The New Teacher

By Gail G.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ponderosa or Bonanza Characters.

Thanks to Laura for helping me with grammer, spelling, and punctuation.

The children of Eagle Station sat at their desks wishing they were outside instead. The new schoolhouse still smelled of saw dust and fresh paint. Inside were students of different ages and sizes, many of whom thought they had finished their education until the new teacher arrived.

It had been determined that the students who did not get to complete the last semester, when Mrs. Cartwright had been teaching, would need to go to school for the first twelve weeks. They then would receive their certificates and would be done with school.

Hoss Cartwright and Tess Greene were among the students that had to return. Hoss, of course, had pleaded to his father to allow him to stay home, but in turn lost the battle.

"It’s just for twelve weeks, Hoss. Then your education will be completed. Your mother would have wanted that for you." Ben said to his middle son while they ate their dinner.

"But, Paaa...." Hoss started to whine. Ben silenced him with a frown.

"There will be no more talk about it. You’re going and that’s final. Don’t feel bad, Hoss. Joseph will be joining you." Ben pointed his fork to his youngest, who made a face of disgust.

"Daburnit, Pa, it just ain’t fair. I’m too old to go back to school." Hoss once again started to plead his case. A lift of Ben’s eyebrows and he dropped the subject like a hot potato.

So here they were, sitting inside the stuffy school room with the new teacher Miss Abigail Jones. Now, if Little Joe knew that the prank he was going to pull on his friend Mitch was going to backfire, he would have never done it.

Mitch went outside to dump the ash from the potbellied stove’s bucket. They still had to light the stove in the mornings because it was cool, but in the afternoons it was hot and stuffy. While Mitch was out front, Miss Jones excused herself and went out back. This gave Joe the perfect opportunity to do a quick prank.

He pulled a piece of rope about four foot long out of his desk. He then slipped out of his seat onto the floor. He tied the rope to the bottom of the desk across from him. His plan was to listen for his friend to return and when Mitch walked up the aisle to his desk, Joe would pull the rope and the boy would trip over it.

All the other students watched as Little Joe set the trap. They figured they needed a good joke sometimes, for they were quite bored with the whole school idea. After the task was done, Joe returned to his seat and faced forward. He listened for the footsteps of his friend. When he finally heard them, he waited for Mitch to be almost beside his desk. With a yank of the rope, it straightened out, tripping the unsuspecting victim.

Only it wasn’t Mitch-- it was Miss Jones. As she fell in slow motion, everyone watched with wide eyes. Then there was a thump and the teacher hit the hard floor. As soon as she did, Miss Jones started to scream.

Little Joe shot from his desk and stepped over to his teacher bending down to help her. "I’m sorry, Miss Jones. I thought you were Mitch."

"Ohhh, my ankle. I think it may be broken," Miss Jones cried.

Hoss came over to check Miss Jones."Joe, go over and fetch Shelby. She’ll be able to help." Joe ran out of the room, down the street, and directly inside the saloon.

Shelby looked up in surprise to see the young Cartwright boy standing inside her establishment. "Little Joe, what on earth are ya doin here?"

Joe glanced around the room, when he realized everyone was staring at him. "Miss Jones, she, uhh...tripped and hurt her ankle. Hoss told me you could help."

"Well, why didn’t you say so?" Shelby put down the glass she was cleaning and headed for the door. She asked Big Dan to watch over things for her while she went to help.

Once back at the school, Shelby did a quick examination of the young woman. "I don’t think it’s broke, but it is sprained real bad." Shelby looked over her shoulder to Hoss. "Can you pack her over to the boarding house?"

"Sure thing." Hoss bent over and easily lifted the injured party from the floor.

"How did this happen anyway?" Shelby asked as she followed Hoss out the door.

"It’s a long story, Miss Sterrett." Little Joe said as he walked beside Hoss and swallowed deeply.

When they arrived at the boarding house, Hoss took Miss Jones to her room and carefully placed her on her bed.

"Hoss, I think I saw your Pa’s wagon at the Trading Post." Shelby began, "Why don’t you go and fetch him. Then go back over to the school and settle the other children. I’ll have your Pa come over when I’m finished and he can tell everyone what’s goin’ on."

Hoss and Joe left the boarding house to go and get Ben. Halfway to the store, Joe stopped in mid-step. "Come on, Joe, you heard what Miss Sterrett said." Hoss grabbed his little brother’s arm.

Joe struggled against the strong hand. "Hoss?"

"Yeah?"

"I’m in trouble, ain’t I?" Joe looked up at Hoss with the most pitiful face you ever did see.

"Well, I reckon you are at that, little bother. ‘Cause when Pa finds out you’re the one that broke Miss Jones’ ankle, I bet he’ll find somethin’ to break on you." Hoss pulled his brother into the Trading Post.

When Ben saw his two sons he was more than surprised. "Why aren’t you two in school?" he asked in a no nonsense tone of voice.

Hoss glanced at Joe and Joe glanced at Hoss. Finally Hoss started to explain the whole situation. He did leave out, however, how the teacher fell in the first place.

Ben sent Hoss and Joe back to the school. Ruth Orowitz gathered some medical supplies. She and Ben then headed over to the boarding house to see what they could do for the young teacher.

Back at the school Hoss rounded up the children and had them take their seats inside to wait for some news about their injured teacher.

"With any luck, there won’t be no school for a few weeks," one of the little boys pointed out.

Hoss sighed, "That only means it will take that much longer for me to finish. Thanks a lot, Little Joe." Hoss reached over and punched his little brother in the shoulder.

The students sat whispering about what had happened when Ben came into the room. All the children immediately became quiet. Ben walked to the front of the class and began to speak. "Miss Jones will be just fine. She will need to stay in bed a few weeks, but she will heal."

One of the students raised his hand, "Mr. Cartwright, sir, what about school?"

"There will be no more school this week. The town council will try to find a substitute and we will send word when school is to start again. In the meantime, class is dismissed for the day and the rest of the week."

All the students yelled with excitement and ran for the door, Joe and Hoss along with them.

"Joseph!!"

Little Joe froze in place and turned around. "Yes, Pa?"

Ben motioned for his youngest son to come to the front of the class. Joe slowly trudged his way up front.

When he reached his father, he stood with his head hanging low, "Did ya need me, Pa?"

"Joseph, " Ben crossed his arms as he spoke, "Miss Jones told me how she fell."

"She did? What did she tell ya," Joe asked as he kicked the tip of his boot at the wooden floor.

