THE RAID OF THE CAMANCHES.
BY THE AUTHOR OF "WE BOYS."
Fred Hart, who was the eldest son of a country clergyman, and preparing
for college at Whitford Boys' Academy, was known at that classical
institution as a "dig," because he "dug" into his books and studied
hard. His room-mate, Neal Howe, an orphan, dependent upon his own
exertions, was styled a "digger;" and as both lads were rather dark, it
was but a step for those wicked upper-story boys to stigmatize them,
"Digger Indians!"
This term was gradually extended to include all the boys in the second
story, for they were all hard students. The "Diggers" retaliated mildly
by styling their upper-story neighbors, "Camanches."
The Camanches perpetrated all sorts of schoolboy atrocities on the
Diggers, but, above all things else, they burned for a pillow-fight. In
vain they challenged the Diggers to combat. Those law-abiding savages
declined, though well aware of thereby falling into contempt on charge
of cowardice.
Unmistakable indications were soon apparent that the Camanches
meditated an attack.
The north wing was intended to be fire-proof, and each story was
separated from the main building by iron doors which usually were
fastened back by staples.
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