies, you know?" One afternoon mamma saw him sitting on the porch,
slapping his little fat hand with a strap. "Tommy, child, what in the
world are you doing?" she asked.
Into his pocket he thrust the strap, and the pink cheeks grew pinker
still as their owner answered:
"I--I--was just seeing--how hard I could hit my hand--without crying;"
and he disappeared around the side of the house before mamma could ask
any more questions.
The next day Tommy's seatmate, Dicky Ray, was naughty in school, and
Miss Linnet called him up, opened her desk, took out a little riding
whip--it was a bright blue one--and then and there administered
punishment. And because he cried, when recess came, Tommy said: "Isn't
Dick Ray just a reg'lar girl cry-baby?" (He had learned that word from
some of the big boys, but, mind you! he never dared to say it before his
mother.)
Dick's face flushed with anger. "Never you mind, Tommy Brown," said
he, "Just wait till you get whipped and we'll see a truly girl-cry-baby
then, won't we, Daisy?"
And blue-eyed Daisy, who was the idol of their hearts, nodded her curly
little head in the most emphatic manner, and said she "wouldn't be one
bit s'prised if he'd holler so loud that hey would hear him way down in
Colorado."
Tommy stood aghast! for, really and truly, he wasn't quite so
stony-hearted a little mortal as he appeared to be; he had been secretly
rather sorry for Dick, but--he wanted Daisy to think that he himself was
big and manly, and he had the opinion that this was just the way to win
her admiration. But all this time HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT DAISY DID--that
Dick's pockets were full of sugar-plums; tiptop ones too, for Daisy had
tasted them, and knew that little packets of them would from time to
time find their way into her chubby hand.
All the rest of the morning Tommy kept thinking, thinking, thinking.
One thing was certain: the present situation was not to be endured
one moment longer than was absolutely necessary. But what could he do?
Should he fight Dicky? This plan was rejected at once, on high, moral
grounds. Well, then, supposing some dark night he should see Daisy on
the street, just grab her, hold on tight and say: "Now, Daisy Rivers, I
won't let you go till you promise you'll like me a great deal betterer
than you do Dick Ray." There seemed something nice about this plan, very
nice; the more Tommy thought of it, the better he liked it; only there
were two objections to it. Firstly: Daisy never by any chance ventured
out doors after dark. Secondly: Neither did Tom.
Both objections being insurmountable, this delightful scheme was
reluctantly abandoned, and the thinking process went on harder than
ever, till at last--oh, oh! if he only dared! What a triumph it would
be! But then he couldn't--yes, he could too. Didn't she say that she
"wouldn't be one bit s'prised if he hollered so loud that they would
hear him way down in Colorado?" Colorado, indeed! He'd show her there
was one boy in the school who wasn't a girl-cry-baby!
Yes, actually, foolish Tommy had decided to prove his manhood by being
whipped, and that that interesting little event should take place that
very afternoon!
What did he do? He whispered six times!
Had it been any other child, he would surely have been punished; but
Miss Linnet knew both Tommy and his mamma quite well, and therefore
she knew also, quite well, that only a few days ago the one horror of
Tommy's life had been the thought that he might possibly be whipped.
Then too, it was his first term at school, and hitherto he had been very
good. So she decided to keep him after school and talk to him of the
sinfulness of bad conduct in general, and of whispering in particular.
This plan she faithfully carried out, and the little culprit's heart so
melted within him that he climbed up on his teacher's lap, put his arms
around her neck and kissed her, crying he would never be so naughty
again. He was just going to tell her all about Daisy, when in walked a
friend of Miss Linnet's, so he went home instead. The next morning he
started for school with the firm determination to be a good child, and I
really believe he would have been had not that provoking little witch
of a Daisy marched past him in a very independent manner, her saucy nose
away up in the air, and a scornful look in the pretty blue eyes. It was
more than flesh and blood could stand. All Tom's good resolutions flew
sky-high.
When twelve o'clock came Miss Linnet's list of delinquents begun in this
wise:
WHISPER MARKS. Thomas Brown..... 15
Melinda Jones..... 11
There was great excitement among the little people. How dared any one
be so dreadfully bad! Tommy's heart sank, sank, sank, when Miss Linnet
said: "When school begins this afternoon I shall punish Tommy and
Melinda."
And she did! She called them both up on the platform, made them clasp
hands and stand with their backs against the blackboard, then wrote just
above their heads:
Thomas Brown and Partners in disgrace.
Melinda Jones 15 plus 11 = 26.
Oh, how mortified and ashamed Tommy was! If only she had whipped him, or
if it had been some other girl. But MELINDA JONES!!! At the end of ten
minutes Miss Linnet let them take their seats; but Tommy's heart burned
within him. DAISY HAD LAUGHED WHEN HE STOOD THERE HOLDING MELINDA'S
HAND! There were deep crimson spots on Tommy's cheeks all that afternoon
and a resolute, determined look in his bright brown eyes, but he was
very still and quiet.
Later in the day the children were startled by a sudden commotion on
the other side of the room. Daisy was writing on her slate and Melinda
Jones, in passing to her seat, accidentally knocked it out of her hands;
without a moment's hesitation, Daisy, by way of expressing her feelings,
snatched her slate and promptly administered such a sounding "whack!"
on Melinda's back and shoulders as brought a shriek of anguish from that
poor, little unfortunate who began to think that if all the days of her
life were to be like unto this day, existence would certainly prove a
burden.
Just about two minutes later Miss Linnet was standing by her desk,
a ruler in one hand and Daisy's open palm in the other, while Daisy
herself, miserable little culprit, stood white and trembling before her.
As she raised the ruler to give the first blow, Tommy sprang forward,
placing himself at Daisy's side, put his open palm over hers, and with
tears in his eyes, pleaded in this wise:
"Please, Miss Linnet, whip me instead! She is only just a little girl
and I KNOW she'll cry, it will hurt her so! I'd rather it would be me
every time than Daisy--truly I won't cry. Oh, please whip me!"
And Miss Linnet did whip him, while Daisy, filled with remorse, clung to
him sobbing as if her heart would break. To be sure, somebody who ought
to know, told me it was the lightest "feruling" ever child received; but
Daisy and Tommy both assured their mothers that it was the "dreadfulest,
cruelest, hardest whipping ever was."
"And did my little man cry?" asked mamma.
"No, indeed! I stood up big as I could, looked at Daisy and smiled,
'cause I was so glad it wasn't her."
Then that proud and happy mamma took him in her arms and kissed him; and
right in the midst of the kissing in walked Daisy.
"Would Tommy please come and take supper with her?"
Of course he would, and they walked off hand in hand. When they passed
Dicky's house Tommy suggested. "S'posing they forgive Dick and let him
go 'long too." And Daisy agreeing, they called that young gentleman out
and magnanimously informed him that he was forgiven and might come and
have supper with them.
What in the world they had to forgive, nobody knows; but then, so long
as forgiveness proved such an eminently satisfactory arrangement, all
round--why, nobody need care.
The children waited outside the gate while Dick coaxed his mother to
let him go, and standing there, hand in hand, Daisy plucked up heart
of grace and with very rosy cheeks and an air about her of general
penitence, said something very sweet in a very small voice:
"I'm sorry you were whipped, and oh, Tommy, I wish I hadn't said you'd
holler!"
Mrs. AMY TERESE POWELSON.
Baby thinks it fine,
In the summer-time,
To wade in the brook clear and bright.
But a big green frog
Jumped off of a log,
And gave
Baby Charlotte
quite a fright.