Sucker Days. 83 



luckless flies were tucked when the teacher 

 was looking the other way. Miss Chap- 

 man was of the tall, austere type, and her 

 glasses presented the only smooth outlines 

 in her mein. She must have been young, 

 for her moustache was not markedly visi- 

 ble from the other end of the room, but 

 her strong right arm swung with a free- 

 dom that we were accustomed to see only 

 when the best of woodchuck skin flail 

 strings gave security at a joint. Usually 

 she took off her glasses before descend- 

 ing to the boy's seat, but on this occasion 

 there was too much necessity for prompt- 

 ness in attending to him, and they rattled 

 upon the floor in the midst of a medley 

 of ruler whacks and sobs. All that after- 

 noon and during the night visions of the 

 big sucker filled the boy's brain to the 

 exclusion of all other ideas, and at the 

 woodpile at home he unconsciously made 

 a sudden grab for the biggest stick and 

 scattered the armful already collected. 



Of course we boys all rushed off to the 

 brook next day at recess, and while Ned 

 and Tom and Joe went to fishing under 



