who, clothed in a little
brief authority, 'go about 'restin' people:'

Our village we consider one of the most pleasant in the country;
our boys full of life and activity, and our officers men of energy
and perseverance, and men who understand their importance. In
proof of these assertions, I offer the following sketch of an
occurrence a few years ago.

DICK BARNES was a blacksmith, and a man of considerable notoriety
in those days, and from the peculiar prominence of his front upper
teeth he had derived, from the boys of the village, the singular
nick-name of 'Tushy.' For two or three successive years he had
been elected constable, and the duties of this great public office
appeared to demand that he should neglect his legitimate private
business, so that it was said that the safest place for him to
secrete himself--the most unlikely place where he would be
sought--would be behind his own anvil. Like many others 'clothed
with a little brief authority' he was not overmodest in showing
his importance.

The boys were then, as they are now, fond of skating, and there
was a large pond near the centre of the village on which they used
to have fine times on moonlight evenings, and especially Sunday
evenings, and, as a natural consequence, when large numbers of
boys are engaged in sport, they were somewhat noisy.

One Sunday evening, when the ice was very smooth and the boys were
enjoying themselves, BARNES made his appearance on the ice and
ordered them off, in tones, and exclamations of authority. The
boys did not like this interference in their sports and couldn't
see the justice of his demand. 'That's old Tushy,' says one, and
the cry of 'Tushy,' 'Tushy,' soon passed among the crowd of
skaters, till BARNES began to think it personal, and was
determined to catch one of them and make of him an example. The
ice was 'glib,' as they termed it, and as they all had skates
except 'Tushy,' they were rather rude in their behavior towards
him,--a not very uncommon circumstance,--and though they were
careful to keep out of harm's way, they kept near enough to him to
annoy him. Finding all efforts to catch one of them fruitless,
with the advantage they had,--for 'the wicked _stand_ on slippery
places,'--he announced his determination to catch one of them
anyhow, and started for the sh