There was a boy in school named Edgar Brown. He was as mischievous as I, and perhaps more so. For the most part, he and I fussed with each other, but sometimes we cooperated with each other.

The 5th grade teacher was Miss Romalee Boyd, the daughter of Romeo Boyd who owned a shop in town. Miss Boyd was a really nice lady, and we all respected her. She had served as assistant in a different school, but this was her first class by herself.

Edgar and I caught a small bird in the tree behind the school. We just had to think up a dirty trick to play with it. We decided to put it in Miss Boyd's desk drawer and see what she would do when she opened the drawer and the bird flew out.

Miss boyd kept a paddle in the drawer, although I don't think she ever used it. When the class was seated and everything became orderly, Edgar and I started to devil her. She countered with all kinds of remarks, and when none of it worked, opened the drawer to retrieve the paddle.

The bird, being very frightened, went fluttering out with a flourish. Miss Boyd was so startled that she wet the floor. Then she started to cry and ran from the room.

After a while Libby Heavner came in and took over the class. Edgar and I felt bad about what we had done. We liked Miss Boyd a lot, and would never want to embarrass her. For the rest of the year both of us, and especially myself, were model students.

On the last day of school I stayed behind until all the other students had left, and then went to Miss Boyd and said, "Romalee, I was the one that put the bird in your desk."

"Yes", she said, "You and Edgar. I knew it all the time."

"Then why didn't you punish us?", I asked.

"I did, and it worked, too", she said, "For you were a good, well behaved student for the rest of the year."

She was correct. No whipping could have accomplished what she did by doing nothing. She had the wisdom of Soloman.