The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-08-13
Written for the Democrat-Star.
AUNT KATE'S SCHOOL DAYS,
BY ALPHA BETA.

"Aunt Kate, tell us about your
school days; you rememberyOu said
you would, and Uncle Harry said
he knew some thing OF interest,
something unusual, connected with
them. Do tell, We arc anxious t.
hear, and won't ask Il single ques.
ton until you have flushed. Here,
take the best corner, and see If you
don't have the most attentive lis
teners that ever listened"
Aunt Kate rolled up her knitting
and stroked the ball with her Plump
brown hands; turning over between
her thumb aud finger IL sleHder ring
of gold, all the while looking into
the fire with u tar away look OF ten
der memory changing her features
until chased away by smile of
almost childish meFriment.
She thus began "I never have
told you, children, about my school
life, because thought you too
yOnng to learn a lesson Ofprudence
from my sad experience; but now
that yOu have made up your minds
to hear it, | will not diSappOint you.
"In my early days at school !
suffered from timidity and dread
of having to learn mathematics,
until life often became a burden /;
indeed SO hOpelessly dull was | in
that branch, that my father, kind,
but stern man, resolved TO send me
off to IA boarding school, where
kind and indulgent relatives could
not assist me with my lessons. He
thought to call forth what little Ell.
ergy | possessed.
81 remember well the chilly morn
ing in mid-winter that l aud bag,
gage arrived at the school, feeling
that tue home world would never
again see me alive. looked into
the faces of the girls who peeped
over the railing OF the stairs, and
wondered if they all knew mathe-
matics, and ii so 1t they were not
very superior beings, almost as
learned as my father aud other mid
dle-aged gentlemen. Ny room mate
gave me a disappointment in this
suppOsitiOn, aud indeed, most of
the others that had nodded wei
come turned out alike-failures in
this respect.
"My roommate, Ellie Brown, or
the Brown Elf as she was called,
answered very well to the descrip-
tion having brown eyes, brown hair
and a shade of red brown in her
complexion.
"As Elfland is supposed to be in-
habitated by a lawless set of imps,
Ellie proved to be one of the same
class; was active, wide-awake and
up to time in all save her lessons.
She trusted to her superior talents
for slipping out of all she could,
and for being quite sick for all that
remained she came of with little
trouble to herself, aud self was her
chief consideration yet she was
bright, cheerful and obliging and
apt to treat, which means kind of
popularity in a boarding school.
"Next to our room was a small
one occupied by QUE girl, tall aud
handsome, with short, curling black
hair, and a very superior learning.
"She had arrived but a few days
before aud had not made many ac-
quaintances, although there was
considerable curiosity manifested
with regard to her and all she did.
My FIRST question on being presented
to her, was If she knew mathemat-
les 2
@She treated me in very kind
though cOndescendiDg manner and
called me q little blueeyed goose
said that Algebra was nothing to
learn : but when she left the room
she beckoned me out aud said, sfI
couldn't get through with 1t to come
to her.
"From that moment / regarded
her as vastly supaliOr to her sur
roundings. Her first weeks expe-
Renee convinced the teachers as
we'll a. Well as myself, that l
couldn't get through with il.
"And 90 ny visits to Hal we're
frequent IN short, her room be-
came q city Of refuge as it vas
from the dfoadiul myths Of perplex-
ity that we're with me day aud
night 1 dOn't see how l could
have been 90 densely stupid in
those dark days Of unknown quanti-