"Well, let’s sees She said someone pulled a rope and tripped her. Then she said that you tried to explain that it had been intended for Mitch." Ben paused for a moment. "Joseph, did you have anything to do with Miss Jones tripping and breaking her ankle?"

"It ain’t broke, Pa, Shelby said so!" Joe yelled trying to defend himself.

"Broke or not, young man, I asked you a question and I expect an answer. NOW." Ben’s face had grown angry.

Joe shifted and wrinkled his face as if he were in great thought. There was no way out of it. He had to tell Pa he was the one who pulled the prank and hurt his teacher. When Pa asks a direct question, it is not wise to tell a lie. Besides there were way too many witnesses.

Joe heard Ben clear his throat. "Look at me, Joseph, not the floor."

Joe slowly lifted his head so he could look at his father. Joe had a tear streaming down his face.

"Pa?"

"Yes, Joe?"

"I do know something about how Miss Jones got hurt."

Ben took a deep breath, "I thought you would. Come with me, young man." Ben took hold of Joe’s arm and headed for the front of the room.

"Where are we goin’, Pa?"

"You are going to go apologize to your teacher. Then we are going home, where we will discuss this further. Understand?" Ben practically drug Joe across the busy street to the boarding house.

"Yes, Pa," was all Joe managed to say as he was propelled into the small room where his teacher lay.

Miss Jones moved her eyes to her young student, "Come in, Little Joe." She motioned for him to come by the bed.

Ben moved behind his son, "Miss Jones, Joseph has something to say to you. Don’t you, son?"

"Ummm...Yes, sir, Pa." Joe took a step closer to the bed, "You see, ma’am, ummm...I really wasn’t tryin’ to trip you. I uhh....was tryin’ to trip Mitch when he come back in. And, well, what I mean is, I’m real sorry that you got hurt and all. It will never happen again. I promise."

The young teacher pulled her covers up around her before speaking again. "Young man, I am very disappointed in you. Someone could have been hurt much worse than just a sprained ankle. Well, some poor soul could have broken an arm or a leg. What on earth were you thinking??"

"I was thinking it would be funny to see Mitch fall."

Miss Jone’s eyes became wide. "Joseph Cartwright, it is never funny to see someone hurt or embarrassed. If I could get up I think I would take a switch to you. Furthermore, the town council is going to have to find a substitute teacher. You not only hurt me, you have put a burden on the town."

"I’m sorry," Joe stated once again, but this time in a soft whisper.

"Well, you should be. Of all the awful jokes to pull–well, Joseph even though I can’t give you what you truly deserve, I still think I can punish you. You can write me a report on the school rules and why they should be followed and how pranks are not funny. I’ll leave the rest up to your father. I’m sure he is very capable of handing out an appropriate punishment."

Joe rubbed his behind at the thought of what his father’s punishment would be. "Yes, ma’am. Pa’s real good at punishin’."

Miss Jones sat up slightly in her bed, "I want that report by next Monday, no less than ten pages."

Joe moaned ever so slightly until he felt his father’s hand touch his shoulder.

"Mr. Cartwright?" Miss Jones started to speak, "Do you have any idea who you can get to replace me?"

Ben shook his head, "No, we don’t have a clue. Do you have someone in mind?"

Miss Jones grinned at her thought, "Yes. Yes, I do, and I think he would be perfect."

"He?? He who??" Joe asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Well, your brother, Adam of course."

Joe’s eyes went wide, and his mouth fell open. "You mean bossy ole Adam? Are you crazy?"

Ben shook Joe slightly. "That’s not a bad idea. I will ask him about it. Now, if you will excuse us, Miss Jones, we must be heading home."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Cartwright, and have a safe trip." Miss Jones turned to her side and closed her eyes to get some rest.

As Ben and Joe headed for the wagon, Joe started to protest Miss Jones’ idea.

"Pa, you cain’t be serious."

"About what, son??" Ben looked down at Joe.

"ABOUT WHAT!!" Joe started shouting, "ABOUT ADAM BEING THE TEACHER, THAT’S WHAT."

Ben stopped short of the wagon and turned to his young prankster, "You, young man, would do well to remember to whom you are speaking. I will not tolerate disrespect and you know it. I would suggest that you lower your voice the next time you speak to me. Considering you are already in a heap of trouble, if I were you, I would not want to add anything to the list."

Joe nodded to his father in understanding, "But Pa, Adam’s-- he’s.... he’s.... so bossy."

"Well, bossy or not, I think Adam is a good choice. I plan to speak to him when we get home. Now, young man, you get up in that wagon and stay put while I go find your brother."

Ben didn’t have to go far to find Hoss. He was in the Trading Post telling Eli what had happened at the school. "Hoss, lets go, son. We need to get home."

"Comin’, Pa," Hoss called to his father as he paid for a small bag of candy.

When Hoss stepped out of the store, Ben was waiting in the wagon. Hoss slightly smiled and climbed up to sit by his father. On the way home Little Joe told Hoss about Miss Jones wanting Adam to be the substitute teacher.

Hoss took it much better than his brother. He thought it would be neat to have Adam at school with them, as long as Adam didn’t get too big for his britches. Joe rolled his eyes and with a defeated look on face, he tried to name the reasons it was a bad idea.

Ben drove the team towards the Ponderosa as he listened to Little Joe’s explanations. As they drove into the yard, Adam appeared from around the side of the house.

"Hi, Pa. How did the trip to town go?" Adam asked as Hoss and Joe jumped from the wagon.

Little Joe tried to back away out of sight, when Ben reached out and grabbed him by the arm. "And where do you think you’re going, young man?" Ben asked as he pulled Joe in front of him.

Adam could sense there was trouble. He glanced at Joe with a bewildered expression, "What’s going on?"

"Well, Adam, your younger brother here has gotten himself in a mess." Ben frowned down at Joe.

"What kind of mess? What are you talking about?" Adam questioned.

As Ben started to pull Little Joe to the barn, he looked back at his oldest, "Hoss can fill you in. I’ll explain the rest at dinner. Would the two of you get those supplies into the house to Hop Sing?"

"Sure, Pa." Both boys answered as they watched their father’s back retreat into the barn.

Adam and Hoss then gathered the supplies from the back of the wagon. They then disappeared into the house, glad to be getting away from the scene that was unfolding in the barn. As they stepped onto the planked porch, Adam turned his eyes to Hoss. "What did happen in town?"

Hoss grinned and started with great excitement to tell his oldest brother what had gone on. As Hoss talked, Adam’s big blue eyes grew wider and wider.

