eC
2

10)

NINETEEN NONSENSE
(conclusion, thank goodness)

Outside there seemed a lull in the
battle, and only an occasional groan
crept with sepulchral stealth into the
stillness of the room. The slave stood
over the miserable wretch doomed to die
in his hand the spear of vengeance quiv
ering, in his eyes the lust for blood-
shed shining, —

“A trifle awkward, "thought the teach
er, hitching over into the corner where
the sink should have been.Finally,as it
appeared that unless he speak he should
be impaled, he spoke, "Here, I say,you
can't do that."

Then the giant
language of the

slave spoke in the
eatly Britons (that
frightful language where all the s's
look like f's) "Peace, flave, if thy
crime naught to fuffice thee, You have
flain my fifter," Here the slave made
what would have been a Dramatic gesture
if the object of his solicitude had not
regained consciousness and rising re-=
ceived the full force of the flourish,
During the family battle that ensued

, the instructor made good his escape or

as he soon found merely changed captors
Backing from the room he was grasped
roughly by Roman soldiers and so found
himself within a hedge of spears that
strangely resembled pencil points.A Gen
eral with a hooked nose, brushed his
wavy hair and signed to the men-at-arms
with a casual “Another Briton, Off with
his head--a pause=-a critical look at
the victime-"near the shoulders,"

At that a very determined - looking
Amazon immediately started a debate,"No
near the head, It's far easier,"

"Stick him through with a spear"said
a short, stout warrior," and be done
with: it,"

"With a speahh?" inquired a seoond
Amazon with:a searching note,

"Oh, don't do that," spoke up a
dark demure damosel, shyly proddingthe
victim with a spear,

Another damosel said naught but look
ed with indifference upon the scene,

"Let's take him for a ride," spoke a
fair soldier, who drove the chariot,

"Awe, he don't look baad," drawled a
seated lady, “Just hang him,"

"Enough," “cried a young centurion,
leaping up with a start that sent a

laurel “wreathe that had adorned his
brow down over his right eye, "Pish and
twaddle, To the Queen with him,"

"To the Queen with him," “they all
cried, as this seemed the worst pune
ishment yet.

They were, however,saved the trouble
of taking the prisoner to the queen by
the Queen, herself, appearing at this
moment, At the sight of the prisonerher
beauteous smile was replaced by a scowl
of huge dimensions and from her lips in
accents faintly tinged with foreign
music the doom fell as does an easle
when the room is hushed.

" “Hanging is too good for you, you
wretch, you shall forever teach stitch-
ery to the second year."

"No, not that," through trembling
lips the "wretch" begged for mercy.

"Awe, sorry,” quoth the Queen,relent
ing slightlys "I'll just kill you my-
self,"
~ "Niece of you," murmured the victim,
watching with some apprehension a huge
quill pen being made ready to be thrust
into his heart, The thrust came but was
turned aside by a palette shaped shield
thrust there by a curly headed individ+
val with the remark, "Get 'Behind the
Palette,'" a

At this moment the whole complex of
the scene was changed by a howling mob
which swept into the room and quickly
overcame the slight resistence offered,

"How now Dixonious," cried the young
leader of this barbaric hoard, "is all
well without?"

"Without: what?"
of the Guard,

The leader espied the teacher as he
crawled from beneathe the shield,

"Say I didn't do ite-it was--oh--
heck~~I mean I did do it--O.K., we did
it. You are saved,"

"It's about time," remarked the
teacher, and was somewhat amazed at his
own ingratitude until he found himself
once more in room 19 with the class
drowsing over their drawing boards,

A bell rings,

At last lots of action,

The class rushes out,

The instructor is left alone, to see

1

paried the Captain

ghosts of past years, and to wonder and.

Room 19 means much besides non
But, ah me, how far the

ponder,
sense to him,
fancy wanders

al

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