St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-11-12
Jack Stone at School.

| have been to school. 1t is a very
still place, and 1 wished l was home
We had to sit still enough to hear g
pin drop. l never heard Il pin drop be.
fore. 1t didn't make much noise.
The teacher had very long look or
her face. She called me little boy
/ told her my name was Jack Stone
She wasn't surprised one bit / am al
ways surprised when | am told any
thing new.
She asked me if l knew who George
Washington was. / knew. He lived
to grow up, because he was sorry he
cut down cherry trees. l had slate
to write on and make pictures; slate
pictures are very handy, for you can
rub them out if they don't satisfy you.
/ drew a lion on my slate. | thought it
was good. Then l showed it to Ella
Briggs, and she called it humming-
bird. liked one part of school very
well,-they call it recess,-then we can
make a noise and not have the teacher
rap on the desk to keep us quiet.
When we are making noise, you
couldn't hear a whole paper of pins
drop.
asked the teacher if l might bring
Johnny to school with me. She said
might. So 1 took him. The teacher
said she couldn't have dogs come to
school-she thought Johnny was a
brother of mine, and not dog. She
was mistaken.
like the teacher when she is agree
able. do not think she is agreeable
when she gives me hard words to spell.
She tells us stories, sometimes. Then
she is agreeable. You would laugh if
YOU could hear her tell one story. 1t
was about a piano and a girl. The
girl had never seen piano, and didn't
know what one was. The day it came
home she thought it was new kind of
stove, and tried to build a fire in it.
l don't think mother would think it fun
ny if girl was to make fire in her
piano.
The teacher set me copy in my
book. 1t was my own name. 1t didn't
look natural. l had never seen it made
on paper before. | tried to make one
like it. l didn't get along very well
and | wished l could rub it out. l
couldn't. If l ever write a letter l
shall make the words on a slate, so if it
isn't right can rub it out.
| should think people would get
tired writing down stories. | should
not know what to say in one. Ny
mother makes nice plum cake. She
sent the teacher piece. We had re-
cess earlier that day. l guess she
wanted TO get to eating her plum cake.
We had some very good spelling at
school, and every body did well except
me. ! don't think | shall ever be a
great speller. My reading book does
not have very hard words in it, 1t has
lots of stories. / don't see where the
stories. | guess his head is made of
stories.
| shall have to grow a great deal be-
fore | can get into the big books some
of the scholars have. They are full of
battles. | would not have those books
read to me if was sick. They would
make my head ache. When Tommy
Bangs studies one of those big books.
he holds his head in his hands, and
leans his elbows on the desk To study.
| don't wonder he has TO hold his head
together; it would make mine break
open, know. Tommy has II bigger
head than | have, and there must be
more brains in it. | wonder what
brains look like.
Grandma would like to go to our
school. it is so quiet. She is very fond
of being quiet. L think she would
rather have some quiet in her house
than any present you could give her. |
wonder if the sehOOl-teacher will ever
get married, and if her husband will
stamp his feet when he comes in, and
if she will make him sit still until he
can hear pin drop, as she does u.s.
Companion.