St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-12-14
AT A SCHOOL MEETING.
Encourage the Dull Pupil and Give
Him . Fair Chance.

have just returned from visiting
our public schools. and the pupils, dull
and bright quick and slow. all classct
together, bring to mind a school meet
ing which I attended twelve or fiftecl
years ago.
/ had been teaching in the city o
-. thirty miles from home. wher
the sudden breaking way of mother.
health called me nearer her.
Circumstances denied the abandon.
ment of INCORPORATING employment II
the home life l might at this time de-
sire, so in order to be at home part o.
the time. and still be able to make
both ends meet" l made application
for the school in our adjoining dis.
trict
Fathers farm was bounded on the
south by the line dividing the districts
and our nearest neighbor was the
treasurer OF No. 10"
On the next farm to him. and cor
nering with ours. lived q widow with
three sturdy boys, . good team. two OF
three cows. some pigs and poultry. and
a mortgaged farm for her possessions.
The treasurer of mo. TO-" whom we
will call Smith by way Of designation.
held the mortgage on this farm. He
also was the p0ssessor OF three boys.
little sharp. quick. black-eyed fellows.
in marked contrast to the slow. steady,
firm. fair-haired sons OF the widow.
One morning. in the early fall. Mr.
Smith called at our house and Incl
dentally told father that the new
school-house of mo. 10" was within
three days Of 'complction. and that the
school meeting which had been called
for next day would be held there. As
he mounted his horse he called to
father: You'll be over tomorrow.
will you not?"
On hearing Mr.. Smiths invitation. a
desire to attend this meeting immedi-
ately took possession of me. So, when.
after exchanging good afternoons
with his neighbor, father returned to
his chair, / said:
Father, I'd like to 60 with you to
No. To- tomorrow. He looked up
sternly and said:
Agnes. you'll do a great deal bet
ter to stay here by mother than to be
running about that way" and asserted
with an implied rebuke to my ..in-
quisitive nature" that he was not GO
ing to No. TO- as he had no business
there" But / laughed and told him !
wanted to learn something about the
place in which l was to spend the next
six months.
Now father had always opposed our
attending our school meetings Il have
reference to mother and sister and II.
but !. having had to push out and
make my way at an early age. had &C
quired way of thinking and doing
not altogether according to fathers
liking. had attended. with our neigh
Dor women, our own school NEE ting.
even roted, thus proclaiming to the
world the upwards Of twenty years"
Of my age.
On the next afternoon, when sister
Laura and were doing up the dinner
work. father called me and said he
had some accounts he would like If
would run over and ''shape out" for
him.
Sure enough. when l was ready he
brought a great roll OF papers and put
before me- At first thought enough
to keep me week. But father wanted
them done this day. Bless his heart
he knew Id do it. and thought would
not get through till supper time.
Now he was a county physician. and
found that some Of these were old ac-
counts which had run long enough to
be outlawed, and which never had and
never would be presented; 50 al such
papers put in the drawer for further
consideration, and by working with
might and main ! was through by
three o'clock. o, how tired l waA
and how my head ached. but bathed
my face. ran up stairs. donned my hat
and kissed mother goodbye between
words ss l told her not TO ask any
questions. Mag helped me mount and
in a I.,rnte more l was bounding over
the prairie '. tlle back Of our faithful
little brown Bess