When it was my turn to furnish the light it often
happened that my mother was unable to procure the required two
copecks (one cent). Then the teacher or his wife, or both, would
curse me for a sponge and a robber, and ask me why I did not go
to the charity school
Almost every teacher in town was known among us boys by some
nickname, which was usually borrowed from some trade. If he
had a predilection for pulling a boy's hair we would call him
"wig-maker" or "brush-maker"; if he preferred to slap or
"calcimine" the culprit's face we would speak of him as a mason.
A "coachman" was a teacher who did not spare the rod or the
whip; a "carpenter," one who used his finger as a gimlet, boring a
pupil's side or cheek; a "locksmith," one who had a weakness for
"turning the screw," or pinching
The greatest "locksmith" in town was a man named Shmerl. But
then he was more often called simply Shmerl the Pincher. He was
one of my schoolmasters.
He seemed to prefer the flesh of plump, well-fed boys, but as these
were usually the sons of prosperous parents, he often had to
forego the pleasure and to gratify his appetite on me.
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