Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-07-27
g1onths' Column.
THEIR HALF HOLIDAY.


"Good growing weather." the farm
ers said, and the more poetical MUIR
INJURED half under breath as they
inhaled the full sweetness and glory,
''And what is so rare day in June,
Then if ever comes perfect days.
And 1t was just a 'sperfect day,
that delicious Wednesday when the
schools in Westville closed for a
teachers meeting. And while the
grave and austere teachers were sit
ting in couLcil as to how they might
best further the interests of their
respective schools, the pupils who
composed those schools were rejoic-
ing over teachers meeting from a
far different standpoint.
"Well, what shall we do?" inquir-
ed Arthur Westlake of the grammar
school boys as they huddled together,
discussing plans.
The High School boys were march
down the street with a martial tread !;
little danger of their interesting
themselves in the plans of the "small
chaps" as they designated the gram
mar department, and they had the
field.
II have it p answered Archie
Forest, "let's hunt crows nests and
take the young crows; it isn't wrong
you know, they do so much MIS-
Chief" as shadow stole over Az
thurs countenance. "There are
plenty of them in the woods to the
north, besides / know a swamp a
little further on, and we can hunt
swamp-birds' nests. 1t will be real
fun to watch them leave their nests,
and hear their screams and cries as
they circle and hover near
The boys listened, animated. Who
ever saw company of boys not en-
livened by mention of birds nest
ing?'
| Archie had the floor. The tide
was turning toward the swamp, and
the cloud on Arthur Westlake's face
deepened, for he was one who did
|
not believe in robbing birds nests
even crows nest.
But be was wise beyond his years.
He did not even mention the right OF
wrong. He said,
"Look, now How would you like
to 90 to the woods and the swamp
and the pond beyond in search of
fiowers!''
"Flowers Hear the grille Why,
a boy would look manly picking po-
sizes, wouldn't he? Ha! ha ha p
But Arthur was not daunted.
zone of the best men / ever knew
our minister, spent all the morning
yesterday gathering wild flowers, and
that gentleman who visited schoo
last week and told US so many inter
esting things, is a professor in bota
ny. Has written book on the sub
ject, which a great many people, be
sides boys and girls read, and thel
there are the florists, and seedsmen
they love flowers and they are men.
"Good for Art!" came from
, chorus of boys. "Never knew 20,
could make speech before - an,
the boys, who were seated by thi
time on the schoolhouse fence clap
e ped loudly in applause; and Arthur
4 who could see the funny side, ant
enjoy a joke as quickly as any one
laughed heartily, and when the nois
$ had subsidized and he found vote
again, he added ssAnd l have no
, got through yet. l was going t
to say my mother knows a lot abou
flowers, and she told Rosabel and m
n many things about them. One da
' we were playing in the front var
e and | pushed Rosabel right on tn
tulip bed among the flowers, an
broke ever SO many of them
y "Graeious Wouldn't my mothe
; have scolded, and said she'd te
a father" broke in Johnnie Dent.
IS "Well mine didn't. She just picl
4. ed up the broken flowers in baske
IF and said in kind way: Come int
; The hall children And Rosabel an
of | went in with pretty sober faces
lie and mother pulled those tulips
pieces, and told us the names of I'll
or different parts how they grew, VIII.
lie the names and many other thing
he about them that / am sure | shall n,
forget. | never walk through IL
5. garden without thinking abol
it, and / tell you, Rose and 1 a.
"a careful enough now how we tumb
around out there.
ng u Mother told us that day, son
su people said flowers were only fl
ng girls; boys should not be seen gat
IS IS erlng flowers. But why not? TIL,
rh had eyes to see and hearts to unde
DIS stand the beautiful, and what | w
fly going to say to you fellows was, wi
not go to the swamp, and see he
Die many different kinds of flowers
10 could find? | can tell you Sol
IS, Use about them, and if you will go hor
IRE with me mother will tell you gre
g,s deal more. Who says go?'
for With one accord they consente
lis. The mothers influence reached Q
lg- to twenty boys in Westvile that /:
ternoon. They ran merrily
lgs through the sweet pine woods, tai
di- ing eagerly as boys do, enthusias