Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-06-02

young days, when I was growing up,
but l felt now that i had ost1ground
| and had slipped to lower level than
such as she, and don't know whether
1 hated her because it was so, or be-
| cause she caused me to realize it; but
anyway, good Christian though was,
I hated her.
We were very religious, as Benderss
we went to church on Sundays, Cos
siped on week days, and thought we'd
fulfilled she law and the Gospel
AS said, the Bend was new place,
we were all poor, and had not yet been
able to have a school Our children
were growing up in ignorance, fact
! we loudly deplored among ourselves;
50 when sweet Olive North proposed
| to teach US a three months term free
| OF charge, you'd think we'd have
| jumped at the chance, but we didn't
| THE stuck up thing! 1 'spoee she
thinks she'll be a missionary to US
heathens," said Mrs Ivens- My young
uns may live an die in ignorance fore
I'll send 'em to charity school kept by
her. said Mrs. Godsey.
1t would take too long to tell all the
hateful things we did say, bat at last
some OF us began to come to Our senses,
myself for one, not that was bit bet
ter than the rest, but did want Dan1
and Sary. my boy and girl, to be learn
ing something; so at last we concluded
that we reclSoned we could stand it if
she could, and sent her word she might
begin.
| If Olive could have heard all the
ugly things we said she might have
quit in despair, seeing she did not get
even thankee for her work, but she
kept right on, and the children were
getting to like her in spite Of all they
heard said against her, and were get
ting so they'd speak up and take her
part, but none of us older ones, even
yet, were friendly with the Ncrths,
| Some of Us had neighbored little
| with them, but we took pains to let
them know that we thought ourselves
as good as they, and made ourselves
very foolish and disagreeable.
About that time, word got out that
Olive was taking fiddle to the school
house and playing while the children
made motions to it. What storm it
raised!
"Only to think that she's learnin' the
precious innocents to dance, when we
thought 'em a studyin' of their books, I"
said Mrs. Ivens, with tremor in her
| voice
Il allus knowed som'thin' would
come out. Such amt to be trusted
a-lookin' as if butter wouldn't melt IN
their mouths" said Mrs. Hatch
When we sifted the thing it came
out that it wasn't fiddle that Olive
had in school, but something that
looked like one.
Mine said she thumped it with her
| Sh al r><,C
it like a cat but anyway, it was
| done, SO we made it up that, without
saying nything to anybody, we'd meet
and go in a squad to che door Of the
schoolhouse-it was little Old desert
ed country storehouse that Olive and
her pa had fixed up at their own ex-
| pense-we'd go in squad TO the door,
just after the children had been called
| in, having waited somewhere near, and
| just when Olive got into the midst Of
her demoralizing performance we'd
rush in and ask if that was the way to
| keepSchoOl. There was little sort of
i porch room in front, and we all tip-tOed
into that and stood nudging each other,
for, now we'd got there, no one wanted
! to be the first to break in, though we
| could hear the music going. a clear,
sweet young voice leading some child
ish song. the little ones joining in,
while they all kept a sort Of time with
their hands and bodies. That much l
saw through crack in the door before
Mrs. Ivens nearly mashed my foot
crowding me over to take my place.
Two or three of the stoutest got their
eyes to the cracks, and the rost hid to
be content with hearing; but every
word came plain as truth TO where we
were standing. I'll say here that no
prima bonner ever had s,veeter voice
than Olives, and when they had fin
ished the little caiisthenic= piece Il
think that's what they called it-she
struck up Nearer My God to Thee, !"
all the young ones joining in, and she
playing the accompaniment on the
guitar. for we learned later that that
was the name of the instrument that
had created such an excitement, and to
my dying day [ don't expect to hear
anything sound sweeter.
jest listen at Tad!" whispered Mrs.
Hatch. I'D no idea the little feller
could sing sol I'll have to tell his pap"
Before the hymn was finished l felt
my eyes getting moist, and I saw sew
eral others getting the same way. We
forgot all about the object of our visit,
and only thought of listening to the
music; and once Meiindy Peters nearly
spoiled everything by joining in, but
Lucy Ivens saw her opening her mouth
and chucked her under the chin
When the hymn was finished, what
was our surprise to hear the same sweet
voice leading in prayer, and you might
not baieve it, but more beautiful
n / | 1