The herald., 1895-05-14
HALSTEAD'S PADDY's RUN PAPERS
4 >s;rHf4

report MIN VcrDatln-no has Deen IN MS
grave half century His words nearly
took my breath away. but l resumed the
exercise How long the proceedings last
ed have no recollection, but the scene ID
plain to me as photograph was stand
ing on the south side of the room facing
the north. about eight feet from the stove
just where tho littlo boys and the little
girls study benches stood at right angles
to each other, and stood at the left hand
side of the teacher, the boys on my right
and the girls on my left. the door straight
in front.
l had good dcnl to tell my mother
when arriving at home, and sho seemed,
as knew when | thought of it long after
ward, to be expecting to hear something
OF great interest to her. and when / told
about my reading and what tho teacher
said she rewarded me with ovon unusual
tenderness and dropped a few tears on my
head, almost as white thon as now, and it
Is more than GO years ago. / do not re-
member anything else that happened at
that school, but In an old pockctbcok
whcro my mother kept things of particu-
lar valuo | found, when sho was gone, an
old yellow faded slip ofpapcr, in the hand
writing Of the teacher of the school, dated
and verifying tho accuracy Of my memory
as to my age, when | made the discovery
that all the boys did not naturally know,
when they started to the public schools,
how to read in tho third reader. l have
been careless about slips. of paper, but I
can produce that one.
There were two books at our house that
were of uncommon interest to my parents.
Ono was n scnpbook containing poetry
cut from the poets corners of tho ncv.s-
papers or copied and my father took pride
in making his handwriting palmer than
print and accurately indenti,g tho lines
of the poetry deemed worthy of transcript
ton. Ono of the poems he copied, l clear
ly remember, was Lincolns favorite
piece OF ,pathos, "Oh, Why should tho
Spirit of Mortal Be Prouds" Bannock-
burn" was another and that tho magniG-
cent word Bannockburn" really meant
Mud creek" could not in tho old times
have imagined There was also, but quito
second to tho scrapbook. tho flo of a liter
ary paper called Tho Mirror and found
in it wonderful snake stories and other
matter of high aud festive character.
The other book, and decidedly tho treas
urc OF the house, was an. astronomical at
las. My fnthcr and mother were star gaz-
crs and thought it important to know the
names of tho stars and watch then, on
their shining courses. l was confused by
tho figures of animals in tho maps of tho
heavens, and no amount of explanation
could convince mo that | was not at fault
in my Inability to see in the sky tho
strange creatures so vividly depicted in
the atlas Of tho heavens | lanciel that l
could trace ut fines faint resem-
hnnce to Tho Great Bear. l knew well
"tho pointers, "'' jobs coffin, tho sew
en- stars, " glorious Orion with his belt and
sword of diamonds; tho planets and above
all tho north star, associated with thrill
ing tales of services to sailors and tho
mystical magnetic needle that always
pointed straight and true to that star.
That WAS my reading of tho text Tho
stars seemed to me then to be larger than
in later days. / am almost persuaded
there may bo something in the idea that
the moon has never been herself since the
war. Surely the stars are closer and more
companionablo to tho country than TO tho
city boys and girls. Venus and Jupiter do
not blaze with tho volume of silver fires
that long ago lit them up.
Ono November night our astronomical
observations caInc to "a climax, and, though
an unwilling, l became wondering spec
tator. Fancy looking upon all the stars
rushing in Il mad torrent from the top of
tho dumo OF tho sky and disappearing on
the horizon. Consider an aurora borenls
with rapids Of sparks forming an all cm-
bracing cataract OF silver flnmo, or tho
majcstical Exchanging firmamont frottcd
with golden fires, to such an extopt that
tho zenith seemed to be the bell muzzlcd
mouth of Roman candle spreading vast
sheets of falling stars. That was what
happened on tho night that Edwin Booth
was born. That day my father had Kill
cd II mess of young squirrels, P" fat as but
ter with hickory nuts, and they we're, ain
not ashamed to say, my favorito meat, and
thcro was not duo vigilance in guarding
me that might not bear testimony not
wisely, but too well, of the succulcnco OF
tho squirrel and the richness of the gravy
Fortunately I was i'll at O'Clock in RIO
morning and aroused my p:rcnts, WHO
were diverted from my difficulties bytho
discovery that while o;sr world seemed to
be pretty steady all tho rust Of the words
wcro on fire. IocoYornig from the pm. rs
of too much squirrel, was wrapped IN IA
blanket, and tho da22ling celestial show
was in full blast. lidoud, when ono Was
ont of doors, there WAS nothing to sec itdt
stars rccklcssly ana in strange silence
tumbling ',hcaGiong flaming through
cthDrcal space, with ''hideous ruin AID
combustion" l did not know that there
was any liability that the world mieht
como to an end, going off on n TOT with
the siIGy consultations, and when l got
sleepy l ceased to bo Il spectator.
MURAr HALsTEAD.