| Show mr chalmers Chal kors kers ruse huso every E very country boy to ia now new england knows that the village schoolhouse Is ig g 11 orally located upon the top of the ho blea bleakest kest hill in ia tho the neighborhood and ili ia ills sport of 0 every eddying gust of wind wind that drives driven down from tile tho great pine pico wilderness of maine beal heaping cir tho the great drifts t across tho the road and about tho the door for tho the children to break through and then shako van free of the clinging 8 cow anew like lika so BO aaby newfoundland and where by oily any chance wits was there ever a schoolhouse containing a stove that roast the scholars seated near it nod and lenyo leave tho the others to I 1 freeze 2 all wideawake bab who know knew tho the pleasures of skating will agree with in mo that however cold anil and stormy it ia 18 i upon 1 p tuo tile hilltop hill tops so tile tho mill 1 and l what duos does a village amount to without a i ml millpond pond indeed is a always down in tile tho coolest nook between tho the hills hilla where tile tho wind cant come with moro more force than is ia needed to blow the falling ailing albun itaf its smooth tin buttach But rf taco a 66 pili piling 0 g them iu in grout groat heaps among the border ing willows and leaving the ico cc in a tempting order for 11 shinny in net fact upon on this th mhd 3 coldest morning of the tha aimer winter tho the school house on the hilltop hill top is ia not to lia be mentioned or thought of lit in comparison with mill ponda for comfort or attractiveness and it is ia hardly surprising that mr chalker Chal kor tho the school abter walked to sad and ico fro in ia solitary state barvey ing with vereil air an array ot of vacant desks deska no he was not altogether alt 0 t or alone on for three boys b hod 1 fought bravely through tho the drifts and now eat hudd huddled lail liy by the red hot stove datovo trying hard to look as though they at least think the weather a good goda excuse for staying at homo home to hunt bunt lions hona la ia the depths of the haymow hay mow mew ill now ow schoolmaster school mauter chalker was waa a all shrewd observer and loved a good joke joka as well aa any one lle he lad had adopted mazy many original plans plane 0 of I 1 instruction lie ile could boo one ond cad el 01 tho the millpond mill pond half a mile away from his hia window bud and as ho he gazed out upon the bleak waste of snow clad fields lie saw caw a conslo of 0 small block ilmares g gliding I 1 iding over its surface and a trace of a smile shone among his hia wrinkles as an idea seemed to strike hin him perhaps ho he had boa recalled tho the time when ho he too was a lad ina aria and the I 1 wildest cub in the toyn town as aa his hia father faher t often declared acci area to one ot the boys lie he said don den it seems to in me that the ponds a much nicer p placa la e a for us na than tho the school house honbo to da day y lets go fishing I 1 cant skate but perhaps I 1 can show you yon how wo we used to catch pickerel flown down thero there 00 50 years ago don ben and LIB his two companions compi imona looked at t mr chalker with yes cyca widely opened but they soon found that ho wits was in 11 anil ll they agreed to the proposition ace joyfully I 1 N now naul aid mr chalker Chal lEer I 1 I 1 two of 0 you yon got get out the bob boll bobsled sled and leap heap on plenty of sticks from tho the woodpile bo swo sure anil and got somo socia bis big area and you yon derton barton go down to mr sampson the millor filar with this ibis note lie ile will let you yon zv havo some homo lines awl a low minnows for bait abon the school bonso bait bail keen been properly looked locked up and they hal started dragging the dad aled after them it occurred to don ben to onig gest a slide so bo all three got upon the wood and slid alid away merrily toward tho the pond the tha roul road was waa steep but straight raight tt though near the bottom thero there was wai a slurp curve carve where tho the wind had blown away tho the snow leaving a crust of smooth lao over this they nt at a lively pace don ben steering poor ioor pon don turn tho the corner carrier and iq iff another second tile the sled led schoolmaster and all plunged into go the derthd of a big drift nothing was to bo be seen of mr chalker for it a moment but bat ina him livols but lie ho soon merged emerged pulling and laughing heartily much to tho the boys r allot