Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-06-01
Boyhood in the Country.

"The city boy sees but little OF the
real fun Of boyhood days" said the
man who was brought up on a farm.
about this time of year, when | vas
a lad came the last day of school.
Christmas, Fourth of July and the
last day of school we're great days in
my boyhood calendar That day itself
was not only crowded with fun. but
it meant the beginning of four
months of the same thing. The last
day and then nothing to do but fish
for bullheads and go in swimmin' I'M
til dog days Then came haydn time.
Who wouldn't be a boy in haydn
time?
The morning of the last day we
forgot to turn the cows into the mead
ows or water the hogs, we were so ex-
cited. Father came in just as we
were all dressed up. Everybody wore
his Sunday suit on the last day.
Why amt those kids done their
work.? he asked
7 Mother interceded: This is the
last day of school, you know, pa; and
they just forgot
school didn't take up until ten
o'clock. We had an hour AMI half
to play move up in. Part of tne
Simpkins school had come over carly
to play with us. Every school wi-lin
a radius of six miles that hadn't
closed came to visit Us on the last
day. They came a-giggling mass of
youngsters squeezed in one Big lum-
Der wagon.
There were no lessons assigned the
last day. Each one recitsd what he
liked best The reading classes were
in the morning On such occasions
my favorite was Old Ironsides.' VITA
shoulders thrown back. book held
straight out in front. | bellowed:
Ay, tear her tattered ensign down.
Long has it waved on high.
Jimmy Green always read The
Brook Slouching on one hip, look
ing out of the window most of the
time that he might impress the small
er children with his learning, Jimmy
read in monotone:
For men may come and men may go,
But l go on forever.
ne knew The Brook by heart On
the Fridays we had to speak pieces,
Jimmy spoke The Brook We had
new teacher nearly every year, so she
thought it was piece Jimmy had
learned for that especial occasion. 1t
was hard on Jimmy when the same
teacher came back the second year.
Jimy had to learn a new piece.
Just before noon, our pas and mas
and the rest of the children's pas and
mas began to come in. Ma always
came and sat with me. That made me
mad because Susie Whitty, in the seat
behind me Uttered: He is tied to his
mammals apron strings That cut.
was in love with Susie.
"Old Squire Rogers was the last one
to arrive. The squire didn't have any
children, but he had been on the school
board ever since the district was or
ganized. The teacher boarded at his
place. Johnny Jones left the room
and when he come back, started it
down his aisle: Treats are comm
cause there is a big candy bucket in
the back of the squire's buggy.
Would she or wouldn't she trilt on
the last day? had been discussed in
hushed tones by groups of children
on the playground for weeks.
Dinner time came and from the
buggies and wagons great baskets Of
eatables covered with big cloths were
brought out. The teacher pretended
to be surprised she hadn't dreamed
of it. She had brought her own little
lunch basket as usual. That dinner,
great platters of fried chicken, big
juicy pickles, watermelon preserves.
hard boiled eggs colored red, with
toothpicks in one end to pick them up
by! The squire at the head of the
voice Jackie Schemmerhorn giggled.
Jackie always giggled when the squire
said grace. Jackie's father was a
goddess man and it amused Jackie to
see people talk to their platter as he
called it,
after dinner the smaller children
said pieces, and four of us big boys
had a debate. The question was.
Who suffered the more Enoch Arden
or Evangeline?' was leader on
Enoch's side and Johnny Jones was
Evangeline's champion. Neither
Enoch nor Evangeline ever got the de-
! cision. Squire Rogers, the third judge,
always said, as near as he could see,
: it was six of one and half a dozen of
the other, so he would call it a hung
jury The squire was a tactful man.
"The best was last. That big bucket
was brought out of the squire's buggy.
Wouldn't this be happy old world if
every day was the last day of SCHOOL,"
Kansas City Star.