THE LAST DAY AT SCHOOL.
"The school will come to order," said Mr. Montgomery Jadell, as soon as
the pupils were seated. "I wish it understood that, though this is the
last day of the session, order must be strictly observed."
"He is laying down the law," whispered Link to Harry.
"Darrow, stop your talking," said the principal, severely.
"Yes, sir."
"I have had enough trouble during this term--I want no more on this
last day," went on Montgomery Jadell. "Pemberton, you may wipe off the
blackboards while the others join in singing, 'Good-bye, Old School,
Good-bye.'"
Frank lost no time in going to the platform, and, watching his chance,
he placed the big cigar box in the teacher's desk.
In the meantime some of the other boys got excused and went into the
entryway, where the principal kept his hat and coat. During the school
hours Mr. Jadell always wore a long linen duster.
The pupils sang several songs and then there was an exercise in
spelling.
"Thanks to my teaching you are doing fairly well," said the principal.
"But you ought to do better. We will now have the declamations already
arranged for."
Some visitors were coming in and these were given the use of several
chairs and benches. Then Montgomery Jadell went to his desk to get out
a book containing the declamations mentioned.
"Hullo, how did that cigar box get here?" he murmured to himself, and
taking the box he opened it. "Oh! oh! get off of me! Oh!"
He started back and dropped the box, for out of it leaped seven frisky
little mice which Frank had caught in his father's barn. One mouse
scampered across the desk, another ran up the school teacher's arm,
and the rest scattered in all directions on the floor.
"A mouse!" shrieked one of the girls.
"A whole lot of mice!" was the cry.
"See them run! Look out, or they'll get in your clothes!"
There was an immediate uproar, and a number of persons leaped on the
chairs, benches and desks. In the meantime Montgomery Jadell caught
the mouse on his arm and flung it away. It landed in the face of Mr.
Ebenezer Boles, one of the school committeemen.
"Hi! hi! don't throw your mice at me!" roared the committeeman,
wrathfully.
"Excuse me--I didn't----" began Mr. Jadell, but the rest of his answer
was swallowed up in the general uproar.
"Catch the mice!" called out Joe. "Don't let them get into the girls'
hair!"
"Oh!" screamed one of the girls. "I don't want any mouse in my hair."
And several ran from the schoolroom at top speed.
Some of those present were kicking at the mice and trying to hit them
with rulers and sticks. One boy aimed an ink-well at two in a corner,
but his aim was wild and the ink merely splashed over one of the
visitors' faces.
"Joe Smith, I'll--I'll wring your neck for that!"
"I--I didn't mean to do it, Mrs. Radley, indeed I didn't!" howled the
boy, as he felt himself caught up by the ear.
"Order! order!" cried Montgomery Jadell. "Order! I will have order!"
"Better come to order yourself!" growled Ebenezer Boles. "Flinging
around mice ain't very orderly!"
It was a good ten minutes before the mice were disposed of and the
school could be quieted down. Montgomery Jadell was boiling with wrath.
"I want to know who placed those mice in my desk," he said, gazing
fixedly at the boys.
Of course there was a dead silence.
"Better ask the mice themselves," murmured Ebenezer Boles. "The boys
ain't goin' to tell." And now that the excitement was over he smiled
to himself over the joke.
"Mr. Boles, do you uphold this sort of thing?" demanded the school
principal.
"What sort o' thing?"
"This placing mice in my desk."
"Course I don't, Mr. Jadell--but boys will be boys. Didn't you have
your little jokes when you was young?"
"I never played a joke in my life, sir!"
"Gosh! what a lot o' fun you must have missed!" murmured the old
committeeman.
"You are laughing at me!"
"Oh, no!" But the committeeman's face was on a broad grin.
"This is my last day at this school."
"Well, nobuddy ain't said it wasn't."
"I expected to close the school at noon. Perhaps it will be best to
bring the session to a close at once."
"Ain't you going to let the youngsters speak their pieces?"
"I don't want to speak!" called out one boy, who was to recite a hated
extract from Julius Cæsar.
"Neither do I want to recite," came from a girl who had been ordered to
speak that time-worn effusion, "The Wonderful One-Horse Shay."
"Perhaps you will be glad to get rid of me!" called out Montgomery
Jadell, losing his temper completely.