In the barn, Ben was pacing back and forth in front of his baby son. Joe stood straight and tall, waiting for the impending punishment.

Ben finally stopped and stood in front of Little Joe. He began to speak in a firm voice. "Joseph Francis Cartwright, I am lost for words at the moment." Ben then started to pace once again.

Joe flinched when he heard his father call him his full given name, and Pa to be lost for words, that was a miracle all in its own.

"I must say that I am extremely disappointed in your behavior, and the fact that you injured your teacher with a thoughtless practical joke does not make matters any better. You were both deceitful and disrespectful. And not only that, you were disobedient. If you had stayed in your seat and not been doing things that you weren’t supposed to, this would have never happened. Am I correct?"

Joe looked up into his father’s angry face. "Yes, sir, but I didn’t mean to hurt Miss Jones. The prank was meant for Mitch."

Ben ran his broad hand down his face. His young son was not getting the whole picture. "JOSEPH." Ben practically shouted and then regained control of himself. "Joseph, if it had been Mitch with a sprained ankle, do you suppose you would be in less trouble?"

Joe stood quiet for a few moments. "No, sir, I suppose I wouldn’t. I guess my prank wasn’t as funny as I thought it would be. I’m real sorry, Pa."

"I know you are, son, but I can’t let this one slide. Miss Jones could have broken her neck, all because of your thoughtfulness." Ben slid off his belt and went over and sat on one of the hay bales. He then motioned for Joe to come to him.

Joe shuffled his feet as he obeyed his father’s request.

"Any questions as to why I am doing this?" Ben asked as he placed his hand at Joe’s waist.

"No, Pa," Joe responded as the tears threatened to run over onto his freckled face.

Ben then pulled Joe over his knees, placing his left hand on the small of his son’s back to hold him in place. He then brought that leather belt down on the small backside with steady even strokes. When Ben was finished he stood Joe back to his feet. His small son stood crying and sniffling as he rubbed his newly tanned bottom with his left hand.

"I hope next time you will think before you pull such a stunt, Joseph." Ben then reached out and pulled Joe close to him. "Joe, you know I love you and I always will. Don’t you?"

Joe answered between sobs and hiccups, "Yes, Pa, I love you too. I just don’t love your belt."

Ben smiled at his son’s remark. They both left the barn and headed for the house. Ben’s job was not over. It would take some convincing for him to get Adam to become the substitute teacher.

Hoss’ and Adam’s heads shot up when their father and little brother entered the house. The tear stains on Joe’s face did not go unnoticed by the two older boys. They had each been there more than once themselves.

"Hop Sing, is dinner almost ready?" Ben asked as he walked to the wash basin.

"Dinna be ready in a few minutes. Boys need to get washed up." Hop Sing moved to the fireplace and took a pot of stew from the fire.

Adam and Hoss got up from the settee and went to wash their hands, while Little Joe retreated to the bunk room to retrieve his much needed pillow.

When the family was settled at the dinner table, Ben spoke a small blessing. As he passed the fresh bread around the table, he decided to bring up the subject to Adam about him becoming the teacher for the next few weeks.

"Adam, son," Ben started slowly.

Adam looked up at his father, almost startled at the way his father was beginning the conversation. "Yes, Pa?"

When Ben didn’t speak, Adam shifted and spoke once again, "Pa, am I in some sort of trouble?"

Ben chuckled as he scooped his spoon in the hot beef stew, "No, son, you’re not in trouble, none that I know of. Is there something that you need to share with me?"

Adam flushed, "Umm.. nothing that I know of, Pa."

"Son, I do need to discuss something with you. I’m sure that Hoss filled you in on what happened today."

"Sure. He told me about Miss Jones’ accident." Adam slid his eyes to his little brother.

"Well, Miss Jones has suggested that you fill in for her while she is recovering."

Adam choked on his coffee, "Me?! I’m no teacher."

Ben took a bite of his stew and swallowed, "I know you’re not a teacher, Adam, but you’re the best next thing. Miss Jones would not have recommended you if she did not feel you could handle the job."

"What about you, Pa? You know more than I do. I think you could do it, or how about Ruth--I mean Mrs. Orowitz or Mrs. Green." Adam was trying to find a way to get out of what he was being asked.

"Adam, you know that I am much too busy, and Ruth has to help Eli at the Trading Post. As for Margaret, she is running her ranch all by herself. There is no way possible for her to do it." Ben pointed out the facts to his eldest son.

Adam sighed, "But, Paaa..." He then stopped himself. He sounded like Little Joe.

"Adam, if you don’t do it, then it will be a few weeks before school starts again. All the children will get behind in their studies, and I’m sure your brothers would not want that to happen."

Joe looked up at his father with a sheepish grin as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Adam began to plead his case once again, "What about the ranch? With Hoss, Joe and me being gone, how will you manage?"

"Well, the three of you can still do your chores, and then after school we’ll just have to work together to get things done. Adam, I can handle the ranch. Hop Sing will help." Ben pointed his spoon in Hop Sing’s direction.

"I be very glad to help, Mr. Cartwright. I would be honored to work with you." Hop Sing nodded his head at the older man.

"But what about them, Pa?" Adam waved his hand toward his two brothers. "They don’t even listen to me here on the ranch. How would they act at school?"

"They both would act as if you were the normal teacher, or they will have to answer to me. The same rules would apply. If it makes you feel better, I don’t think Joseph will be pulling any more pranks for awhile."

Joe looked down into his stew. He absolutely would not be pulling any more pranks any time soon. His tail was on fire for the one he did today and he wouldn’t be forgetting it for awhile.

"Can I think about it Pa, I mean, it’s a big decision."

"That’s fine, son. Oh, one other thing. It pays fifteen dollars a month."

That night as Adam lay in his bunk, thoughts flew through his mind. Could he be a teacher? What if the kids hated him? What would he do if one of them misbehaved? How would he punish them? What would he teach? It occurred to him that he had already made his decision. Why would he be worried about what he was going to teach if he wasn’t going to do it. He would tell his father in the morning that he would take the job--only until Ms. Jones was better.

Adam then turned on his side to go to sleep; however, the snores from his younger brother were making it impossible. It was that moment that he realized why he always tried to go to sleep before Hoss.

Bright and early the next morning Adam joined his father and brothers at the table for breakfast. He informed his father that he had decided to take the job.

