The story
“Tommy was vigorously opposed to the idea of going to school. It was just the right season of the year to play (any season is that for the average healthy boy), but his arguments failed to impress his mother, and Tommy was led to the Temple of Education, figuratively an unwilling captive. More experience in the classroom intensified his unfavorable impression. He stood it for a few days, then determined to rebel and, instead of going to school with the other boys, he played ‘hookey,’ and hied himself to where he knew there was good fishing. He was happy for a while, then weariness asserted itself, and he fell asleep. Perhaps the voice of conscience had a chance to be heard. Anyway, Tommy had a most frightful dream. He imagined that cruel constables were placed upon his trail by a stern teacher, that he was captured in spite of his frantic efforts to escape, and led to court, where all reviled him. Even his own mother disowned him, as he was led away to a felon’s cell and garbed in the striped uniform of shame. In his dream he and another convict, a big, coarse, brutal man, escaped in the most daring fashion, but the bloodhounds of the law relentlessly took up the chase, overtook their prey at the banks of a river, and the trembling schoolboy was shot to death. He was extremely happy to wake up a few moments later and find he was still alive. In his gratitude he decided never to play truant again, and, rushing to school, demanded sums, hard sums to do, and he did them.”
Summary from The Moving Picture News · 16 November 1912
