ar what was
under discussion. Catching the same refrain that troubled Elmer
Spiker, I entered.

"What of it?" I demanded, facing the company. "I don't believe there
is a man here who ever thrashed the teacher."

Theophilus Jones raised himself from the counter on which he was
leaning, and waved a lighted candle above his head.

"Here comes the teacher--make way for the teacher!"

Josiah Nummler pounded the floor with his long pole.

"See the conquerin' hero comes," he cried. "A place for him--a place
for him!" And with the point of his stick he drove the six men on the
bench so close together as to give me an excellent seat.

"Thrice welcome, noble he-ro, as Perry Thomas says!" shouted Aaron
Kallaberger, thrusting his hand into his bosom in excellent imitation
of the orator.

"He's lookin' pretty spry yet, ain't he, boys?" said Isaac Bolum. He
stood before me, leaning over till his hands clasped his knees, and
peered into my face, smiling. "The teacher ain't changed a bit."

"Thank you for the reception," said I. "But explain. What's this all
about?"

Elmer Spiker folded the county paper and came around to our side of the
stove. There he struck his favorite attitude, which was always made
most effective by the endless operation of putting his spectacles in
their case--pulling them out--waving them--_ad infinitum_. For in our
valley spectacles are the sceptre of the sovereign intellect.

"They was talkin' about lickin' the teacher," Elmer said, "and sech
talkin' I never heard. It was the nonsensicalest yet. The way them
boys was tellin' about the teachers they had knowed made me feel for
your life when I seen you come in. I thought they'd fall on you like
so many wolves."

"Now see here, Elmer Spiker," shouted Henry Holmes, "that's an
injestice. I never said I'd licked the teacher when I was a boy. I
only said I'd tried it."

"You give me to understand that the teacher was dead now," returned
Elmer severely.

"He is," cried Henry.

"And you claim you done it."

"I done it," shouted Mr. Holmes, pounding the floor with his cane. "I
done it! You think I'm a murderer? Why, old Gilbert Spoonholler was
ninety-seven year old when he went away. He was only forty when him
and me had it out."

"That's different," said Elmer calmly. "I understood from your
original account that he died in battle."

"I tho't so too, Henery," put in Isaac Bolum. "You misled me,
complete. 'Here,' says I, '