The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-10-27
Experience of n COlOred Teacher.

LII SlufcIy llilcS. IhiSS E-l hau u
mighty good HONEYWELL to do and in
dulgent owners When the war was
over 1 soon married and left this home.
Being my husband was a good mechan-
ic, we got along quite well until we had
four children, then my husband died
and wasn't in u fix Had nothing in
the world but these four bits of children
and my old mother on my hand. Some
times | tried washing and sometimes |
| went out nursing the sick, leaving
mother in Charge at home. AS my
children grew large enough l sent them
to shool, and when | would hear Gym
thia studying her little lessons every
now and then something would come
back to me that | had heard and larnt
from the white children at. home in
slavery times. They used to try very
hard to teach me all they kncwcd about
books. Well one day all Of a sudden |
thought l would try teachiag. l looked
all over Cynthia's books and found
nothing so very hard, as l could spell
right we'll with the book, and could al
ways write a. little. So Miss E-just
think Of me walking straight to the
Board. to be made u teacher. Mr.. Wicr;
no yankee you know, but our own good
man., was SO kind-says he to me-now
Jane, you just keep quiet and ! think I
can put you through. Almost the first
question asked, was, how many letters
in the alphabet? Right then and there
stuck. What was the alphabet My
next ncighbor whispered twcnty-Six.
and SO I put it down. With the help of
all that could help me | got a third
grade. But that word alphabet. [ was
so afraid Of forgetting it, and as
soon as I dared. asked a friend, and she
said pshaw, nothing woman but your
A. b. Cs. l went home and counted.
and counted and spelt and spelt the
word and thought l knew everything.
] got a situation way off in the country,
and every Monday morning would
leave mother and the children, and start
off with n big travelling satchcl. not a
thing in it but a. clean collar and cuffs, and
spend the nights till Friday all around
with the patrons-and didn't they think
] was grand, and knowcd so much. In
truth l was very miscrable-was so
much afraid Of meeting in the big road
some white person that might ask me a
HuesGon-arM Of course l wouldn't
know lt-that | vent twice us far
through the woods to the school hAuse.
saying it was not so hot ns the road-in
the dead Of winter mind you. One day
q colored man came to the school house
to ask me how much tion- he could get
for $3.50 at six cents IL pound. Now [
was caught had to tell him | was un-
commonly busy just then but would let
hin know in the morning. Most Of
that night | sat up over that sum-all
my ideas got so mixed ] thought
nobody living could tell a thing exactly
so hard as that. Early next morning |
walked -four miles to the next teacher. a
white teacher, and SHE worked, but at
last had to say, Jane this must be done
by the double rule Of three, and I have
not time just now. Next day she sent
word she still had not time to do the
sum well but thought twenty pounds
ought to be enough.
Miss E-when | see you so often
bothered about that machine don't il
make me remember them sums in adj
ydition and substractioh. l soon found
out it was mighty little that could
,teach-but good Mr.. Wier, he always
saw that got my money all right. So
after awhile ! just concluded that 1
would marry again, had plenty Of
benux, because everybody knew that
had bought n watch and and had sumo
money besides. The man | was encag-
ed to borrowed the money and |
thought | would just let him wear the
watch o week or two before the we'd
ding-and can you believe Miss E.
that the last l ever heard Of him he was
in Georgia, married to n young girl and
I-lost-all. Back again to .eaohing
I VENT could pick up from Cynthia
now right smart One day she gave me
q grammar to study, and way in the
hack of the book I found first person
j love-2nd person-yon love-3d per-
son, he or she loyes-and l cried out
jCyhthy, Cynthy, what is this. | used to