He had one very annoying habit, and that
was he would very seldom give a satisfactory answer if suddenly asked a
direct question, and often his reply would be very absurd, sometimes
bordering on downright impudence. The master noticed one afternoon,
after calling the boys from their play at recess, that Ned had not
entered the school-room with the others. Stepping to the door, he found
him seated very composedly in the yard, working busily upon a toy he was
fashioning with a knife from a piece of wood. "Why do you remain
outside, Edward, after the other boys are called in?" said the master.
"Cos I did'nt come in, sir," replied Ned, without looking up, or even
pausing in his employment. This was too much for the patience of any
one; and seizing him by the arm the master drew him into a small room
which adjoined the school-room; and bestowed upon him, what Ned
afterwards confidentially informed us, was "a regular old-fashioned
thrashing." I was not aware till then that the style of using the rod
was liable to change, but it would seem that Ned thought otherwise; and
if his screams upon this occasion were taken as proof in the matter, I
should be inclined to think the old-fashioned method very effective. The
whipping which Ned received created quite a sensation among us boys, for
it was not often that Mr. S. used the rod. We began to have our fears
that as he had got his "hand in," more of us might share the fate of
poor Ned. In a very serious conversation which we held upon the matter,
on our way home that evening, some of us asked Ned, why he screamed so
loud. "I thought," said he, "if I hollered pretty well, he would think
he'd licked me enough and stop; but I don't see what great harm I did
any way. He asked why I stayed out; and I said, cos I did'nt go in, and
I am sure I could'nt give a better reason than that." Time passed on,
and by degrees Ned dropped many of his odd ways; and began to make
tolerable progress in study; but still, much patience and forbearance
was necessary on the part of the teacher. He had the same habit of
frequently giving absurd answers in his class, as well as upon other
occasions; but after a time his stupid answers were much less frequent,
and Mr. S. began to indulge the hope that he would soon overcome the
habit entirely. When he had attended school for about six months, as was
the custom two or three times a year, we passed under what to the school
boys was an "awful review" in presence of