Hoss and Little Joe rolled their eyes and groaned. "You both would do well to behave yourselves at school. As I said before, if you give your brother a hard time, you will have to answer to me. And if your brother has to punish either of you at school, you will regret it." Ben lectured his two youngest sons.

As Ben pushed his chair from the table, he told the boys that he would be riding into town to pass the word around about school starting back on Monday. He would also go and visit Miss Jones and get whatever curriculum that she had been teaching for Adam. This way he would have the rest of the weekend to do his lesson plans.

When Ben was out of earshot, Hoss and Joe started to complain, "Dang, Adam, why did ya have to go and volunteer to be the teacher for?"

"Hoss, I thought you wanted to continue school, so it wouldn’t take you so long to finish," asked Adam as he rose from the table.

Hoss retaliated, "I did, but I didn’t want you to be the teacher."

Adam turned and retrieved his hat off the peg beside the door as he walked outside to start his chores.

"Maybe we can change his mind, Hoss." Joe had a mischievous look on his face.

"How, Joe? He’s done made up his mind. Anyway, Pa said if we don’t treat him right, we have to answer to him, and you know what that means. By the way you been shiftin’ around in your chair, you should be remembering real well." Hoss frowned as he pointed out the obvious situation.

A naughty smile crept across Joe’s face. "Pa said we had to behave. He didn’t say anything about our friends. Anyway, once they meet Mr. Bossy Boots, they will be too glad to help."

Hoss had a devilish gleam in his eyes. "What have you got in mind, Joe?"

Joe motioned for his bigger brother to lean close and he whispered his plan in his ear. As Joe told Hoss his plot, Hoss shook his head and chuckled.

"Yep, Joe, I don’t think Adam will last a week--not when we’re through with him."

The two determined boys got up from the table and went outside to do their chores. They wanted to finish, for they only had one short weekend to get the plan into action. Hoss almost felt sorry for Adam, but changed his mind when it occurred to him that Adam was going to get to boss him even more at school.

The rest of the weekend, Hoss and Joe went from farm to farm, visiting their classmates. They had put the plan into action. Pa never had to know that it was their idea.

Monday morning came only too soon. The boys sat at the table eating their breakfast of oatmeal and bread. Hoss and Joe had obvious grins on their faces, but Adam just picked at his food.

"Are you nervous, son?" Ben asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

Adam looked up from his bowl, "Just a little, Pa, I can’t help it."

Ben nodded, "It will be just fine, son. You’ll do a great job. You boys need to be on your way. You wouldn’t want to be late, would you?"

Little Joe snickered, "The teacher being late? Would us kids get to punish ya?"

"Speaking of punishments, need I remind you two to use your best manners?" Ben spoke with an authority in his voice.

Both Hoss and Joe slid glances at each another and then answered, "No, Pa."

The trip to town was silent. Adam was much too nervous to talk. Hoss and Joe were deep in thought over the plan they had formulated to keep Mr. Bossy Boots in his place.

When the trio trotted into the school yard, all of the children stopped and stared at them. Adam nodded his head at the children, while Hoss and Joe merely grinned. They stopped their horses in front of the corral and dismounted. Adam asked Hoss to take care of Beauty for him so he could go get set up inside. At first Hoss scoffed at the idea of taking care of Adam’s horse. School hadn’t even started and he was already being bossy.

Within a few minutes Adam stepped out on the front steps of the school. He took a deep breath and sighed. He then preceded to ring the bell. All the children scurried to line up in front of the new teacher. In a straight line they entered the small school house and took their seats.

Adam stepped in behind them and made his way to front of the class. He could feel the stares of the children burning a hole into his back. Once he was at the front of the class, he turned ever so slowly to face his class. He took a deep breath and started to speak, "Good morning students."

All the children chimed together, "Good morning."

Adam cleared his throat as he continued, "Most of you know me as Hoss’ and Joe’s brother, but here in the classroom I will be addressed as ‘Mr. Cartwright.’"

Tess giggled in the back of the room, while Hoss and Joe rolled their eyes.

"Now the first order of business is to take roll." Adam moved to the wooden desk and looked around for the roll book. Once he located the ledger, he began to call out the names of his pupils. After roll was called, Adam determined that there needed to be some changes in the room. When he glanced around, he noticed that a lot of the pupils were sitting next to their best friends. It didn’t take him to long to figured that everyone was not in their assigned seats.

Like a general in charge of a small army, he started belting out orders. He moved students around, rearranged desks, and even reorganized some books on a shelf. He then had the class start on their reading lessons. When one of the students argued that they usually did spelling first, Adam explained that he did things differently.

After morning break, Adam was going over some math problems with Joe’s group. When Little Joe kept getting the problems wrong, Adam told him to go to the chalk board and practice. "But, Adam..." Joe started to protest.

Adam leaned his head to the side and he cleared his throat, "That’s ‘Mr. Cartwright’, Joseph."

Little Joe narrowed his eyes, "If you think I’m calling you ‘Mr. Cartwright’, you’re plumb loco."

"Little Joe, I would think that you would be more respectful of your teacher." Adam emphasized the word "teacher" to try to give his little brother a warning.

Joe stood in a combative stance. "Teacher or no teacher, I ain’t callin ya ‘Mr. Cartwright.’" With that statement Joe stomped his foot.

The other children looked amazed at the show Little Joe was providing. Joe’s friend Mitch spoke up, "If he don’t have to call ya ‘Mister’, then neither do I." The other children chimed in, "Yeah, we won’t either."

Adam’s head came up at the statement. "We will raise our hands in this classroom before we speak, and everyone, and I mean everyone, will address me appropriately. And those who do not wish to follow the rules will be punished." Adam then turned back to face his tyrant brother. "Joseph Cartwright, you may go stand in the corner." Adam pointed to the area beside the teacher’s desk.

"I won’t," Joe stated simply.

Adam knew if he did not take control at that very moment, that he would have a hard time maintaining order within the classroom. He began to notice that the other children were becoming louder and shifting in their seats.

Adam walked over to his little brother and grabbed him by the arm. Joe started to protest by wiggling and yelling, "Let me go, Adam. Let me go."

Except Adam did not let him go. He drug his young disobedient student to the corner and placed him there not so nicely. He then leaned over and whispered in Joe’s ear, "You’ll stay here if you know what’s good for you." He then let go of his brother’s arm, and Joe turned to face the dreaded corner.

Adam then had to get the classroom back under control. He tapped the desk top with the wooden ruler to get the students’ attention. He then lectured the class about respect. Before he knew it, the day was finished; and he really had accomplished nothing. Almost none of the lessons had been done, and he felt like he had worked harder than ever before on the Ponderosa.

