It was no secret that teacher Miss Lowe at the Central School in Carleton Place was mean. Well, she wasn’t mean in the dictionary sense- she was just a very tough disciplinarian. One day she instructed a couple of scalawags to stay after school in order that a mystery might be solved. Even though the clock had struck 4 no one was going anywhere until someone fessed up who stuck the bent pin on Mickey Lee’s seat.
It had began innocently enough when Mickey had stood up to read about “Casper and the Setting Sun”. Leaving his seat mate, Norm Strong, meant Norm could tend to the business of constructing a bent pen pin and some cardboard into some rough torture device. As the end of the reading came near, Strong decided his creation should be placed directly on Mickey’s seat. When Mickey sat down he made the fact known in quite the Academy Award manner. As usual, no one could give Miss Lowe any information about the matter.
After school, the boys expected to feel the wrath of Miss Lowe, but bad or good luck, a fire suddenly broke out in Sam McGonnigals’ livery stable, which was a short distance from the school on Victoria Street. As the smoke from the burning hay and straw was seen gaining momentum in the sky Miss Lowe had no choice but to quickly dismiss her students. The matter was not brought up again– unless someone was caught smoking in the boy’s room.
With files and photos from the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum
Buy Linda Secaspina’s Books— Flashbacks of Little Miss Flash Cadilac– Tilting the Kilt-Vintage Whispers of Carleton Place and 4 others on Amazon or Amazon Canada or Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street in Carleton Place
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