Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-11-14

arithmetic, with its slate. pencil enigma.
ana blackboard conundrums. Our bosom:
heayed, and the chalk trembed In on
lhEy fingers, an the teacher sent MS to tn,
board and asked for Mathematical infor.
nAtlon concerning man who got trusted
Tor two bushels of red wheat, which ho
had ground and loafed into bread. His
vile ate one-eigIlth, his brother-in law one.
sixth, and his mo.her-in-law more than the
Kansas grasshoppers. how many oavcs
OF bread were tn re, surprising half to be
of hop yeast half milk rsings, and the
balance biscuits?
How regularly Friday afternoon came
in those district school days, and how reg
nlarly it brought in the visitors, that being
the hebIominal day Of wrath How sweet
the school-ma'am looked in her Sunday
all'wool deaine, clean white apron and
best ear-rings
There were two or three short recita-
tons, IL brief recess, and then, trembling
under Il mighty weight of responsibility,
we sat in our respective pews awaiting the
approaching crisis, the eloGutionary and
Ciceronian job being done in our village
meelin-hus They were opened by lit.
I Tie blue-eyed pnk-aproned lass, who trot-
ted up on the platform and poeticaly ex-
pressed II desire to accompany her brother
| Ch .rIcs to school on accottlt # the atm0s-
phtre being peculiarly favorable; and her
petition closes with, "Oh! mother say |
may"
This was followed With revolutionary
selection from P. Henry by the "crack
speaker" of the school After bowing to
the old box stove, he flung his dexIer
hand to the breeze, and in thunder tones
informed us that he had but one lamp by
which his pedal extremities were guided
Then we would look down ut his It and
wonder if that lamp was made to order.
Alter this Jealous patriot came the gener
Gus little astronomical infant. With eyes
upturned to the wa,Ided ceiling, she kind
" gave the little s&r permission to wink
lie twice, and finally branching off with
an aIusion to diamonds, which was proof
enough that she had feminine taste, ard
that diamonds with her were trumps.
Then clme the double cock-eyed bully
of the village, 50 strapiSm iz4d (nyesetD
that Johnny Wilkes or Ben Butler would
have owned him rs Boss sqnint, who
meekly inqliled of every one be was try.
lug to look at, "Why tho white man fol
lowed his path like the hound on the IT,
gers rack"
After this boy who was so annoyed by
followers, came four little maidens with
braided hair and variegated ribbons, who
were to all appearances destined to live
forever, us none Of them could find an
appropriate time to die. The f. ST emf hat
icaIly declared that she wonldn't die in
,pring, and gave her reasons therefor. The
second was just rs obstinate about dying |
in summer. The third said they couldn't |
tuck autumn off IN her for II good dyi g
time, and number four allowed that death
need not come after her in winter. After
this came derlamalOry recitals Of John
Moore's burial and the incandescent end
of poor Cusabianca, the deck-hand. These
were relieved by the usual essays on the
four familiar seasons.
Never shall we forget those FridaTlf
tcrnoons, and our digniiied cndeavors to
excel Demosthenes.
Oh cary us back to our sGh0Ol-boy days
trelghied with an elementary cargo
When Il lwu-sh ling prize
Was more in our eyes
Than Il house and lot in Chicago.