At two thirty he dismissed the class, except for Joe who was still standing in the corner. He had also given the class an ample amount of homework to make up for lost time. Adam moved over and sat at his desk. He blankly stared at the books in front of him. What had he gotten himself into? He sure did hope tomorrow was better. He then pulled out a piece of paper and began to write. When he was finished he went to his corner-bound student and handed the sealed envelope to him.

"What’s this??" Joe asked as he looked at the letter.

"What do you think it is, Joe?" Adam asked as he smiled.

Joe shrugged his shoulder, "I don’t know. It looks like a note."

Adam nodded his head, "That’s exactly what it is, little brother, a note from the teacher."

Joe’s eyes became wide as pancakes, "Adam...you can’t send a note home to Pa."

"I can, and I did. I for one know that you will give the note to Pa, because if you don’t, I can tell him about it myself." Adam crossed his arms, a victorious grin on his face. "One more thing, Joe, that’s ‘Mr. Cartwright’ to you, until you are dismissed."

Joe stood, a shocked look on his face. Boy was he going to be in trouble. He groaned to himself as he thought about what Pa was going to do to him when he got home. What had happened to the plan that he and Hoss had? Nobody had followed through with their parts today. Maybe they were just waiting to see how Adam acted before they decided to ambush him.

After about ten more minutes, Adam dismissed Joe from school for the day. "Wait for me outside. I want the three of us to ride home together." Adam gathered some books and papers and headed for the door. He stopped for a moment and looked back into the room. He had survived the first day, but what will tomorrow bring?

When they arrived in the yard at the Ponderosa, Ben was there to great them. "How was your first day of teaching," he asked Adam as his son dismounted his horse.

Adam veered his eyes to his right to look at his brothers, "Well, Pa, I can’t say it wasn’t interesting."

"I see." Ben stepped over to Joe’s horse and took the reins, "What happened that was so interesting??"

Adam jerked his head toward Joe, "I think you might want to ask Joe about that, Pa." Adam then took his books and papers from his saddle bags and headed to the house.

"Pa, it was a real interestin’ day," Hoss stated as he walked past his father and little brother.

When Hoss was out of sight, that left Joe standing alone with his father. Ben looked down at his youngest and could tell he was rather nervous about something. Ben tied Paint’s reins to the fence as Joe slid off the horse’s back. Ben then shifted around to face his young one.

"What did happen at school today, Joe?" Ben crossed his arms across his broad chest, puzzled look on his face.

Joe started hitting his closed fist on the side of his pants, "Well, Pa.....you see...well." Joe couldn’t get the words out, so instead he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the letter Adam had given him at school.

Ben’s lips went into a thin line as his eyebrows furrowed. "What’s this?" he asked as he took the envelope from Joe.

"A note." Joe whispered while looking at a patch of grass on the ground.

"I see." Ben said as he opened the letter and began to read the contents. As he read, his eyes went from the letter to Joe and then back to the letter again.

"I thought I had made myself clear about how you would treat Adam at school."

"Yes, sir, you did, but we had a misunderstanding."

Ben’s eyes opened slightly wider, "A misunderstanding? This letter states that you were disrespectful and disobedient. It also says you disrupted the whole class with your actions. Is this true, Joseph??"

"But Pa....Adam was goin to make me call him ‘Mr. Cartwright’!!" Joe defended.

Ben’s patience was becoming worn, "And why wouldn’t you call him ‘Mr. Cartwright’? That is a way of showing respect. You don’t call Miss Jones ‘Abigail’, do you??"

"Pa...that’s different. Adam’s my brother. I shouldn’t have to call him Mister."

"Well, young man, you are sadly mistaken. When you are at school, you will address him properly. And teacher or not, he will always be your older brother and he deserves a certain level of respect. I will not have you talking back to any of your elders. You know a might better than that." Ben waved his hand for Joe to walk with him.

Joe dawdled as he walked with his father into the barn. He was trying to put off the punishment that he knew was coming.

"Joseph, what did I tell you would happen if you did not treat Adam respectfully at school today?"

Joe shifted on his feet, as he placed his hands behind his back, "That..." he hesitated, "That we would have to answer to you." The little boy hung his head low.

"You didn’t think I meant it?" Ben moved over and sat in a chair that he had in the barn for repairing. "Please look at me and not your feet."

Joe brought his head up, "No..Pa..I knew you meant it."

Ben reached out and took hold of Joe’s hand. He then pulled him closer, "Then what on earth were you thinking?"

Shrugging his shoulder Joe responded, "I guess I wasn’t, Pa."

"Apparently not."

With one swift motion, Ben pulled Joe over his lap. He then seared the seat of Little Joe’s britches until Joe begged him to stop.

After what seemed like forever to Little Joe, Ben stood his mislead son to his feet, "I hope I won’t have to give you another reminder tomorrow."

Joe sniffed, "No, Pa, you won’t."

Ben stood up as he handed the little boy his handkerchief, "I want you to get your chores done, then you can start on your homework."

"Yes, Pa."

"Oh, Joseph, I want you to apologize to your brother."

"Yes, Pa."

Little Joe made his way into the house. As he stepped in the door, Adam looked up from the table when he heard his little brother say his name.

"Adam, I want to apologize for what happened at school today."

Adam laid his pencil down on the tablet in front of him, "I accept your apology. All is forgiven."

Joe was relieved that he had that over with. He then slowly walked outside to start on his chores.

The next morning’s ride to school was not a pleasant experience for Little Joe. He kept having to shift around in his saddle to try to find a comfortable position.

Arriving in town, Hoss and Adam headed to the school. Little Joe had to go turn his report in to Miss Jones. It was already a day late because they were running behind yesterday and then he had to stay after school.

Joe walked up the steps to the boarding house and went to Miss Jones’ room. He gently knocked on the door hoping the young woman would still be asleep. Instead he heard a voice call "Come in."

He carefully opened the door and pushed it open. He could see his teacher sitting up in the bed with pillows holding up her head.

"Miss Jones, ma’am?"

"Well, Joseph Cartwright, I was expecting you yesterday," Miss Jones said as she reached up to straighten her hair.

"Yes, ma’am. I would have come yesterday; but with it being Adam’s first day, he didn’t want us to be late, and then I had to stay after school."

Miss Jones shook her head. "Your brother had to keep you after school?"

