Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1878-03-02


so early in the season that they were
Two foot spindlings when she set then
out and rarely survived their trans
planting; in short, she was almost
worse of than the woman who is al.
ways too late, by being herself always
too early.
"You oughter be called Mis- Smart
Sary," her husband often said. Jake.
way don't fit. There never was one
o the name got breakfast over night
SOS to be shore ont. Our folks took
it easy, time out O mind"
''It don't make no odds what you
callme, Jehiel but p'rhaps ifthe Jake
ways had been smarter 1 shouldn' t ha
needed to be so smart" his wife an
swered and to that answer there was
no rejoinder.
Still, the worthy man felt that his
life would run much smoother on the
Jakeway principle, and he could not
help enjoying any mishap which
befell "Mis' Smart" in consequence of
her over anxiety and constant hurry.
This good couple were blessed with
one daughter, Florence Amanda, who
was their sole idol. They strained
every nerve, pinched, spared, saved
and labored, to give her thorough
education that she might become a
teacher.
To "teach school" is, in certain
parts of New England, social dis
tinction which compensates, in many
minds, for the hard work and poor
pay attached to that vocation. It
would have been infinitely better for
Miss Florence Amanda to have gone
out to service in some respectable
family where good wages, proper
food and light, wholesome work would
have made life easy to her.
But "pride," as the hymn book for
children says, forbade such degrada-
ton. Whether it is degradation re-
mains still an open question. Of
the two, I should prefer it to semi
starvation and teaching; and I should
prefer it for my daughter but JehieI
and sary Jakeway did not.
Thd 4 dear girl had been from one
public school to another, till she had
entered a normal school, where she
was fast wearing out the last remains
of her strength and health. One day
her admiring parents were invited to
attend some sort of exhibition at that
institution.
It was necessary to go on the early
train to reach Rockfeld in time, so
"Mis' Smart" as usual, prepared for
an early breakfast.
This morning she had it ready at
half-past four; for the Rockfeld train
ran from station three miles from
Dover, where they lived, and Jehiel
had not only to drive over there, but
put up his horse at the nearest house, a
mile away--for it was only a flag sta
ton and no houses near-and walk
back.
1t was six o'clock of cold April
day, by Jehiel's big silver watch, when
they "lighted down" at the platform
for to-day it was merely platform
"a sudden gust of wind the day be-
fore having tilted the rickety shed
backward into a near field.
The morning was foggy and dull.
But "Mis Smart" forgot to take the
umbrella out of the wagon, and before
Jehiel got back with it the fog had
condensed to fine rain, and, by the
time the cars came, his wife was soak
ing wet.
She came back from the exhibition
in chill-for wet clothes are not con-
ducive to warmth or health, and a
long attack of lung fever was the re-
suit of exposure. She laid it to her
forgetting the umbrella; but Jehiel
said it was owing to their being too
early by almost an hour.
In July Florence Amanda came
home-a pale, delicate, bright eyed
young person subject to headaches,
with a weak spine, and very small
waist. There was pad in the left
shoulder of the back of all her dresses
and she didn't really care to eat any
thing but cake and pie-so cake and
pie were provided.
But what of all this, so long as she
had graduated with high honor, had
fattering certificates, and could play