The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-04-20
MY PRIVATE SCHOOL.

"LooK at that" cried my grand
mother, striking an attitude worthy of
Lady Macbeth when she addressed the
fatal spot on her hand; this time, how
ever, it was only the scissors, which, in
falling, stood upright in the floor.
Il see. It's nothing uncommon, is it?'
did you ever know it to happen
shat a stranger didn't come before the
day was out?''
g never noticed; somebody is always
coming, for the matter of that
81 tell you that sign dom t never fair'
(my grandmother always used double
negatives when she meant to be en-
phatic); ''most others will, but that's
true as book And another thing.
there was stranger in my tea tonight,
a long one-that shows It's man that's
comm. Some folks set a great deal
by that sign; but it amt to be men
toned the same day with the scissors
standing up in the floor"
81 hope he will come soon, for the
storm will be here before him." and
with the words the wind went wailino
around the house, and the first BIG
drops beat against the window-pane.
The darkness fell down like curtain,
and L fastened to give a poke to the
fore-stick, which sent bright blaze up
the chimney Then my grandmother
ilghted two or three lamps, and placed
them in different windows about the
house.
"What is that for?" said l, in amaze
ment
<'Well, maybe it's foolish, but l call
it my lighthouse. It's going to be a
rough night, what with rain and light
min, and there's sure to be folks travel
in thatll get caught in it. If you was
ever out in storm in the night you'd
never forget how dead black it is after
a tlash-that's the time when lighted
window is as good as promise. It's a
waste of oil, | s'pose; but somehow |
sleep better for it,
Three-score years and ten had not
taken the first bloom from the romance
of my grandmother character; it was
fresh and green as in her girlhood.
Beggars heard of her afar off. and ran
to fall on the neck of her charity She
was taken in and done for by impostors
of every nation and color under the can
opy; yet her heart never hardened to
the cry of distress, whether real or
painted
She followed the advice of Lamb,
without ever having read it. When a
poor creature came before her she stayed
not to inquire whether the 'seven small
children in whose name he implored
her assistance, had veritable exist
ence. She raked not into the bowels of
unwelcome truth to save half-penny,
but cast her bread upon the waters and
lived in faith.
In fact, she had cast so much bread
upon the waters in the course of her
long life, and so small proportion of
it had come back to her, that she had
nothing left for herself except the old
farm and the gambrel-roofed house.
Within its walls my father had first
seen the light, and lived till he went
out to fight the world He fell early in
the strife, and my mother soon followed
him; but not until she had marked out
my way in life, and SO fixed me in the
groove of her ideas that had no choice
left. | went to a village academy till |
was old enough to enter the Normal
School," for my destiny was to be a
UtdSuCls lllIlC lldl W Uc
eked out in some way; and of all work
TO which woman may turn her hand,
a school, perhaps, divides the burden
most equally between body and mind.
When | graduated my grandmother
left the old gambrel-roof to see me do
it; and carried me home with her for a
breathin'- spell' Gas she said) before
getting place to teach.
AS to my future, was neither happy
nor unhappy, but rather between. At
twenty life runs on with very little fric-
ton; there is excitement enough in
mere youth to make living pleasure.
loved poetry and travel and gay
dresses and all other expensive delights;
but | loved independence more, and
would take them as gift from no one
unless L could render a just equivalent.
As to taking them from husband, |
confess that [ sometimes found a spare
five minutes, even in the steady grind
of the Normal (where such frivolous
and irrelevant things are steadily kept
in the background to mediate on the
mysterious Joy of being loved for my
self, and the still greater mystery of
losing my identity in that of another.
We sometimes whispered these musings
TO each other in the dark, sitting on
back stairs, with arms entwined, but
never in open daylight; it would have
been impertinent to the spirit of the
place.
The evening drew on with ever-in-
ereasing gusts of wind, and the old
house shook to its foundations, but it