[originaltext] When quite young, Daniel Webster did not always obey the rule

When quite young, Daniel Webster did not always obey the rules at school. One day the teacher caught him breaking a ruler and asked him to come forward to be punished.  In that school, striking the open hand with a ruler was the punishment. Daniel’s hands happened to be very dirty. On the way to the teacher’s desk he wiped the palm of one hand on his pantaloons.
   "Give me your hand, sir," demanded the teacher. Out went the right hand.
    The teacher looked at it a moment and said, "Daniel, if you will find another hand in this schoolroom as dirty as that, I will let you go. " Instantly from behind Daniel’s back came the left hand. "Here it is, sir," he replied.
    "That will do," said the teacher, laughing. "You may go."