As Maggie sobbed, Johnny leaned forward and told her with a menacing whisper.."You better not tell ole stringhead on me! I'll whoolp you real bad if you do!" As the tears fell, Maggies little body shook with the threat of his words. Then...anger took over!
"Maggie Jacob?! Why the outburst in my classroom?" The teacher had her stern look as she approched Maggie's desk with her paddle. A paddle that all the kids feared with it's three little tormenting holes drilled in it! Maggie rubbed her head as pain gave her a headache.
Between sobs, she uttered, "He yanked my hair!"
"Stop your crying girl and speak up!" With her arms crossed, Mrs.Weakly gave Johnny a look that could kill. Not him again! She signed heavy as she waited for Maggie to answer. She noticed Johnny had his head down with a smirk on his face.
"That mean ole boy pulled my pig tail!" Maggie cried out in a loud voice.
"Young lady! Who in the world is that 'mean ole boy'?!" As if she didn't already know..but she had to have to have a name..She whacked her paddle on Johnny's desk and yelled above the murmer of the class. "Quiet class!" Silence followed as she saw Johnny almost jump completely out of his desk.
"Maggie! I'm waiting!" Sobbing, Maggie answered as she angerly swiped at the tears.
"Johnny Mullins! He's always pickin' on me! He's mean mean mean! I hate him!"
"Did anyone else see this happen?!" Mrs. Weakly asked the class as she gave the boy behind Johnny a stern stare. With eyes huge, he nodded his head up and down. That was all she needed. "Johnny Mullins! Stand up right now! Are you going to deny pulling Maggie's hair?!"
Johnny looked down and and didn't admit to anything. As Johnny stood beside of his desk, the teacher grabbed his arm and took him to the front of the classroom. Silence.. Then he took his punishment of five swats with the ill famous paddle.
Maggie laid her head down on her desk and sobbed quietly as Kathy padded her back. All the things he had done would never compare to this! Even him making fun of the way she talked. He would laugh and say.."You can't even talk plain either!" She couldn't help it if she had a slight lisp..that's what her Mother called it when Maggie asked her. Nobody else ever said anything about the way she talked. Her Mother tried to tell her to ignore Johnny, but she found that impossible when he wouldn't leave her alone. Aunt Shury told her she should get a hickery stick and whack him across the shins with it and then run like the devil! She also told her not to tell Ellen she said that too! As she sat there thinking of it all, she hoped he wouldn't bother her any more. Maybe this spanking from the teacher would scare him enough to let him know she wouldn't let him get away with nothing else from now on. She jumped as she heard Kathy whisper to her.
"Maggie..Mrs. Weakly is talkin' to you." Maggie raised her head and looked to the front of the room. She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand.
"Maggie..come along with me outside with Kathy for a moment please. Class...
I do NOT want to hear a sound while I'm gone!" She gave them one of her stern looks as she ushered the two girls out the classroom door to the hall. She told them that she had sent Johnny home, so there would be no more outbursts in her classroom. And since it was so close to the end of the day, she was going to allow them to leave early as well..Kathy was allowed along so Maggie wouldn't be alone. |
