Darius and His Friends Fight It Out With Rowdies at The School Exhibition

In the preceding chapter Mr. Merrill told of Darius' first experience in teaching school, and how he organized a singing school. He told of the trouble caused by a gang of bullies who caused a disturbance while rehearsals were being held for an "exhibition," planned for the close of the school term.

Chapter 24

It was several days after this before Mike or his three pals showed up at school again. Darius had heard of the little encounter, but paid no attention to it, as it had happened outside of his jurisdiction. He considered it was not for him to interfere and did not anticipate any further trouble.

As the weeks went by everything progressed smoothly enough. The gang from the hill quieted down and the school was beginning to think there would be no further trouble and at last the long looked for "last" day arrived.

It came on Friday and school was let out at noon so the children could prepare themselves for the exhibition, which would take place that night.

Darius helped Wes with the chores early, and then with his mother and Abbie, went directly to the school house and there they found six or eight of the larger girls just finishing decorating the school room with balsam and spruce boughs which Nate, Bill and a couple of other boys had cut and brought in for them.

Darius had written the program on the black board and another on a slate for his mother to announce to the pupils as their turns came. There were two dialogues, one with six characters in three parts, and one with two characters. Nate Thurber and Frank Percy, who were well adapted to put on a comic part, Frank being a most natural comedian, which proved to be the star act of the entertainment, causing much applause. Darius had gotten the singing class well trained.

By eight o'clock the little room was packed. Many had to stand as there were not enough seats for all. Darius noticed Mike and his pals near the door and noticed also that they had been drinking and were quite noisy, bragging to each other what wonderful things they could do.

Stepping up quickly onto the rostrum, he rapped the desk vigorously with his ruler. Instantly there was a hush and when all was quiet he announced the exhibition would now commence with a patriotic song by the singing school.

Recitations followed, but just as the singing ceased a commotion started near the door.

Glancing that way Darius saw Mike in the act of shoving Nate Thurber forcibly against big "Lige," one of his pals [Elijah Heading], shouting:

"Hit him, Lige, hit him!"

Mike was too drunk to do much himself, except to keep his tongue running, and make so much noise that the speaker who was just then reciting one of Emerson's poems, could not be heard. Quick as a flash Darius sprang to the rostrum and shouted "Silence!"

Instantly you could have heard a pin drop. Thinking there would be no more disturbance he motioned the speaker to proceed, and walking to a back seat not far from the door, sat down, where he could keep an eye on Mike. The four pals now got their heads together and Darius heard Lige whisper:

"You D--m fool, Mike, why don't ye start something? You're but a rotten coward. Got drunk so I'd have to do it all. Now's your time if you're going to do anything. Here now you punch Joe, and I'll start the row with Pat, there. Come, sail in, now or never."

Then jumping suddenly on top of the big seats, he seized Joe, cursing loudly. At the same time Mike pulled a bottle from his pocket and swinging it high above his head was about to let it go crashing into the crowd, when something happened.

With the swiftness of a panther and the force of a sledge hammer, Darius' clenched fist came in contact with Mike's chin and he sprawled against the door. The bottle went crashing to the floor. The next instant Lige got a left-hander on the cheek which sent him reeling. Then he opened the door and just then Bill Miles and Enoch Merrill assisted Dide in shoving them, all four, none too gently clear to the highway.

"Now," said Darius, "the quicker you make your tracks away from here the better it will be for you, as we have a constable and a justice and the necessary papers right here to put you people where you belong."

The whole fuss did not take over fifteen minutes and the entertainment continued smoothly to the end, closing at 1:30 A.M. with another patriotic song by the class.

All declared the exhibition a great success. And so ended Darius' first school term. The trustee appeared glad to engage him for the next winter. The pupils, too, all wanted Darius to teach again next winter.

With spring came the usual activity throughout the settlement, and at the mill the usual stock of logs were secured, the nearby forests just outside the farmers' settlements had all been lumbered off, and now the big land owners and lumber contractors were selling off these denuded tracts at any price they could get. Most of it was considered worthless, being hilly and rocky and otherwise unfit for farming. Fifty cents an acre was considered a good price, and at that there were few purchasers.

