Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-08-02
Teaching In a Dugout.

One bright morning IN May, 1874, lett
home for my school on Beaver Creek, on the
southern border of Nebraska, five miles
from the Kansas line. After several him
ORANGES, we forded the Republican, which
almost submerged the horses, crossed the
Divide, and after three hours drive, reached
Mother Boyers' about noon, and found them
watering their herd, in which we discerned
three little buffalo calves.
The next morning we started for the
schoolhouse, three-quarters of mile away,
father b. leading our procession, carrying ak
and pail of water mother b. followed along
the narrow path, with broom and " school
ma'ams chair" while two children and my
self closed the retinue with books, lunch
baskets and mother BIS large dinner-bel.
Arriving, we found eight scholars, ready for
action in deserted dugout, or rather eel
lar, ten by fourteen feet, having a roof, and
half window in one corner.
A divine blessing being invoked on the
work of pupils and teacher, school began in
good order, Frank and Mary, aged three
and four years, engrossing most of my at
tention for the first two hours.
The next morning | stopped at the d.
rectors house, according to orders, for a
hammer, nails and pegs, which "my son,
Steve" had kindly prepared, and placed
them around the walls for the hats, and
bonnets, which were slowed away on the
previous day on the short seat
The second Monday morning was damp
and chilly, but found my schoolroom neat
and tidy; the clean cloth which hung
anound the walls, filagreed with shadows
thrown on it by the oozy fire that cracked
on the hearth, and the floor soundly tram.
pied father and mother B. having been
our benefactors. The director stopped at
the door during recess, and gave me the re-
port to be filled out, which proved to be a
school census" and as he said was the only
one he had.
Little Frank was very happy when he
could print the word pig on the board
and finishing the "g" with long curl
looked up proudly, as he announced the
fact, Dat pig got long tall"
Looking up from her book one morning
after recess, Maggie cried, "Oh see the
great snake" We looked around, and Oh
the edge of the roof, crawling very slowly
was striped snake, four feet long, and a,
large as my wrist. 1t frightened me, but
came to my senses when the little ones al
ran to me for protection. Addie and Johr
being accustomed to such things hunted q
club and dispatched it, after which, all be
ing so excited, called to order and dis
missed for half an hour. In few minutes
a mother mouse and three little ones fell
from the logs overhead. One of them being
greatly swollen, the children decided it had
been snake-bitten. How they pitied and
petted them
On the first morning of the second month
we had a new pupil who appeared from be-
hind the broom, in the form of common
striped gopher, whose bright eyes twinkled
with mischief, as he viewed US several times
at his leisure. On the road home from
school that night, we found bright, black
and red futile, very prettily filagreed, which
we put to bed in pail of water, and the
next morning found it missing,-two eggs
having been left in its place.
One day the words, "thee," thou" and
"thine," were in the lesson and we had an
interesting talk on Quakers, their religion
habits, etc. Not long after the subject be
ing again referred to, called for the name
of the sect. Childish happiness beamed
from Alices bright, dark eyes, for she be-
ing the only one who remembered, as rails
ing her hand, she proudly replied, EQUAL
| quackers." One dark, stormy afternoon we
enjoyed very pleasant half-hour in an OBJ
| iect-lesson on jack-knives," our model be-
| ing a charm-knife which | received in a
letter, with directions to ward off Indians
and kill buffaloes." 1t came in good time
for the next day Steve shot buffalo across
the creek, and driving the team over, they
dragged it to the house. 1t was the first
one had encountered, and | was afraid Of
it. You may laugh if you will, but TO come
| face to face with such formidable looking
animal, his wide-open eyes, large as com
mon-sized watch the head and neck as
immense in proportion to the body as that
of lion, the short horns scarcely visible
from under the long, shaggy hair-it was
really no exhilarating sight. A few days
| later we saw herd of one hundred fifty
two miles from the house, disappearing be
yond the divide. They kept step in their
rolling, stumbling gait producing by their
awkward lope, low rumble, like distant
dying thunder. They furnished us sub.
| iect for another object lesson, in which both
teacher and pupils learned great DEAL
At the beginning of the third month a
new student presented itself, one of the
girls welcoming it thus " o teacher there's
| big snake Just behind you in the win
dow I" Sure enough within eighteen
inches of my head, and looking in at the
window, a snake with eight rattles was what
| saw when quickly turned around; and
what scramble we had
During an afternoon recess, Maggie came
up to my desk where l was busy and sud
denly asked me,
"What do they build that big fire for p
Not understanding her, | asked,
"Who What fire 7"
"Why the Indians; their smoke makes
the Indian summer don't it 7" Her
childish impatience and mature dignity
seemed almost offended at my Ignorance,
until few minutes served to explain the
theory of Indian summer" and then her
clouds rolled away.
At the close of "one minute" silent
study, during which time not ripple of
sound had broken the silence, hearing some
thing, we all looked up simultaneously, and
on one of the blackboard supports large
wool rat had stationed himself, and sitting
, on his launches, was reaching up with his
paws and eating his fill of the dried leaves
in the roof. After watching him moment
we enjoyed hearty laugh, at which he dis
appeared and wouldn't respond to the en-
core.
Our pleasant term closed July 81, with
literary exercises, toasts, and a general pic
nic-dinner, out among some old trees, one Of
which measured twenty-four feet, three
inches in mference.-Seiected.