Mr. Young strode into the classroom and in his booming voice announced,
"Books and stationery check!....empty your desks....everything on top!"
Seventeen twelve year old boys joyfully stood up from their seats and lifted desk tops piling the contents onto their chairs then onto the desks. This was better than English! The Master strode briskly between the rows of desksas this activity was taking place, glancing at the contents as they were piled onto desktops.
"Pile up your books....place your pens, pencils, rubbers, rulers etc. in NEAT rows"
The boys obeyed, qyuetly muttering to eachother, questioning lost pencils, 'borrowd' rubbers and suchlike.
"SILENCE!....any more noise and I'll be getting out my slipper!"
An immediate silence fell. The boys each sat down as their task was completed. The Master then went from desk to desk checking books and equipment. At the third desk he frowned.
"What has happened to your rubber Hoskins?!"
The boy figeted, staring at the two halves of eraser.
"It broke Sir"
"It broke!....oh! did it just fall in half boy?"
"No Sir....I, well, I broke it Sir"
"I see, wanton destruction....out to the front boy!"
Hoskins made his way to the front og the classroom. Three more desks were inspected, at the seventh the Master picked up a six inch length of ruler.
"Where is the rest of this boy?"
"Sorry Sir, I don't know, I accidentally broke it Sir, it was an accident Sir!"
"I'm sure....an accident as it was being 'twanged' no doubt!....school property is not provided for your amusement boy....to the front"
Barker joined his classmate at the front of the room. After the inspection was completed five boys were lined up by the blackboard. The Master walked briskly to the cupboard. All present knew that five whackings were about to be administered. Mr. Young opened the cupboard and took out the big old plimsoll he kept for the boys, he also produced a new wooden ruler.
"Barker!....here is a new ruler, I repeat it is NOT provided for you to play with but to use sensibly, however on this occasion I will demonstrate one particular use a ruler DOES have....come here!"
Barker stood before the Master.
"Over the desk boy"
The boy turned and draped himself across the empty desk. The Teacher leaned down and with his left hand he took a hold of the boys short trousers leg and hoisted it up as high as was possible, exposing white underpants and bare flesh below the leg opening of the pants. With his right hand he swished the ruler down onto the bare flesh of the boys lower buttock, just above the top of the thigh. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! He then swapped legs and applied the ruler to the other buttock. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
Barker yellped as the sting of the ruler increased with each slap to his bare flesh. When he was told to get up he was snivelling, his lower bottom burning and throbbing.
"Back in line....next boy!....bend over!"
The four other boys each recieved a more conventional 'six of the best' with the slipper, bent over touching their toes. When the last one had been ordered back to his seat the Master turned to Barker again.
"Barker, I trust that you have learned the PROPER use of a ruler?"
"Yes Sir"
"Excellent....now, bend for the slipper!"
The boy miserably touched his toes. Mr. Young administered a very hard 'six' with the plimsoll, but very considerately, he landed the blows higher on the boys bottom. A crying Barker stood awkwardly after the slippering but the Master was unmoved by tears. Seven years of thrashing boys bottoms had removed any feelings of concern he might once have felt at the sight of a crying boy.
"Back to your seat boy"
Placing the plimsoll on his own desk he barked for the boys to return their possesions to the desks.
"Quickly!....we have an English lesson to get on with!"
As he turned to the blackboard he thought what a pleasant start to the day, first lesson and he had already slippered five young bottoms.............