The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1867-07-16
Boarding Round.
MISS BLAkE's FIRST EXPERIENCE IN TEACH
ING A COUNTRY SCHOOL.

On I'VE Top OF a MI. ell, | hear you
say, that is nothing wonderful or uncom-
mon.' True, it is nothing wonderful, but
the existence Of this same little school
house which | have in mind was certainly
quite important to me, not many years
since, when | was installed over it as
mistress for the long summer term. /
was Younger and more verlant then.
"Wa'al,' said the committee. man.
we amt very rich round IN this ere
dccstric,; our circumstances amt very
well OFF, They were nearly all rich far
mers on the hill, but | mcekly said Yes,
sir"
lie went on: we can't afford to send
the boys or the biggest girls to school in
the summer. The boys must stay to hum
and help in the hoein,' hayn' and sich
like, and the girls must help in the house.
So shouldn't wonder II bit if you had
scarcely no school at all this summer
lie paused, as if to see the effect of this
on me, but said nothing.
And seein' ye won't have many schol-
ars, and consekenly won't have much to
do, we can't afford to give you very much.
| tell you what we'll de with you; we'll
give you 81 week and lie; you board
round lie emphasized the let, as
though he conferred favor on me.
You gave your last teacher $3 and
board,
Waal, 50 we did, but that was in the
winter, when the goir' was bad and the
school was bigger because vo sent the
boys. We don't give vim folks but
50 in summer.
Very well sir; the school will com.
mrncc in two weeks!'
Wa'al, yes. I'll send one of my bows
round to tell the folks when it's goin' to
start; you can come TO my house the
first week, guess. | hope ye won't haye
no trouble, Miss Blake, but they're a
pooty hard lot o''chiIdrcn, that's fact.
They drove the lust tercher out o doors
but that was IN the winter, when we sent
the boys, and we won't send them now
only ON RAINY days, when there's nothing
tor EN- to do to hum
Wasn't this encouragingl But found
out afterwards that the 'committe. man
had no intention of having school on
the Hill that summer.
kept a roll of paper in my bag that
term, | will not dignity it with the name
of journal, and sometimes wrote in it
the events that befel me for several sue
cessivc days. Then, again. would
either neglect it entirely, or put down
little incidents that occurred at intervals.
Would you like to hear page or two
from it
will pass over the first few leaves, for
| don't want you TO know with what fear
and trembling began to dole out know
ledge to those children how quaked for
fear the boys would be insubordinate. or
the little girls over playful in school hours,
and trembled lest | should not appear
dignilied enough to inspire their youthful
minds with awe. SO | commence after
school had been in session several weeks
Mrs. Blake, mother wanted me TO tell
you that she wanted you TO come to our
house next week if it was con CONVENIENT.
And. Mrs. Blake, mother wanted you to
say if you'd come p
'rell your mother, yes And Katie
Smith went skipping out of the door to
tell Hattie Day AMI Molie Jones, The
teacher is coming TO our house next
week
1t was noon, and so hot in the little
school room. The children were playing
tag, and through the open window T
could see their heads bobbing in and out
among the trees, AMI hear their merry
voices shouting, I've caught you = You
are it, Tag! Tag
had been reading, but hid my book
aside as Katie went out, and began to
think about my new boarding place
wondered what kind ola place Mr. Smiths
was Would it be Ike Mr.. DAYS,
where the house was such an old shell
that the kittens would come in and scam
per about the kitchen floor, and then chase
each other down into the cellar through
hole in the middle of it! Yes, that
house was AN 'old she'll, indeed a great
weather Stained thing that had been a
tavern in the days Of stages Mr. Day
was building new one, stones throw
off, and he had taken out all the old foun.
datiOn stones for it, and left the old house
elevated upon number of posts like "A
corn crib. Mr.. Day is very economical,
or, as they would say here, "a eetle tight
Or would it be like Mr.. Jones' where
they honored my arrival by putting the
table cloth on wrong side out, as heard
Mrs, Jones direct her daughter to do. l
hoped at least that Mr. and Mrs. Smith
would not rise at Il. m. ). as the indus
trious Clarkes d.d Poor Mrs. Clarke,
how hard she worked.
The children had finished their game,
and, warm and tired, were sitting under
the trees on the shady side of the house.
| looked at the clock-just one, Ting-a-
ling ling went my bell, and in rushed the
children.
please, Miss Blake, won't you hang
up my bunnIti | can't reach please
mayn't get drink of water fore go
to my seat = Please, Miss Blake, I've
got thistle in my finger The hats and