"Oh, dear, how did you guess it?" came from one boy who was hiding
behind some others, and this brought out a hearty laugh.
"I--I shall close the school here and now!" ejaculated Montgomery
Jadell. "The school is dismissed!"
"Is school out?" came from a dozen or more.
"Yes, and you can all go home. I wouldn't teach here again for a
hundred dollars a day!" growled Montgomery Jadell.
"And I shouldn't want you to teach me, Mr. Jadell," came from Harry,
in as loud a voice as he could command. "I trust we get a kinder and a
smarter man next season."
"You have brought these hard feelings on yourself," put in Joe.
"Ha! I want no back talk----"
"But we are going to tell you what we think of you before you go," came
from Fred. "We think you are dictatorial and unfair, and that you do
not know half as much as you pretend----"
"He's the sourest teacher I ever saw!" came from one of the girls.
"And we are all glad he is going!" came from several others.
Montgomery Jadell started to talk again, but the babble was so great he
could not make himself heard.
"They are all against you," said Ebenezer Boles. "Better take your
leave and have done with 'em. I reckon they are more'n half right in
what they say. Call at my office to-morrow and get the pay that is
still due you."
"Of course you side with them. Well, I will call, for the money is
justly mine--and then I shall wash my hands of Lakeport forever!" said
Montgomery Jadell, tragically.
Stepping to the entryway he tore off his linen duster and hauled on his
long, black coat. Then he reached for his silk hat--the one Harry had
had to purchase for him.
As the hat was turned down over the principal's head a stream of
chimney soot descended over his face and neck, giving him the
appearance of a darky.
"Wha--what is th--this?" he spluttered. "Soot! Who put that in my hat?"
"Oh, my, look at the coon!" cried Matt. "Mr. Jadell, are you in
training for a negro minstrels?"
"I'll negro minstrels you!" roared the irate schoolmaster, knocking out
the hat and blowing the soot from his nose and eyes. "If I catch the
boy who did this--oh, my! Murder! Oh, my fingers!"
He had run his hand into his coat pocket to get his handkerchief. Now
he withdrew the hand with a good-sized and very tenacious crab clinging
to it. He tried to shake the crab off, but it only stuck the tighter.
"Oh, my hand!" he roared, dancing around. "My fingers will be bitten
off! Somebody take the crab away!"
"Thank you, but I never cared for crabs," said Joe, coolly.
"I only touch crabs on the thirtieth day of February," added Link.
"Who ever saw a coon with such crab-like hands before?" came from Fred.
"He'd be worth the price of admission in a dime museum," called out a
boy from the rear.
"I'll dime museum some of you if I ever get clear of this crab!" roared
Montgomery Jadell.
"Put your hand in a pail of water," suggested Ebenezer Boles. "He will
be sure to let go then."
A pail of water stood in a corner and Montgomery Jadell ran towards it.
"Here, I'll help you!" cried Frank, who intended to do nothing of
the sort. He caught up the pail, pretended to stumble, and the water
splashed all over the principal's knees and feet.
"Now see what you have done!" spluttered Montgomery Jadell. "I--I--oh,
my fingers!"
"Run out to the brook," said one of the ladies present. "The crab will
be sure to swim off."
Not far from the schoolhouse was a tiny brook which emptied into Pine
Lake. Clutching his silk hat in one hand, the schoolmaster bolted out
of the building and half the boys followed him. He swung his hand with
the crab on it aloft.
"Here's a race for you!" cried out Harry. "I'll wager the crab gets
there first!"
The brook gained, Montgomery Jadell bent down and placed his hand in
the water. At first the crab would not let go, and he bent still lower.
Then the crab swam away. But just as he did so the foot of the man
slipped and over he went into the brook with a loud splash.
"Hurrah! he is taking a bath!" cried one of the boys.
"Going to wash that soot off, I guess."
"Want a life preserver, Mr. Jadell?"
"If you'll come here I'll help you out!"
Drenched and dirty, Montgomery Jadell waded out of the brook. Then he
turned and shook his fist at his tormentors.
"You young vipers!" he cried. "You young vipers!" And then, with his
dripping silk hat still in hand he ran rather than walked to his home
across the fields.