Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1894-08-02

folks thought l would get somebody to
carry me home to meeting, seeing as it
was only six miles, and / belonged to
the church there, but | felt as if l had
just as soon see same new faces.
Maria Rogers used to sit right in
front of me at home.
noticed that folks in the meeting
house at Marshbrook eyed me some.
don't know whether it was because
had come to teach the Number One
school, or because l wore my green silk.
/ suppose it did look most too fine, but
| had it, and 1t was pleasant Sunday,
and l thought | might as well wear it,
though somehow, every time | looked
down at my lap as l sat in meeting,
there was something about the color
seemed to strike over me, and make me
sick. l never liked green very well,
but he did, and that was why got it.
/ liked it better after it was colored,
though it seemed a shame to have all
the stiffening taken out of it. 1t was
beautiful piece.
had good boarding place, just Mr..
Simonds and his wife, and she was as
neat as wax and a good cook. She was
kind of woOdeny, and didn't talk
much, but didn't feel much like talk
ing, and l liked it full as well. She
used to have supper early, about as
soon as ! got home from school, and
then | used to go upstairs to my cham
Der, and sit by myself. Mrs. Simonds
didn't neighbor much, she said, but l
guess after 1 came folks run in more.
I'd hear them talking down stairs. |
guess they wanted to find out how 1
was getting along at the Number One
school.
Once Mrs. Simonds said, if she was
in my place, she'd make her plans not
tostay after school. She didn't seem
any more fidgety herself than wooden
post, but l guess she'd heard so much
from the neighbors, she thought she
ought to say something.
| said l hadn't had any occasion to
stay after school, and hadn't. did
not really have any occasion the night
did stay, but 1 felt kind of down at
the heel, and L didn't want any sup
per, and just sat there on the plat
form behind my desk, after the scholars
marched out of the room.
1 don't know how long 1 sat there
quite while. suppose, for it began to
grow dusky. The frogs peeped as if
they were in the room, and there was a
damp wind blew in the window, and l
could smell wintergreen, and swamp
pinks. 1t was all l could do to keep
the children from chewing winter
green-leaves in school-time. They were
real thick all around the school-house.
All of a sudden, as | sat there, / had
queer feeling as if there was some
body in the room, and l looked up, L
saw, down in the middle of the room, a
little white arm raised in the dusk. 1t
was the way the children did, when
they wanted to ask something, and
thought for second that one had
stayed or come back, unbeknown to
ms, and was raisingan arm. Ofcourse
that was queer, but it was the only rea-
son I could think Of and it flashed
through my head.
"What is ito" says I, and then I
heard little girls voice pipe up,
"Please, teacher, find my doll for me,
and hear my next lesson in the prim-
err
"What?n says I, for it didn,t roe4a4
to me l could have heard right. And
then the voice said it over again, and
that little white arm crooked out of the
gloom.
I got up, and went down the aisle
between the desks, and when 1 came
close enough, | saw little girl, in a
queer, straight white dress, almost like
a night-gown, sitting there. Her little
face was so white in the gloom, it made
me creep, and her features looked set;
even her mouth didn't move when she
spoke. 1t was open a little, and the
words Just seemed to flow out between
her lips.
"Please, teacher, find my doll for
me, and hear my next lesson in the
primer" says she over again, dreadful
pitiful.
1 put my hand on her shoulder, and
then jumped and took it away, for /
never felt anything SO cold as her little
shoulder was. 1t seemed as if the cold
struck to my heart from it, and had
to catch my breath.
"What is your manner" says I, as soon
as / could.
"Mary Williams, aged six years,
three months, and five days." says
she.
Then my blood ran cold, but I tried
to reason it out to myself again, that
she was some child hadn't seen, that
had run in there, andmaybe she wasn't
quite right in her mind.
"Well,o says l, ''you had better run
home now. If you want to come
to school, you can come at nine
O'Clock tomorrow morning, if your
mother is willing. Then l will heal
your lesson, and maybe you will find
your doll, but you mustn't bring it tC
school. can't have any dolls brought
to SCHOOL,
With that she rose up, and dropped q
queer little curtsey that made puff OF
icy cold wind in my face, and was out
of the room, very fast, as if she slid OF
floated, without taking any steps al
all.
l put on my bonnet, and locked uI
the school-house, and went home then
Looking back, l can't say as / felt
scared or nervous at all. l know 1 did
not walk mite faster when l went
past the old graveyard. There was an
old graveyard near the school-house,
and the children used to play there at
recess.
When 1 got home, Mrs. Simonds
asked why hadn't been home, and il
didn't want any supper, but she did
not act surprised nor curious. She
never seemed surprised or curious at
anything.
went up stairs to my chamber, and
sat down and thought it over. II
seemed to me there must be some above.