Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1859-02-11

trroo TIE Lsaasa SsaAv oessis.l
MI HD0sT LESsoN.
Addy Puuderson-yes, that was the
name Of my FIRST school ni,tsess. She
was one Of the stiffest, picest, and most
thoroughly pri,n old maids that ever
took care Of other peoples children.
She Taught 10 little red school house,
in ''Shrub OAK" about . mile ct the
back Of Falls Hill. l like to be par
ticular in the geography, though ! had
never opened an atlas in my life when
Miss Punderson received me into her
alphabet class.
see her now, sitting 20 very upright
in her high backed chair, solemnly
opening the blue papers covers Of our
primers, and calling me by name. l
see the sharp pointed scissors lifted
from the chain at her side. hear the
rap, rap of her thimble against the
leather covers Of that new spelling
book; yes, feel myself dropping that
bashful little curtcsy and blushing un-
der those solemn gray eyes, as she
points down the long row Of Roman
capitals and tells me to read. l re-
member it all; che had on brown
cotton dress her hair was parted
plainly, and done up in French twist
behind; there was good deal Of gray
in that black hair, and around her prim
mouth any quantity Of fine wrinkles;
but her voice was low and sweet; she
was stiff but not cross, and the little
girls loved her in degree, though she
did not give them long stretches Of
hemming and over seems to sew.
My first school mistress came from
some neighboring town. She was
neither Episcopalian nor Presbyterian.
but wore the incest little Methodist
bonnet, made Of silver gray satin, with
out bow Or bit of lace-a Quaker
bonnet cut short. Then she had
dainty silk shawl, tinted like doves
wing, and always carried her handker-
chief folded when she went out to pray
er meeting.
The school house stood upon the
bank of a small stream which turned a
mill just above; it was SO overshadow-
ed by young hemlocks that you could
only hear the singing Of the waters as
they stole by the window. Some forty
feet of meadow lay between the win
dows and the bank, and noble pear
tree, full of golden fruit, flung its shsd
ow over the school house as we got our
lessons. Those great bell pears we're
cruelty tantalizing as they grew and
ripcned amid the green leaves! bat
when they came rushing down from
the boughs, and fell in the grass directly
under us, SO plump and mellow, it was
really too much for human nature.
But Miss Punderson was strict she
read the Golden Rule every day and,
kneeling at her high backed chair,
prayed diligently night and morning,
while VIC stood mutcly around. Indeed,
her control was SO perfect, that we
hardly ventured to look at the pears
when they fell the idea of touching
them never entered our hearts.
But one thing trouble 1us very much;
just as the fruit grew ripcst, Miss Pun
derson began to take her dinner basket,
and cross into the meadow at the back
Of the school house, where she would
disappear down the hcmlock bank. and
stay sometimes during the entire hour
of noon.
One day | was startled at my lesson
by splendid pear that came rushing
from the topmost boughs Of the tree,
and rolled down toward the mill stream.
Dan Haines, who was sitting on tie
second class bench close BY me, whis-
percd from behind his spelling book
''that the mistress would be after that
pear about noon time
Mary Bell, little girl in my class,
looked suddenly Up and nodded her
head. We had found it all out; that
was why the mistress crossed the bank
every noon. She was fond of pears,
and wanted them all to herself, greedy
old thing! We began to feel very
angry and i'll used; not one Of US would
have thought it. What right had she
to the pears! They did not belong to
her more than to US. In fact, Mary
Bells father, who owned the mill, and
lived in the great house with pointed
gables just in sight, was the only per-
son that had a claim on that tree or
its fruit,
When the recess came we were up
on the watch. Just as usual the mis-
tress took her dinner basket, and get
ting over the fence, went toward the
hemlock bank. Once she stopped as
if to tie her shoe.
See, see!' whispered Dan, who
was on bis knees, peeping through the
rail fence; +" she's making believe to
tic her shoe. bat she's only picking up
a pear. Let's jump over and see the
mean old thing eat it." Dan climbed
the fence as he spoke, aud we followed
little frightened, but resolute to find
out the truth.
Dan went before trcad,ng very softly
and looking everywhere in the grass.
Once he stopped, made dart at a
tuft of clover, and up again. l caught
a glimpse Of something yellow in the
hand he was pushing with considerable
hurry and trouble j pto his pocket, that
swelled out enormously after. But
Dan looked straight forward into the
hemlocks, and begun to whistle, which
frightened us half out Of our wits, and
We threatened to run back again unless
he stopped.