Chapter VI.
ADOPTED AND SENT TO SCHOOL.
Mr. and Mrs. Myers had no children and after I had been with them about a month, they proposed to adopt me, or at least they made me promise to stay with them until I was twenty-one years of age.
They were to send me to school until I was seventeen and then start me in business. They also promised to give me everything they had at their death.
So they prepared me for school right away. As I was not very far advanced in book learning, having forgotten nearly all that Mr. Hale taught me, they thought I had better go to Fisk's public school until I got a start.
I had not been going to this school long when I had trouble with the lady teacher, Miss Finnely. It happened thus: A boy sitting behind me, struck me on the neck with a slate pencil, and when I turned around and accused him of it he whispered, "you lie." I gave him a lick on the nose that made him bawl like a calf.
Of course the teacher heard it and called us up to take our medicine.
She made the other boy hold out his hand first and after giving him five raps told him to take his seat.
It was then my time, and I stuck out my hand like a little man. She gave me five licks and was raising the rule to strike again when I jerked my hand away, at the same time telling her that it wasn't fair to punish me the most when the other boy caused the fuss. She insisted on giving me a little more so finally I held out my hand and received five more licks and still she was not satisfied; but I was and went to my seat. She told me two or three times to come back but I would not do it, so she sent a boy upstairs after Mr. Dyer, the gentleman who taught the large boys.