who had begun to think tho the fun fan was waa all but bat mr chalker shook himik and dool arod ho enjoyed it and abil was ready to try it over ia ia fact he not act a bit liko like a schoolmaster lint but just like a boy lot let loose si a very old boy to bo be sure bare but bat a very ovary hearty one ona for or all that it only required a taw few jiuu to cut a couple of round roand holes in tho the loe ice and to brill buill a roaring fire upon a platform of heavy sticks lead and flit stones konoba to noBa ta fire that hang its ita f forked aked tongues into tho the keen air la airry rr rry of tho the front king and all lilt liia servants the half dozen boys boya already on the pond those preparations with considerable wonder To niler but garnering gar haring hering courage con rugo I 1 I 1 to up ill nail warmed their angora at it UK tile lire fire thou llna so mehai more than tl iii 1 11 I dozen other lioa boys looked out from tile window of t tile lionva Boat lorail along tho hill side hal awl mill buhl like this ibis 11 mo motho I 1 her I 1 giesh cupan thiro there aint any uy me to today illy I 1 don t BOO imy any smoke colini out ont or 0 tho the chininea chi niney cit oil 11 1 go down to tho the poud pond and an equal number of 0 mothers replied why of course not liot it its a lunch too cold for you to RI out you bind BO yourself nud and you dont avci v very L ry well theres lots lola of tile the b bobb 0 on the pond mo mother un on tile A at I 1 g a splendid I 1 titer don dont feel e 0 so fco badly now cant I 1 go 1 I 1 wont aou t stay long I 1 thing yell in might let upon abich all tile raid bull in efrost 11 well ell do ilip go along lint nil 11 you yon dont get into any ciny air ir holes 1 ians ahns bolaoro tin an hour gitil baar nearly ay all of the boys boja iu ILI tile school wore were gliding gli ling over tile pet 0 1 or gathered in ili tile the groni grant watching mr air chalker and lna lilt fishing party parly Moan wilile tile schoolmaster school master and llau ilan bad enjoyed remark remarkably ablo linh lack four ilea pickerel lay ou on tho the ice ico and at fifth much the he biggest ever scan in ia tho the pond of course had boon lost by ran in in pulling hinl him up lip now how it oc curlia I 1 to mr air chalker that it would bo be much nicer it everybody hall had seats no HJ ong to the boys boyn that they bring boma fence rails and aad sit bit down in II 11 circle about tho the fire all of which wits done with a merry goodwill good will und and sir mr chalker surveyed them with infinite satisfaction through lna lis glass glaeson ua ho lio hauled in iu another struggling on victim as of lis hia hook book now said bind lo be 11 I 1 soo sea plainly that hut it is all a mistake to hold bold school up there in that abIr building on oil the kill hill ill in weather as tit this Is anti and so BO im going to propose that on all cold do days yo this winter we BO shall maist hore bare on the pond and hold bold oar classes in in fact I 1 think wo we tatty rally BB as well begin now without further ado tho the toti alier a supply of spellers from his several capa capacious capaci pockets and sold 11 tho the first capacious lags clasa clous ia 11 spelling ollins will talio take seats awta va this side bide 11 than ihen it dawned upon tile tha winds miudo of I 1 tho he loya boys that they had boon beon fairly trapped and they nearly chokel with inward laughter na its they wont went through thron gli with spoiling spelling arithmetic and reading taking turns at keeping their toes warm by tile tho lire fire and though a big pickerel was doing his boat to carry off ono one of the lines none ot of thorn them aaroa to prill him up for mr chalker Cli alker looked like a very vary pedagogue iii indeed d and 1 alea en could scarcely realize that ho to had bad seen him bim tumbled head over ever heels into a snowdrift snow drift but a couple of 0 hours before when lie thought that tho the rent real lesson of had licen bed ono one impressed upon the scholars mr chalker dismissed hisa his school chool and as he be landed the lank fish and strong lim liim through the gills w with fill the others up upon 0 n a willow twig ho chuckled to hims himself elf 11 I 1 dont do nt know whoa had the hobt ann today to day the boys or tho the master aster lint hat ill venture to as say y be on an hand cold or at no cold 1 a actor aitor ting this friank frank 11 taylor in harpers young leonle Peon itlo le |
