The Bully - a fun story

 This is about Bill Badger (1925-1988)

as told by his mother... It was very hard for you in Scipio. You walked six blocks to school. Keith Robison would beat up on you and so did two girls. One day at recess, your teacher called you to her, and told you to go out there and if anyone picked on you to hit him a good one and she would laugh and clap her hands while you did it. One of the boys hit you so you did hit him a good one.

After you came home from school, I had to go to the store, some of the men who loafed on the store porch said to tell you Keith Robison was still lying where you left him. They told me that Keith was a bully and picked on you since your first day at school. He was hitting you and the men called to you to take off your coat and beat the devil out of that kid. They said you removed your coat, carefully folded it and laid it on the ground. You placed your books on the coat and gave Keith the beating he had so long deserved.

 They said Keith was lying on the ground bawling. You put your coat on and came home. The men all cheered for you. When I told you the men said to tell you Keith was still lying where you left him you said, “I don’t care if he is, and if he ever bothers me again, I will beat up on him again.” “Now if those two girls would leave me alone, I would be all right.” We loved you and said we were proud of you.

 Grandpa had quite a time to convince you that it would be quite proper to beat up one of the girls or both if necessary and they would like you better. The next day when you came home happy as could be and said, “Well I beat up on Ivy today and she is the best friend I’ve got. I wrote on one of my schoolbooks and I have to pay a nickel. Ivy said she would give me a nickel or ask her grandma to give me a job to earn it.” If I have to beat up on any more kids I will.” You didn’t have to.