The Press., 1888-02-23
(For The Press.1 OUR SLEIGH RIDE.
LITTLE STREAK OF MASSACHUSETTS, GE
 OGRAPHY.
WRITTEN BY DITTO.

come to have 1t.
 You see we had a Christmas tree last
 year, and had right up and down gOoC
 time, and some of us begun to talk about
 havin' another this year, but teacher, Sbt
 thought she couldn't hardly manage it. COZ she'd agreed to help Santa Clans un
 load his pack down at the Line.
 Hadn't you jest as soon have n sleigh
 ride by and by? ?" teacher said.
 And most of us concludtd d we had. Some of us was goin' to have tree at home any
 way, and the rest of us could hang up Oul stockin's just the same, and have good
 time, and we did.
 Some of the girls got new gold finger
 rings and strings of beads; and the boys they had iack-knives and one thing ol | mother; an one woman she had a five dollar gold piece all done up in a piece ot brown paper--a great bunch of 1t and come pretty nigh throwin' it into the fire, coz she thought it want nothin' but joke. 1 We'll, you see the sleighin' was pretts scratchy, till along about the middle cf January aud then it got so cold--you never did see such awful cold weather, and you better believe we didn't think much of tive scholars didn't.
 There was two or three days along there that they want but eighteen of us spunkY enough to Come. 42 6-7 per cent. that was, know, for one of the big girls put l it on the board.
 And teacher, she had to let us huddle right up around the stove mornin's. She didn't like to very we'll, know that much but she told us how she uster go to school l in old cracky school house, and how the wind uster blow ill under the back seat, aaCfuI, and the school-maam wouldn't let bor f0 ho of5 "a | just how cold her feet uster ache-so she ] let us.
 And, if you'll believe me, they want but jest three of us that went through last month without a mark-on the register, mean. That was such little mess that we was ashamed to have 1t put Ill the pa per, and let folks see what fraid cats we was-our mothers, I mean-'twant all us. But we've looked over the paper, and we don't find but jest two schools put in, and one of them didn't have but jest three per fleets, and the other eight; so guess they was some more of 'em got caught in jest the same fix we did. So we don't care so much now, and we'll put the names right in here. These are the fellers I: Jimmie Lawlor, and-and-who was the other two? I cau't think. Gene Mason, he aUO1Gld have been perfect, only the water come way up and covered the road all over one time, and he didn't want to go way round the New London Northern to get to school, SO he got left-Gene did.
 Well, now for the sleigh ridel You see they was one come along one of them snappin'est cold days. They waved aud we waved, and 1t looked to us as if they was havin' jolly good time They had two big teams Then we 1uu in and asked teacher, "W hen are we goin' to have our sleigh ride?" we scholars did. And she said, "Not till it's warmer"
 We wanted it to get warmer right of, then, and, sure enough, it did-most. But there was another school or two got the best of us while we was indin' out what team we could get. There was a splendid pair of horses we wanted to get, but they want no sleigh big enough but d sled, and that hadn't got no seats, and then who'd pay for the settees, if We took them, and they got smashed?
 We'll they was man had to go down town to get us 8 water pail-we scholars. eve didn't need one nor want one fore the tub got froze up.) And he went to see about teams, and he found out that we could have a team next day, February 1st, ii we'd let 'em know that night. But we couldn't, for teacher couldn't find out, tlll it WAS too late to send down, how mauy could go You see, the man was goin' to ask more for the team if there want just about SO many to go. I think that's fun ny, don't you?
 The next mornln' was one of your frosty l ones. o, but it was clear, though You'd better believe we walked up early that mornin' and you could hear that surprise ! party comin' back from West Warren just as plain Anyhow, could, little alter l five o'clock. You could hear them whis- tie yes, and you could hear every word I they sang, half mile away. You must have been deaf if you couldn't, the air va { that clear We got up early and looked at the thermometer. It said 12o above l That wasn't so bad. Then, after the auu got to dressin' himself, we looked agaiu, I and it said % above.
 "You made a mistake the other time, ; ! said the folks, and we thought we must have, but we didn't. For, pretty soon, l when the sun got to smilIn' and blinkin' ! through the frost all round, we opened the door, and there stood Mir. Mercury 40 1 beLoaU!
 The chances for good warm day begun to look pretty slim. But there was lit tie chap named Jesse-a plucky little chap, that ain't afraid of Jack Frost, nor any l OGQ6c JaCks ne WAS dDAIOu5 dDOul IL very. And what should he do but hitch up and drive the teacher and another lady down street, with thelr breaths freezing ali over their hoods, to see about it. Drove the horse down, mean, and they rode Jesse and the ladies did. And they got the time set for that day, if it grew warm CT. 'Twouldu't be safe to wait, you know, for fear the sleighing should have some thin hoppen to it. And when they come back they told us.
 They was one or two of the boys, Iguess, that thought the thermometer was butch iky, just because we couldn't have them two nice horses to ride after. But it want so, for it went up to 25o above before re cess, and so did we, when teacher said |: ''H you behave pretty we'll, think l shall feel like treating you" That brought out more smiles than the ''rats" did. Let's see-I haven't told you about the "rats. |" You see she let us go home at forenoon re- cess-teacher did-and told us to eat a good warm dinner and bring along our harmonicas and soap stones, and to be sure to bring ''lots of wraps" We thought she said "rats," and wondered what she wanted of rats and where we was goin' to get 'em. We told her 50, but she kinder smiled, and so did the big girls, and then she said "shawls and such things" she meant, aud then we knew. And we did.
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