Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-11-07
/" Ten Great Gals"
AN AMUSING STORY OF SCHOOL
TEACHER.

AN AMUSING STORY OF SCHOOL
TEACHER.
At the age of sixteen, before We had
discarded our round .abouts," we con-
tracted to keep school" IN District
No. Five. for twelve dollars per month
and boarding round Weknew very
we'll the little red schocl-house, stand
ing at the exact center of the district,
, on the borders of mighty swamp, the
farmhouses scattered about the hills,
and We also knew the nuisance of that
particular school, q squad OF half-a.
dozen rough fellows who had emerged
into tail coats" and would hardly
relish the discipline of boy pedsgogue
in roundabout.
After the first flush of citation at our
election, the reflection came back, like
areturn wave of ice water, that, in all
human probability, ere our seventeenth
birthday should dawn, we should be
seen vanishing, head foremost, out of
the school house window, into big
snow.drift, propelled by class No. One
OF big boys. In our anxiety We applied
+ to Aunt Apns," the general oracle of
the household. Aunt Anna was stall
wart maiden Of sixty summers, gigan-
tic in proportions, but every inch q
lady in her dear old heart. She had
nursed half the children in town
through the measles, humps. and
chicken-pox, and was the main-stay in
all family emergencies. There were
sly rumors that the occasional attack of
fidgets," which overcame the good old
lady at night, had some relation to a
mysterious black bottle which she al
ways carried in her work-bag but
Aunt Anna, plus the ''fdgets," was
worth regiment of ordinary feminines
fer the homemade uses OF country
life.
"Well, now, you are really going to
keep school in District No. Five" said
Aunt Anna, smoothing down her big
checked apron, and raising her specta-
cles for good long look at the incipient
pedagogue, seated in the opposite COR
ner of the fireplace.
Yes, Aunt Anna, I have promised
to keep that school, but, between you
and me, l am dreadfully afraid to
tackle that crowd of boys. You know
what rough set they are, and one OF
them has already given out that there
will be no board wanted in District No.
Five after the first week.
That's serious matter. Now let's
see If l can't think of something to help
you. Now, you see don't know any
thing about book larnin'. No doubt
you can cipher that back seat of BOYS
into the middle of next week. But
they can fling you over the roof of the
school-house into jiffy, ii they have a
mind to. l know every family in tie
district. I've nussed in every house,
and taken the measure of every young.
ster that will come to that school.
There's one thing in your favor.
lhereUb be ten great gals in that school,
and most OF 'em ure good gals too.
Now, some are head taller than You.
and two or three of them are right
handsome, too. They can twist that
crowd OF great, bashful bows round
thar little fingers if they want to.
Gow, mind what / tell you F.; do You 60
right to work and gain the affections Of
them ten great gals, and they'll manage
the great boys, while you keep school"
That sounded we'll and armed with
TINS panacea against rebellion, we
opened school the Monday after
Thanksgiving. 1t Was rough.lookipg
set mp on the high seats that row Of
,v!llainous-l looking fellows, any of them
big enough to throw me- over into the
blg swamp with one hand.
Happily our first boarding place was
the home of two of the great gals. {"
Never did We "lsy ourselves out /" to
gain tue good grsces of the lovely seq
a. during the first week of that board.
ing round. We rode ON the front of
the sled with the tallest glrl. PLAYED
checkers with the second, got all snarled
mp in "cst's cradle" with the pretty
visiting cousin. and pnt in q word OF
explanation for the hard sums " of
al. in the long evenings Ut home.
The hrst crisis Came at the beginning
OF the second week, wien a big. lout
"sauced" the new schuolmaster,
Somehow. it crushed Us, and for mo-
ment the School-room swan round. and
the idea Of Selling our fur CID and
making for home fitted across our
vision. Just then the patter of light
footstep was heard down the long slOpe
OF the narrow aisle leading up to the
seat OF the ten great gals" The tall
est glided "own. ostensibly to ask the
explanation OF hard sum, but. as We
leaned over the slate, with dimness in
the eyes. We heard whisper in our
ears.
:" Don't he cast down; We girls will
shame that seat of boys into good man.