Darius did not care for these tracts. His heart was set on the Upper Lake, and he could wait until the time was ripe. He thought, very wisely, that the big lumber companies would put that on the market as soon as the big white pine was cut off. Then he hoped to be able to take advantage of the low land values which were sure to follow and he was right.

Cutting off the big pines did not decrease the value of this land for Darius, as his primary incentive was not for lumber but for a sporting and health resort. However it would be several years yet before this pine would be all cut, and in the meantime--well he could save what he could.

He realized now that it would be useless for him to go back to school. A higher education was not necessary for the life he had mapped out for himself, although he was a great reader, devouring all the books he could secure. He also kept posted on the affairs of the world, later subscribing for such periodicals as Harper's Magazine and the Atlantic Monthly, and a daily newspaper printed in Albany. But I am getting beyond my story.

As warm weather advanced into May, Darius just had to have his annual fishing trip with grandfather, once up Little Trout and once down the Chateaugay River. He had his usual good luck and then was satisfied to settle down to the routine of the summer before, only this summer he commenced laying aside small sums, just a dollar once a week perhaps. B bank had been started in Malone and how eagerly he looked forward to the day when he could deposit five whole dollars in that bank, all his own hard-earned money.

The thought encourage him, and he studied new ways of economy. The singing school was discontinued until the coming winter, for during the summer everybody had to work, including Darius.

Grandfather devoted his whole time now to making "salts" and pills and enlarging his nursery. He also started raising garden seeds to sell, sending to Malone for little envelopes on which he had printed, "Garden Seeds, raised by Paul Merrill, Chateaugay, N.Y."

During the winter grandfather would trap along the Chateaugay River. The trapping added quite an item to the little income, and materially helped them through the little periods of hard times.

For two or three years there was not much change in the little hamlet. Darius continued teaching in the different districts, always conducting a singing school along wiht the rest, and boarding "round" when too far to get home nights, running the sawmill summers and helping Wes nights and mornings with the chores.

Along about this time, in the late forties I think it was, Darius, still running the saw at the mill, began to have cravings for another plunge into the unknown depths of the forest. He wanted to explore beyond the lumbermen's axe marks, which at that time had not penetrated more than a mile from the lake shore. Every Sunday he and grandfather would take long walks up the "lake" road and when mounting Thurber Hill, which was one-half mile below the lake, they could stop for five or ten minutes feasting their eyes on the fascinating picture.

There was Lyon Mountain looming up fifteen miles distant, blue, green and purple, capped with a fleecy white cloud, with the sun tingeing its edges to all colors and hues, ever changing, as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. And there at the foot of Lyon, in lighter green, "Birch" hill could be plainly seen like a giant footstool, with Lyon Mountain for the seat.

In silence, taking off their hats in reverence to the mighty works of nature, these two men, who could fully appreciate the grandeur of this scene, drank in its every detail.

Resuming their walk, they soon came to the lake.

There, close to the shore, stood the picturesque little cottage owned, together with eighty acres of rocky hill-side, by Fred Shutts. Mr. Shutts, better known as "Old Fred," was a trapper of some renown and could tell many stories of his exploits. He had shot one "painter" (panther) and several bears. Darius like to hear the old man tell his trapping stories, and envied him his good luck in being free to roam the forests and mountains. The old man felt a fatherly interest in Darius. He was such an interested and attentive listener to his stories, enjoying every word, as much as the old man enjoyed telling them. He had often invited Darius to go in partnership with him on a long trap line, and Darius was hoping the day would come that he could accept the invitation.

Copyright 1930
By Charles E. Merrill.

In the next chapter Mr. Merill tells of the excitement caused by the news brought by Bill Weed: that a railroad was soon to be built from Rouses Point to Ogdensburg, passing through Chateaugay and not far from the Lake settlement. He also tells how candles were made in the early days.