The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1884-11-06
~ Q.Art.r Sscsisn

gethff IN rbt % Vuf "hte sNA~"s w W
years Together We bad aehea The petty
iyranny Of The man whom an inscrniahis
providence bad rlscea over us in capacity
of principal. Together we had prepared
the spreads and 'bloworts," general
name for The official show ef examination
papers. drawings etc. that are exhibited
to The world cf adiniring parents as The
individual aud collective result Of the gen
ias Of their undivided and collective prog
epy. 10 the long vacations We had gone
on excursions together, read the most ap.
proved educational and literary works,
and, in short. wintcred il and snmmered
{, together for six years. on course We
had planned always to live together aud
keep tho most delightfal Of cid maids
halls. and : well. we were all that is meant
by the term Of intimate friends.
think it WAS in March Of 1882 that the
idea struck US. do not remember what
paper il was that illumined our darkness:
however, that is Of no consequence. II
was a vet March morning aud was stand.
ing in the hall OF the sirth ward school
house. trying to dry my draegled skirts at
the register and feeling well. as though
il would be eminently safe for the future
candidates for the presidency to cultivate
the foreign accomplishment OF walking
Spanish for that day, when Miss Arabella
Thompson came in with wet umbrella in
one hand and paper 10 the other. Thorn
py was always sunny, II would have TAX
en- q yeiitable deluge Of 40 days and 40
nights 10 have made her willing to ac.
knowledge that II was bad weather. She
came 10 smiling with bright GOOD
morning" and, without waiting for me to
air my eloquence on the subiecs she began;
| "See here, my dear, ! have the bright.
est pls you ever heard Of for our summer
VACATION and she proceeded to unfold
her paper and her plan. The paper con
tanned glowing account OF the opening
splsndors OF the mighty territory OF Dako-
to, aud the unparalleled chances for max
fortune and gaining home by going
out to the vast, unoccupied prairies and
"iaking up claim" just picking it up
you know so easy and comfortable. Then
followed statement of the laws regarding
the acquiring of tho various kinds Of
claims homestead, pre-emption and tim
Der claims.
"You Just go out there, enter your
claim, put up sod hoaea and live in it
six months, prove mp, pay Si.2o an acre,
and you have your claim to live on or to
sell
Gust like old Jack Means" i inter
vuptsd.
"Yss." said Thompsy. laughing, ''and
make heaps an gObs O. money, all out o
Congress land.
But" l objected, "you forget that the
school year is Q months, and our worthy
forefathsrs in arranging the year, have'
with their usual want Of foresight, plan
ned for only IL months. Where are you
going to get the other tbree?"
But no objection / could urgc had any
weight with Thompy, for though am
much older than she. she is much better
looking than !, and consequently very
headstrong. SO she oyerruled every OBJ
lection that / could bring forward, and,
arranging with the board Of education for
a six months vacation, said we would go.
The upshot Of the whole matter was
that meekly yielded, and our Moons and
recesses for the next three months were
spent in making calculations as to what it
would cost us to carry out our plans, what
: upplies in the way Of books, provisions,
eto :, we should take with us, and how we
tho. Id dress. / was for dressing in
bloom er costume and carrying few reyol.
ver,. b, 1t Thompy would hear to neither.
She said there was no use in our looking |
like frieh IS, just because we were going
10 do some thing a little unusual, but then
she always was vain in her look. As to
The re,olvers. she declared she could not
,leep with one in the house. yielded |
,bont tho dressi lg, and was firm about
.he revolver.
.,You would be in pretty condition.
wouldn't yon, said /, iii when you got
gour house OF mud and dirt, Ike Inc
Ioolish rigs Of our nu rse.'y days some
ramn or IN or wild amin al .shonld come |
,lono and ,.te a notion t,' murder your |
10, mean TO hs We some m''a oi protec-
ion, and did
wish in the cause OF puplie instruction.
which, as teacher, course | AN inter-
sted in, that / had ,nr calculations 70
i've to the world. but niof'nna'eiy 'hes
n lost and The table of ur real expenses
oes not help me to reprod, "e 'hein nn'
relll ] fear that could I pre- On ~ " you
would be robbed Of its illu NSns' 4na'
Ike the rose which the cunning ue''
ecreated from its swn ashes,
Without The bloom. without the los, pc. '''
However, remember that the onpen y"
{ our six M onths' vacation and our qua
" section were TO cost US just 1854 %.
We were very extra. Isuegested to Thorn
y that We could spend the extra cents s
} chocolate creams and have an even %, pl
u, she was always close. and she said no, "
'e would do no such thing. that il looked n
etter good deal to have the three cents W
here than not; that in all official reports Ii
hey always managed TO have an uneven n
umber to show how very exact they we're ir
! their calculations. &.
Ws always spoke OF enr possessions as "
ur quarter sections" as II sounded as
reat deal larger that way. We took N