Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-05-27
- ARP'S LETTER.

Especial Correspondence Home and Farm.
1t takes good deal of help at home to
keep the children up at school. There are
four of them going now, including grand
children, and every night some of us have
to stand them up and spell them, and Jes-
sic wants to giggle a little when Linton
misses, and Gail won't keep his feet still,
and I have to look solemn and regulate
them. Then we have to help them write
their exercises, and they just declare the
lessons are too hard and too long. Then
we hear their little speeches and try to get
them out of the sing-song tune and to train
them to nature and emphasis, but it is hard
to do. But they are evolnting slowly and
the light is dawning on their young minds.
Jessie is the brightest and most patient,
and girls always are. The boys haven't got
time, for they are thinking about sling
shots and marbles, and getting chestnuts
and walnuts, and riding the horses. But
school is a big thing with them, and they
always come home full of news. Jessie
gets head marks and Carl and Linton hint
reund that the teacher is partial. Ralph
tells on them about their shortcomings, and
Carl gets even with him by saying swell, l
saw you throw a kiss at girl to-day in
school time"
The school is nearly two miles away, and
so we have time of 1t getting breakfast
in time for them to get there at 8 o'clock.
1t takes sight of vittels for their dinner,
and it has to be put up for them, and away
they go with their baskets and books, and
Mrs. Arp never fails to follow them to the
door and give them parting counsel, and a
double dose to Carl. They always come
home hungry, and Jessie said yesterday
she dident have enough dinner, and when
we figured it up she had had two biscuits
with ham, one biscuit with sugar, and one
with jelly and turnover pie. When they
set in sight of homo about shutdown we
always hear them singing as they come out
Of the woods, a quarter of a mile away,
and our hearts go out to meet them. and
the dog gets up and looks and listens and
wags his tail with dogs delight.
Our nabors' children are going, too, and
there is a creek to cross on a log, and a
mill close by, and a strip of woods to go
through, where boogers hide, and the little
girls look about them timidly and the boys
brag and tell how they could kill bear OF
a wild cat. They have heard the old story
about some children sitting on log to rest
by the roadside and suddenly the log began
to move and they found it was an awful
snake-a boa constrictOr-and now they
peruse every log in the way for fear Of be-
ing swallowed whole.
Mixed schools, think, are the best for
both sexes. The boys are more mannerly
and dress neater, and are more ambitious
to know their lessons. There is time in
the life of boy when he awakes to pc
culiar interest in the girls. A time when
he begins to notice 'em," as CODE says.
asked him one day how nabor Jones was
getting on since he lost his wife, and Cobe
said "Well, he is gittin' over it right
smartly. She amt been dead but six
months, but he is dressn' up amazin' and
gwine to church, and they say he is mo-
ticin.'"
used 10 notice good deal when was
school boy, and there was one girl in par
ticular whom | wuuldent turn down il.
could. And I wouldent let anybody
me down either and getln between.
little spring chicken loves are mighty sweet
and charming, but they don't last long.
Such heavenly things never do last long,
and so when she moved away I grieved
awhile, but survived and she did too. |
did not marry my first love, but Mrs. Arp
did, bless her heart, though she declares |
captured her when she was but child and
hadent had time to look round. Well, l
reckon did hurry up things amazing, and
gave 20 flag of truce
The other day when l passed the Big
Stone mountain, near where l used to live,
looked upon its barren and majestic sum-
nit that used to be our TWISTING place, and
memory carried me back to the days of my
gushing youth, when there was lofty tower
up there, and my sweetheart and | mount
ed its spiral stair and sat together at the
top in sweet communion with nature and
ourselves, and as [ looked into her hazel
EYES it seemed to me we were little nearer
heaven than l had ever been before. 1t
was glorious hour but it could not last,
for there was a storm impending and the
lightning flashed and the thunder pealed
and we hurried down to a safe retreat
Not long afterwards the storm came and
the winds blew and beat upon that tower,
and it fell.
Just so it is with our life and our amb;-
ton. The mountains top is grand and
beautiful for awhile, but it is bleak and
cold and dangerous. Our safest refuge and
happiest retreat is down among the humble
flowers that blossom at it's base.
BILL ARP.