"Yes, ma’am." Joe could feel his cheeks getting red. He then handed her the report.

Miss Jones looked over it quickly, "Well, this looks just fine. I tell you what, I will check this over and you may come pick it up in a couple of days. I’m going to add the score you receive to your grade. Maybe it will help bring your average up."

Joe shook his head, "Umm...Miss Jones, I have to go now. I don’t want to be late for class."

"Fine, Joseph, I will see you in a couple days." Miss Jones waved as Joseph went out the door.

Joe ran over to the schoolyard as fast as he could. When he entered the playground area, he noticed a bunch of the kids huddled together under the oak tree. He went over to join his friend Mitch.

Mitch turned and greeted his friend, "Where ya been, Joe?"

"I had to go turn in a stupid report to Miss Jones."

Mitch looked surprised, "But she ain’t even the teacher right now."

"Yeah, I know, it was part of my punishment for tripping her. Pa made me do it."

"What did your Pa say about what happened yesterday with Mr. Bossy Boy," Mitch asked as he pointed his thumb toward the school.

"So, you think he’s bossy too," Joe asked with a grin.

"Sure, he made us change seats and had us movin’ the desks. Then all that extra homework--I can’t wait for Miss Jones to get back. So, what happened?"

Joe rubbed his backside. "Pa tanned me real good. He even said I had to call Adam ‘Mr. Cartwright.’"

Mitch rolled his eyes, "Well, don’t worry about it. We all decided to stick together and follow through with the plan you and Hoss had come up with. Starting with, none of us did our homework. Did you?"

"I did it standing up, but I did it. I couldn’t get away with not doin’ it, not with Adam being the teacher. Hoss did his too. Anyway what does not doing your homework got to with our plan?"

"Well if none of us do what Mr. Bossy says to, then we figure he will get fed up and quit." Mitch swatted a fly that had landed on his nose.

When they heard the bell ring, Hoss and Little Joe hurried to the doorway; but none of the other students followed. Hoss and Joe grinned as they knew that their plan was getting ready to be launched.

Adam stood and frowned as the children ignored the bell. He looked at Hoss and Joe as he stepped out into the schoolyard. "Do you know what’s going on?"

Hoss and Joe shrugged their shoulders at the question and headed inside the school.

As Adam tried to gather his undisciplined pupils, they started to throw rocks and dirt at him. Adam was becoming more than a little upset. "That’s it. Everyone in the school, NOW!!"

All the children stopped in their tracks, they couldn’t believe Adam could sound so much like Ben Cartwright. Tess was the one surprised the most. Her eyes grew large and, like a flash of lighting, she was in the building sitting at her desk.

When the class was finally under control and everyone was in their seats, it was time to gather homework. The only students in the whole room that had the work completed were Hoss and Little Joe. "What is going on with the lot of you?" Adam paced around the class. "Since no one did their work, you may all stay inside at recess."

They all moaned. Tess started to protest, "Adam Cartwright, what gives you the right to take away our recess? I mean, you ain’t no real teacher. We don’t have to do what you say."

The class started to cheer, "Yeah, we don’t have to do what you say."

Adam stood tall and tried to look stern. "Well the school board hired me to teach you and that’s what I intend to do. And Tess that’s ‘Mr. Cartwright.’ I will not tolerate disrespect from a little girl."

"A ‘little girl.’" Tess begin to yell, "how dare you, Mr. Cartwright, call me such a name. I would like you to know that I am almost as old as you. And you are not bossing me around for another minute." With that Tess stood from her seat and stomped out of the school.

When she did this, the other students followed suit--all except Little Joe and Hoss. They stayed in their seats and smirked to themselves. Their plan had worked. They were sure that Adam would go tell Miss Jones he quit, and school would be out until they found someone else. Hoss wanted to get his education finished, but not with Mr. Adam Bossy Bones as his teacher.

Adam stood at the front of the classroom, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. He ran his hand through his black raven hair. He was absolutely lost for words. When did he lose complete control of the students, he had only been the teacher for two days.

Little Joe raised his hand, grinning widely as he did so.

"What is it, Little Joe?" Adam asked in total shock.

"Mr. Cartwright, sir, is class dismissed?" Joe was as smug as he could be.

Adam shot a evil look at him, "Shut up, Little Joe. Just shut up." Adam reached over and grabbed his hat and started to the door. "Come on, you two. We might as well go home."

Hoss and Joe smiled like Cheshire cats as they scurried out of their seats. As they left the small wooden building, they shut the doors snugly behind them.

"What are you three doing home?" Ben asked as he stepped out of the barn.

Adam had a defeated look on his face, "Pa, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t teach the students. I hate to say it, but I failed. So will you please tell the town council I quit."

Ben stood with a bewildered look on his face. He glanced at Hoss and then Joe. He noticed that they each wore a conceited smile. For some reason, he felt there was more to the story.

Hoss and his little brother had dismounted their horses and were heading to the barn.

"Boys," Ben spoke with his deep fatherly voice.

They each turned around to see what he wanted. Hoss answered for the both of them, "Yes, Pa?"

Ben took a few steps closer to his to youngest sons. He eyed them from head to toe. When they each looked to the ground and avoided his eyes, he definitely knew something was amiss.

"Would one of you like to tell what in Zeus happened today?" Ben stood with his hands on his hips.

"Umm...Pa, maybe Adam would prefer to tell ya," Little Joe said as he chewed on his bottom lip.

Ben leaned his head slightly to the side and narrowed his eyes. He then walked to the barn and motioned for his sons to join him inside. Once they stood inside the planked barn, they started to get more nervous. They really hadn’t done anything directly, but they knew it had been their plan and it had worked.

Ben stood in front of them both, thumbs hooked near his belt buckle. "I’m not sure what is going on here, but I would suggest someone explain and do it quickly."

Hoss looked at Joe and Joe looked at Pa. They each swallowed hard and wiped the sweat of their brows.

Ben’s voice grew louder. "I’m waiting!"

"Eric, why don’t you explain."

Eric? Did Pa just call him Eric? Oh, no, Hoss thought to himself, when Pa starts calling him that he means business.

Hoss stammered, "Why me?"

Ben shifted as he became more impatient, "You’re the oldest. Need I remind the two of you that I will not wait long? Maybe I need to take my belt off right now." Ben started to unbuckle his belt.

