The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-02-27
Grandma's First Day at school.

FIRST lay at ScnOOis
Every one about the house knew
that school wa 5 to begin on Monday,
and Bess was saying for the twentieth
time:
"I'm all ready, grandma, everything.
just think it's only tomorrow.
How times have changed since
was little girl and went to SCHOOL,
said grandma, with that PARKWAY look
in her eyes tina t was always there when
she was 'menhberin'." as Bess said.
90, grandma, [ never thought that
you ever went to school, as old as you
are"
II was just ds young as you are once,
my dear" said grandma.
"Tell me b out when you went to
school," begged Bess, drawing close to
dear grandma
Il was eight OF nine years old before
j started to school" grandma began.
"We lived in Ohio, and it was more
than sixty years ago.
Every one had to pay to so, and
the school only lasted three months in
The winter, w hen it was too cold to
work
my little b rother John went with
me. -
"My mother wove a piece of flannel
on the big loom from the wool of our
own sheep. Then she colored it brown
with walnut hulls. From this she
made me a bEand-new flannel dress,
very long, with tucks in it to let out as
| grew.
Father wen to the woods, and shot
deer and skin med him and tanned the
hide From this deerskin he made me
a pair, of buck skin shoes. They were
tied together with leather strings, and
were stiff and heavy.
Mother next sold some tallow, and
bought a squaI re of real store flannel
of bright red color. She cut this in
two on the bias, so as to make one
piece larger than the other. The
smaller of these three cornered pieces
was for me to wear around my neck as
handkerchief. The larger one was
to serve as shawl and hat, for I wore
it over my head.
with all my new things on and
little tin bucket in one hand, with our
dinner in it, and the little primer my
mother had DO ught me Rugged to my
breast, we star ted to school right after
breakfast, father, John and /.
Father carried his AK on his shout
der going on before us and blazing
the way. By blazing I mean he
chopped large chip out of the trees
on each side, and cut away the under
brush for path. The school-house
was a mile and a quarter from our
house, over hill and through hollows.
"The school house was built of big
round logs wit clay stuffed in to FIJI
up the crack 5. There was a wide
chimney where a log fire burned.
1.-THE seats W ere logs split with stout
legs stuck in them. We sat on the
fiat side. My feet never touched the
floor They u ed to get very, tired
hanging down, and L would swing
them back an ID forth to rest, them.
There were no backs to these seats,
and no desks ir front of them.
II did not k now what school was
like, and I felt very strange. Twas
afraid of the teacher, he was such q
large fellow, and went around carrying
big stick three or four feet long I'M
der his arm. He was called the mas
ter.
aCnof GOIQ nIIn our names, anu Cnen
went home, telling us not to get lost, but
come straight b ONE by the path he had
made. I felt LIKE crying when father
left, everything was so strange.
"That day the teacher put all the big
boys and girls in one class and the lit
tie ones In another.
when noon came we all opened our
dinner buckets and ate our dinners, for
some of the children had come three
miles.
"We then all went outdoors, and
the big boys played ball very much IS
boys do now. The girls and smaller
boys played blind mans buff, drop
the handkerchief and black man
just as children do now. It was al
most dark befp pre- we reached home
that night. The teacher went with US
to stay week at our house, as he did
with all the other pupils. That was the
first day I ever spent at school. >
Youths Companion.