The Country Schoolmaster
The master of the country school,
Had lost his leg below,
Where shadows hide the cavern-roof,
And miners come and go;
And so he wore a wooden stump,
On which we oft did gaze,
As he came thumping down the road
With many a curious phrase.
He knew no more of sciences
Than Maggie of the mill
Could just add up a simple sum,
And use his stumpy quill,
And teach his pupils how to read
Out of the book of Psalms,
And bring the dreaded ruler down
Upon their smarting palms.
In person he was somewhat short,
And he wore rustic clothes,
And he had metal spectacles,
Which rested on his nose.
This long appendage seemed to be
Distinctly understood,
For he could scent the wicked boys
From where his rostrum stood.
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