Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-05-29

"ii you trustees have our contract
fixed up I'll sign it, and then he
gin work" Thar aint no trus-
tees here az I knows off, says one
of the men. cold man Brown and
Mike Smith and Jake Jones l
know aint here, kase l seed EN-
gwine over ter de crossroads ter
gander-pulling," said another.
"Oh! then you men have just
kindly come out to see your chill
dren start ii" ventured I. "Guess
we cum ter see ourselves start in, "
says another. I came very near
faintiEg when I heard this, and
was about ready to turn straight
around and 60 back to my pa.
But then I knew it would never
do to begin to "craw-fsh" so early.
so straighten up to my full
height, and swell out to my ut
most capacity and says: "You
boys come in to books then" On
going in the house I saw at once
how inappropriate my little speech
was going to be; for instead of see
ing nothing but sweet up-turned
faces of little children, large, lean.
lanky boys met my gaze on every
side. However, 1 intended to car
ry out my programme to the very
letter, so l began: "NIy dear little
chi dren: tits needless-it is-a
needle-it is-a need-it is--it-
it-it-ara-it--ara-ara-it,"a and
for my life I couldn't think what
came next. I knew that it would
never do for me to sit down. L
knew it would never do for me to
stand up and say nothing, and I
also knew that it would never do
for me to keep on saying what l
had been saying, SO you see | was
in pretty bad fix. Presently |
saw a new way out of the mire.
so l began over: "AIy dear little
children: It is needful fol us to
repeat together the Lords Prayer
thinking by that time | could col
lect my speech. So I began: Our
Father, which art in Heaven, give
us this that we are about to re-
ceive for Christ's sake. Amen" :"
Just as soon as said "amen" |
knew that it didn't sound exactly
right for the Lords prayer, but
then, as I was so excited, [ knew
it would never do to 60 back and
try to correct it, for | might have
made it worse. Well that was
over with, and still my speech was
as far from me as ever; so | took
out my blank book and pencil t"
take the roll. | said, ''it any ones
name begins with Il stand up
Nobody rose. ''If any ones name
begins with B stand up" Nobody
rose. "If anyb,.dy's name begins
with C, stand up. D-E-F-G-
H." and still no one stood up. |
was getting tired of that, so ! said,
"if any ones name is Smith, let
them stand up" and to my sur
prise about half of the school stood
up. l went around and got their
given names, then l said, eff any
ones name is Jones, let them stand
up," and as Lear as l could judge
all the rest stood up. | then said,
"if there is one here whose name
is not Smith or Jones, let them
stand up" One little red-headed
bashful boy stood up at the back
side of the house. [ asked him
his name, and he said. "Johnnie
rbrowh SO this ended the roll
making, and still I couldn't think
of that speech, so I went around
and looked at their books, and as
signed them lessons. I called all
the small children up to the front
seats expecting to make them a
little funny talk, thereby gang
their good will at the very begin
ming; but when they were all seat
ed and every one had become per-
fectly quiet, and I started to make
my talk. my mouth refused to talk,
and I couldn't think of blessed
thing but the first sentence of the
Declaration of Independence. Well
I thought I would give them my
speech again, so I began: "My
dear little children: 1t is-ara-
ara-it-is-ara--ara-ara," "
and just about this time I decided
that 1 wouldn't speak that speech,
but that I would ask them some
general questions in history. So
I began: "Children, who discov-
cred America?n George Washing
ington," said one. Who then was
called the Father of his Country?"
adam" said another. I just want
ed to see what they did know, so l
continued: "Who is Governor of
this State?" "Ben Tillman," an
swered little tot. "No he aint,
you little fool, he's President of
America" corrects a larger one
(fool). We all had a hearty laugh
over this mistake, then l tried to
explain to them how it was, and
had apparently convinced all but
one little fellow, who began cry
ing, and said, "I know Tillman is
Governor of this State case Pap
said he wus, and I knows Pap
knows more'n you does, now, boo
hoo-hoo." I saw that was tres
passing on private opinions, so !
pacifed the little fellow by telling
him that as I was from South Car
olina I didn't know much about