Hoss threw up his arm, "No, Pa, ya don’t have to do that. I’ll tell you." Hoss then went into all the sordid details, explaining how he and Little Joe had rode to all their friends’ houses, how they had told everyone that Adam was bossy, and how they had convinced all the school kids to go along with their plan. Hoss stood a minute with his eyes closed waiting for the explosion that he knew was coming,

But it didn’t. Instead, Ben told them to get their chores done, and Adam’s chores as well. When their father was through the barn door, he turned and told them that they could also do his chores, and then they could go help Hop Sing with his.

Each young boy answered with a respectful, "Yes sir." They then turned to get busy. As they worked on mucking the stalls, Joe looked up at Hoss and asked, "What do you think about that, Hoss?"

"About what, Little Joe?" Hoss threw some hay into the wheelbarrow.

"Pa just givin’ us extra chores?"

Hoss looked at Joe with a grim look on his face. "I don’t think Pa is done with us, Little brother. Nope, I sure don’t.

Ben took a few long strides toward the house. Once inside, he found Adam lying in his bunk, arms across his eyes.

"Adam, are you all right, son?"

Adam sat up on the side of his bed. "Pa, I just can’t do it. I mean, I tried, but I couldn’t control them." The frustration in Adam’s voice was apparent.

Ben walked over and sat on the bunk across from his son. "So your going to give up?"

Adam looked up at his father with his big blue eyes. "I don’t know what else to do."

"Well, I do," Ben begin. "You go back to school and take control of your students–starting with those two out in the barn."

Adam tensed. "They had something to do with all this? If they did, I swear, when I get my hands on them....."

Ben stood up and walked over to the window. He looked out and noticed his two youngest sons hard at work. "No need, son, I’ll take care of them. What I am more concerned about is getting you back to school."

"Damn it, Pa You just don’t understand." Adam slapped his hand over his mouth as he stood up. Did he just curse at his father? Surely he had not said that word out loud, but by the look of his father’s face, he had.

Ben turned and took a step closer to his son, pointing as he did so. "If you think for one minute you will ever be able to speak to me in such a manner, you, young man are sadly mistaken." Ben spoke with his low voice that all his sons recognized.

Adam felt like he was twelve years old again. He looked at his father and spoke in a soft whisper, "Sorry, sir It won’t happen again."

Ben lowered his hand, "I should hope not. The next time it does, however, I promise you a sound tanning."

Adam’s head shot up. "A tanning? Aren’t I a little old for that? And you would tan me for saying the word ‘damn?’ You used to just wash out our mouths out with that awful soap."

"I would not tan you for saying that word," Ben started to explain, "but for saying it to me in the manner that you just did. As for being too old, I will never think one of my sons is too old to be corrected. I will never tolerate disrespect. One more thing, if you would like, I can go get that soap and use it." Ben’s expression softened as he spoke.

Adam had started to flush. "Ummm..no, Pa, that’s okay really. I’m just frustrated."

"That is why I am over looking it this one time, but I will not in the future."

"Yes, sir, Pa."

"Now, let’s get back on the subject--about you starting to teach school again." Ben sat back down on the bunk.

"Pa, I can’t. I failed and I just can’t go back and face those kids again."

"Adam, do you remember when you were first learning to ride a horse and you fell from the saddle?"

"Sure, Pa, I can recall that. I didn’t want to ever ride a horse again." Adam spoke as he crossed the room to stand by the window. "Why?"

"Don’t you remember, I made you get right back in that saddle. If I hadn’t, you would probably still be walking today."

Adam began to grin. "If I remember correctly, you had to give me a couple of swats before I would get back up on that horse."

Ben ran his hand over his face. "Yes I did, but it worked. It didn’t take you fifteen minutes and you were riding. And ever since you have been a great horseman." Ben stood and walked to stand by his son. "Would it help if I gave you a couple of swats to get you started again?"

"Nooo, sir, that is not necessary at all." Adam stood in thought for a brief moment. "Just take control? You think that will work Pa?"

Ben smiled a wide grin. "Yes, son, I do. That and if I were you I would have a switch ready."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "You mean to punish the kids with?"

"Adam, whatever punishment you promise, remember to follow through. That way they will know that you’re not going to take anything from any of them. If I promise a certain type of punishment, do I ever let you down by not following through?"

It was Adam’s turn to smile. "No, Pa, I don’t think you have ever forgotten a punishment you have promised. I can’t say that we haven’t prayed that you would."

Ben turned to walk back into the great room. "Your brothers and I will be letting everyone know that school will start next Monday. This will give you time to get yourself together." Ben paused and turned for a moment. "Adam, don’t forget that children don’t always like change. You have to help them through it."

Adam nodded at his father’s observation and decided at that moment that this time things would be done differently.

Ben then continued his trek to the barn. When he stepped inside, Hoss and Little Joe were working hard. "Boys. . ."

Ben voice caused each youth to stop what they were doing. Ben motioned for his two sons to come stand in front of him.

Joe shuffled his feet as he walked to his father. Hoss, on the other hand, almost ran to where Ben stood.

"You both will be joining me on a trip tomorrow." Ben propped his hands upon his hips.

"A trip, Pa, where?" Little Joe asked as he shifted his feet.

"You will be helping spread the news that school will be starting again on Monday."

Hoss stood with his mouth half opened. "But, Pa, I thought Adam quit."

Ben squinted his eyes as he turned to look at his middle son. "He changed his mind."

"Oh."

"Well, at least we have a few days of,." Little Joe started to say gleefully.

Ben frowned, "No, you don’t."

Joe looked up into his father’s angry face, "What do you mean, Pa? You said school don’t start back till Monday."

"That’s right, young man, but you and your brother here will be real busy doing chores. I wouldn’t want either of you to get into any trouble. So I will keep you busy, and if I run out of things for you to do, then I will see what Hop Sing can find. Understood?" Ben glared at his sons.

"You ain’t being fair, Pa. When school’s out, that should be our playtime." Joe took a battle stance and shook his fist at his father.

Ben placed his hand on top of Joe’s fist and pushed it down. "I think I am being more than fair. If you and Hoss hadn’t started this whole mess, then you would be in school tomorrow. But if you like, I can give you what you really deserve."

Joe shook his head. "No...Pa, that’s all right. Your being more than fair, I won’t say anything more about it."

Ben removed his hand from Joe’s. "Good. Now, both of you get busy. Tomorrow when we return, we’ll go over what you both will be doing."

Hoss and Joe both spoke, "Yes, sir," then returned to work.

The next morning Ben, Hoss, and Joe set out to spread the word about school being reopened. Adam stayed at home, preparing the lessons his students would soon be doing.

