Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-07-01

wife now added rapidly to their humble pro
perty. Her carewurn, wasted figure grew
rounder; her step, as she saddled the black
pony. more elastic and the whistle bther by
which she summoned her wolf dog to the hunt
ing toray. Even the laugh sometimes rang ont
as in the merry thoug'ltIcss hours Of her early
youth, loud, long and clear as the sweet tOneS
OF bell metal.
One thought most gloomy character
alone disturbed the C ilm flow Of her Joyous re-
Elections Her children were growing Up with
the rapidity Of haSy summer weeds. and utter
~ without education. or even the prospect of an
opportunity to obtain it. The idea haunted her
day and night She turned it over in her mind
III every conceivable way, but still could find
40 solution Tor the torturng problem. She had
learned to spell, whoa "A cmld, at an III fc'd
school-thlt Is 20 say she had gone far IN
DIlwurlh Us three syl,lblrs, which, By the way,
was nearly the extent of her teachers acc ratc
Information IN the pedagogical art. Bat her
memory had long ago lost III the inverse ratio
of It's acquisitions, tll she could scarcely be
SAID 10 know her letters. Often aid she bitter
| ly regret her ldeness IN the early school hou-e,
and exc alR, as she fondiy kissed her children
on returning at might from the tolsorn hunt
| If hid only learned to read, could now
! teach von, my de urs.' And her tears would
drop ike rain.
/ At length an incident occurred that brough,
with 1t suggestion sh IpIng itself INTO II Ii led
plan, winch enabled her finally to vanqulsh
the pcrpleXng difficulty. The author cannot
do better than give the anccdute III her own
Hrtlnss words. Us related to him in Texas, some
twche months agu:--
81 used 10 cry about it every night" she
said before gong 10 sleep. and then | would
dream 1t all over a!sin, for, indeed, it Was sad
TO tI,it.l tt l,.,,x lint h,,l l,rI
would after a whale be well enough oil to
move into the settlements where decent people
hive; and thcu ! thought how shocking 1t
would seem for my young ones 10 have no
more lGarU!UL than the wild lndiInS The
GO,s were getting more than half as tall t. ;
tnelr father, and Peggy's pretty head was even
as htgh az NY shJN.dcrs. 1t Eas enough l..
tnloe oud moth cry.
was then IN tn. Ii bit of going every two
or tlfee months tu Lutte Rock, with pack of
peltnes. To buy salt and other things. that "e
could not get along without. One time
brought bdca some BGRcheS at ralslns for the
baby. They were wrapped up IN large
newspaper, winch contain ID number of cu.I-
ous PIC urcs. The sheet was gazeI at with
wonder by tn. poor Creatures who bad neler
seen sucn an object III tueir lives. Little
Tommy asked me with spanking eyes II il
were Hpt bird. ! tried 20 explain tie matter
ia hi,!; | lola him what It was: that it con-
tanned tale all III the EhGlc world; ald ti2l
wlcn persons learned TO read it, they could
know all tiru.s wnich were going Oh across
the blue mpuniaimS, The big rivers, and away
over tie sea well Us the sights they saw
every day before tloic own doors"
r. On. M, WON'T ypu toach US how to read. so
we can hear from oar own play places IN Mia
soUu:' sad Peggy, who was then almost Il
wUn4n.
" The quest on was ike to break my heart.
+ remembered now lazy | bad been when IL
glr. and the idea vus sharp shooting pam,
t spiGlO4 my side lHto my very soul. wept
. Ike Child, Til even my own children trlcl To
j., comfort me. However. my tears dld me GOOD
Tears always relieve the heat; they common
Is clear the head also. y >uddcn tnoughr
1 siutk mc--a 9reet an might sly, II holy
purpose. 1t seemed Enposs Die, but resolved
to ny il.
"lhrt niallt hurried the young folks oil ,c
bed. ANA having kndcd good pine huut hight
picked up the newspaper and sat down to sec
II could make out anything in it, | smiled
Tia unspelklb.e delight on dI.coyerln! that
, slI. knew the letters. except the capitals. Bu
soon had Cause 10 weep agIIn; for after do
lng my best, ana sitting up uIl Daylight, every
= ilnu renamed rliGlr. ! could not spell out
. tlc m 'unlnr OF Il single sentence.
j "Adout aunr,s,, new notion entered my
. he I'd detcrnlned 10 90 agnn shortly Il
= l.ltilc Rock, aIto purchase some primers nnl
u spelling books, watch afterwards did. thrI
IeL,n to learn III earnest. Ii was very hard
,, for while: bu, SIT up late, after Tom and
the children enc al asleep n / took my prl-
:. IA r ulong with me when went to hunt.
t. could study II As rode, especially where the
t wools were open, and before got within reach
after lifting IA heavy deer upon my pony, o.
n walking up il steep h!i, Won pun 1t out OF
. "A pocHct wnlch mad prepared purpose ia
d the side OF my drcSs,anJ lun over the pagc5 til
J. at last could almost repeat the whole rO.n me
Il nIory. | then commenced on my large spelling
q book, and mastered that III the same way. Al
d the while wanted 10 be teaching the children
but was AFRAID OF teaching them wrong, intend
= ing first to make myself perfect, because
:, thou Llrt 1t no use to know anything at all
e unless one could know it right.
V "Wmlc thus engaged, Il lost hunter stoppe'
ii few days at our cabin, aid discovering N,
studies kindly Offered to assist me- thcl
O. found that had done well IN not beginning Il
d instruct the boys and Peggy sooner. hl'
c to 1Htura the pronunciation of IA great mIn
,r of my words, that souuled irlghiiuiiy whc
1t compared with lue right mode. Atter ! got
Y straight, bought pllnLr Tor each Que 0i Tin
y cnlliren, md collecting them altogether on
e Sunday morning, told them that was goln:
Y, t. teach them bow to read Il would nav
+ done your heart good to have seen them
e They appeared 10 be runIlug mad with JOY, 10
they sllll remembered what had sad abou
j tine newsp lper, ana had teased me much npu
Tie subject Night after nlghl they would 81
y up I'll twelve studying their primers aud spel
ID nag books and all diy on Sabbath, they trleC
i III IRE inIustuously than ever had dope III tn
at schooiroon, uutll at last they were throug
m bu Ii books But | was still ahead of then
50 tor long before then had obtained festI
p IN mt AMI the lAe Of Marion, ana had gon
#, over bJth several tunes. In tins way tau Ih
" my der yoIng ones to read, having first OF al
taught myself"
u Fot the literal historal accuracy of the fore
n, gong extraordinary facts, We refer to Mrs
at lDley's book on Texas, where he refers I
le Mrs. More, al hough III her narrative she onl
IT, se.s do yn The initials of her name.
ne And may we not well be permitted to doub
"A yrh.,hor tho uun,l. IS ts,a uiohp and all tn