Odd Punishment

IVachrrs liad odil ways of puni.shing pu pils in those days tnd OM kind-hearted schoolmistrcss thrcalened to hang some of the llttle oneR if they were iniscliievous, or diil not keep still in their PtítltS. I wns natunilly mischievous, and U was the bardes! thin in tlie World Tor me to keep 111. One day I incurred the penal'y- I have do doubt her object was to frlghten us into obedienoe. and save her the necessity of inflicing actual pain. But nt-ither ferule nor switcli could 11 ive been so cruel to a sensitive cliild M tl'1' fear and horror of that palnlftM punishment. Of course I did not know it woold be painlecs. I had only a stroiifr prejadire asrainst li:m jing. I had heard lliut men weie luinir tor the worst of crime-, and I believed it vonld be a terrible d;sgreee, :i8 wi-ll as disagreeable. So wlien, toexecnte her threat, slie carried me to the high desk, - high to me - which ran nioiind three sides of the schoolroom, I itrupirled wit 1 1 all my might to get away. Others had strujigled and pleaded; mul at the lott moment had been let off. Uut I did Dot plead; I kicked. It semud time to make an UXHUiplBi aml 1 w is intobosen vi(;Min. Uy maln forcé she placed me uprlttlit m tl dátil HjrninBl the Wull. Sin' had the pxeciilioner's oord In hjr band. This shi' pruci'i di'il to tie in a 11009e, not arou id my Deck Imt tindcr my anus. Findinj; that it w 18 not to be quite so bad as I expected, I illowed lier to pass the cord over a nal] in the Wüll above my heid. Thereupon the scliool broke Into derisive 1 lOfcbter. Not mucli hangiiig abouthat, with my Ceel on tlie desk ! To make it seem more like the real thinL, she placed soine books under my feet, and made me st;ind on (hem, wblle sJie tljfhtened ilie rope by which I was lavpiard tu be suspended. No voooer, hpwtiver, was thls bccoiiiplUhed uniid.-t the il tier Inga of theocliooi, wliich she uied in vain to husli, - I helieve slie was nctually laughlnj{ heroelf, lien bet head was down - tlian a senxe of the Ifrnomlny of the litnxtiuQ came over me, und I yielded to a desperate lui puin, If I was to liansr, I would hang in eirnest; 110 foollligl I kicked tlie bóuka fiom under my feit. Bul Inatead ol danglinjr m the air, I broke the stri nr by my weiglit and carne down upon tlie solid desk. The sehoolmistrcss replaced tlie b oka and agaln I kicked them away. By tilla I time, féai and shaiiie had fiiven place to rnge; I was in a paroxyiHi ol fury. She was once more trylng to get the bonku::der me, when I aimed my kick, not at them, but ut her head. 8lie was s.oopins; before me, I can see now, as vivid as if the scène liad oceurtd bnt yesterday, her ;lo99y black hair came tunibling down, and the broken side comba, tlying off, feil igainst the bench and the Hoor. Fortuiiately, I was bare footed, and I don't imajiiue I dammced nything except lier combi. Tbereupon, finding the nffair jjrowing rather more seriou tlian she had anticipated, she toll me I mlght go to my seat. She never attempted to hang me aftcr that. But she Innig olher boys, wlio h iviiii learncd Ihat the pnnishmerit wns do! painlnl or dangerÓIM, stoot I complacentlv 011 the bookf, with tl e string tivd under tluir arm, ind over the naU, aml