All weekend long consisted of Adam working on his school work, while Hoss and Little Joe worked, worked, and then worked some more on chores, of course. Ben had given them each a list a mile and a half long. And if either looked as if they had nothing to do, he found them something.

Ben once even overheard Little Joe telling Hoss that he wished he was in school. When Sunday night finally arrived, Joe was glad. He was exhausted from doing all that extra work. He was also thankful that he was going to be able to sit comfortably at school tomorrow. He knew that his Pa could have done some damage if he wanted to.

Monday morning had finally arrived. Adam had ridden ahead so he could prepare the room. Ben drove Hoss and Joe into town, he didn’t want either one to have a chance to start anything. Hoss and Joe had started to protest being taken to school, but one "look" from their father and they both become rather silent.

Ben dropped his two wayward sons off in front of the small schoolhouse, with one last reminder to behave themselves. He, of course, reminded them of what the consequences would be if they did not. He also made them aware that this time he would not cut them any slack.

Adam stepped out onto the wooden steps and began to ring the bell. All of the same students were there from last week. As they marched through the doorway, they each shot a heated glare at Adam.

When the last student had entered, Adam turned and followed them. He walked to the front of the room practically holding his breath. He stood for a moment scanning over the classroom. As he went to speak, he had to stop and swallow the lump in his throat.

"Good morning, students." Adam spoke as if his mouth was full of cotton.

The students chimed together, "Good morning, Mr. Cartwright."

Adams eyes grew large. Had they just called him ‘Mr. Cartwright?’ Maybe he was imagining things.

He then cleared his this throat and began to speak. "If you have noticed, I moved the desks back to their original spots. I also went and spoke to Miss Jones so I could obtain your proper seating arrangement."

He then started to move the students to their normally assigned seats.

"We will also be following the normal order of your lessons. Miss Jones wrote everything down for me. We will start with the spelling. On the board I have written your words for the day. I will give you awhile to study and write them. I will then go over them with each grade." Adam moved over to the board and pointed to the words he had written. In a few short moments the class was quiet and everyone was working on their lessons.

When it was time for lunch, Adam rang the bell to dismiss the students. Much to his relief, things were going much smoother than he had anticipated. He figured this was because his father had gone and spoken to most of the parents last week. The parents probably had talks with the children and warned them to watch their manners. It would not be until after lunch that he would be given his first test to prove himself.

Somehow, Mitch, Joe’s best friend, had talked Joe into starting some trouble. They wanted to prove to the other students that Adam wasn’t all that he appeared. At first the youngest Cartwright had some reservations. He remembered what Pa said he would do if he got in trouble again; but with all the other kids teasing him about Adam, he couldn’t help himself.

After the students had settled in their seats after lunch, Adam began with passing out math papers that each child was to complete. When Adam reached his little brother, he handed him one of the papers. To the young man’s surprise, Joe wadded up the paper and threw it to the front of the class. Adam heard the sound of oooh’s and aaaah’s. This is when Adam knew Joe was testing him, and Adam would have to pass this test or die trying.

Adam bent at the waist, "Joe, go pick that paper up, NOW!"

"Nope." Joe sat in his seat, eyes facing forward.

"Joseph Cartwright, I will give you to the count of five to pick that up, or you will be sorry." Adam pointed to the wadded up paper lying in the front of the room.

Joe crossed his arms, aware the entire class was watching, "I ain’t goin’ to pick it up A-dam, and you cain’t make me."

"I can’t make you, and that’s ‘Mr. Cartwright’ to you."

Joe rolled his eyes and sighed. He wasn’t expecting for Adam to correct his grammar. Instead he

figured he would be so upset by now that he would be closing school down.

"Fine. You can’t make me, A-dam." Joe waved his hand at Adam as if he were no one important.

"If you don’t pick that up by the time I count to five, I’m going to take a switch to you for being disrespectful and disobedient. One...two..." Joe just sat there looking at his brother. Adam continued his counting, "three...four...five. That’s it, Joe. You asked for it." Adam walked to his desk and picked up the switch he had cut on his way to school that morning. He walked back to his little brother’s desk, grabbed him by the upper arm, yanked him out of that seat, and swatted his behind five times with that switch. Joe yelped with each lick and danced around. He was so surprised by what his oldest brother had done, he couldn’t speak.

Adam then pointed to the paper still lying in the floor. "Pick that up! Then go stand in the corner."

Joe started to walk to the front of the class. All eyes were on him. He picked up the paper and tossed it into the wastebasket. He looked back at his classmates and was amazed to see that everyone sat in their seats wide eyed with stunned looks on their faces.

"Corner, Joseph." Adam’s voice broke the silence. Joe turned and went to the corner. He stood silently wondering if what had just taken place really had happened. Then he felt the stinging in his backside and knew for a fact it had happened.

Adam was so proud of himself. He stood his ground, followed through with his threat, and faced his first problem bravely.

After the incident with his little brother, Adam noticed that the children were much more behaved. They addressed him properly and followed instructions. Even Little Joe straightened up. After they had returned home that night, Pa had a talk with Joe in the barn. And by the way Joe sat for several days, Adam was sure he knew what had happened.

Finally after a few weeks, Miss Jones was ready to return to her teaching duties. Adam had prepared the children for her homecoming party. He had them each write a poem dedicated to her. They also had drawn some pictures that he hung around the classroom. Hop Sing baked cookies for the occasion, and one of the parents brought in lemonade.

Miss Jones thanked Adam for doing such an excellent job and was pleased as punch at the celebration that had been planned for her return.

Adam was somewhat sad at his departure, yet he was glad to be going back to work on the Ponderosa. He said his goodbyes to his students and left the classroom filled with pride and a sense of accomplishment.

On his way out the door he could hear Miss Jones asking the students about their adventures with the substitute school teacher.

Later that week, Ben and Adam worked side by side and discussed everything that happened. Ben, of course, had told his son how proud he was of what he had accomplished and that he knew from the beginning that he would be a great teacher.

Adam all at once found himself speaking to his father like he was speaking to a student when Ben had thrown the pitchfork on the ground. Adam quickly turned around and said "Pa, if you don’t pick that pitchfork up by the count of five, I will take a swi....." Adam never finished his sentence. Ben chuckled, "You’ll what, son?"

"Never mind, Pa." Adam instead turned around and went back to work He had started to flush when he realized what he was about to say to his father. As he did his chores, Adam thought about what his class had learned from him. In turn, he had also learned a valuable lesson that he would not soon forget.

The End