Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1908-10-02
TOWN PUMP, IN ILLINOIS.

TOWN PUMP IN ILL1No1s
Sept q AT the place where first
saw the light Of day I am now seated,
and writing this letter. Sixty years
have passed since them The work of
man has wrought such q change IN
this place in the last thirty-six years
(the time that has passed since l last
saw it, that few things are here to
remember the old home by. hunted
persistently. but in vain for the spot
where the log school house stood
where learned a b and c more than
fifty years ago. firmly believed that
could once stand on the spot where
the old school house stood, that institu-
tion would send an electric current
through my body that could not con-
troll, but such pleasure was not given
me, and after two hours of search /
sat down and cried, until the site of a
school house not made of whole logs
las the one was had in mind was
seen only few rods distant I slowly
rambled to it, and was invited in, but
it was not Cel1na Hull, Katy Beach,
Mary Crul, Carrie Mcguire nor
Ephram Williams, teaching this
school. was pleasantly entertained
during recess by the young lady, who
was teaching, but wanted to 60 out
on the play ground and be boy
again. While sitting there memories
fitted over my mind of incidents OF
long ago I thought of how Wesley
Middleton hoped around on one foot
when a coal of fire popped out of the
old fashioned fire place, and went IN
his shoe Wesley was mad at the
time, over being corrected for dis
obedience by the teacher, Eph.
IWilliams, and he cut big swath
while he was pulling the shoe off
without first untying it. We seemed
to be in such great hurry to get his
shoe off, and yet it took him so long
that everyone in the house was watch
ing his maneuvers. We all laughed
until we cried. and would have done
so even IT Wesley's foot had burned
off, When the teacher beheld him
laboring SO fast and hard at his shoe
he said: "What in the world is the
} matter of you now!'' The scholars
!; could not be reconciled until they
were sent out of the house for several
minutes. Wesley was called bad
boy by his schoolmates. but on arrlv-
ing at mans age he was liked by all.
} He passed over the divide long ago.
!, I also thought of another person
whom I went to school with when a
fboy. This one was a girl. Her age
| was eleven at the time while
: was ten. I found that when I clasped
her hand something, I did not know
what, went all through my body, even
to the tips of my toes. The touch OF
others did not do this. OF course had
: been an Edison, electricity would
! have been harnessed long before II
was We (she and y have shared
each others pleasures and sorrows fol
t. the last 80 years under the same roof:
While sitting in this schoolroom
thought of the old song called ''2(
!. Years Ago." the sentiments OF which
= have brought many a welcomed thrill
. to the aged, but to the young it is no
a beacon. Burdett's parody on twent!
: years ago. (called 40 years ago. strike
the young in more tickllsh spot;
: asked the teacher to call her scholar
> In short time before usual time, St
that would not disturb them during
valuable time and would entertain
9 them few moments, and she did so
? I talked a few moments to them of. tn
: past fifty years as I had seen 1t.
: also sang Burdett's parody on twent!
years ago. My time being worth les
D at the present time than that of
! setting hen in Minnesota in tn
month Of January, and believing tina
there may be some of the Herald ;
y readers who do not. know Burdett'
parady on twenty years ago, 1 vii
, give it here It seems that the autho
b had been away from his old home 4
wears, and on returning sat down O.
, the logs of the old school house an
= wrote this: 49,.
} To think that forty years ago
I trod this peaceful vale,
, Mid summer q sun and winters sno'
With books and dinner pail.
I MY childish feet, in happy play,
, Knew nothing then of thorns
That sting us in our later day;
4 I'm singing now of corns.
4 They've torn the schoolhouse dow
see,
, And leveled-what shame
The old familiar Maple tree
That bore the teachers name.
, He used my knife to carve 1t with
And labored half the day;
It looked like this, lin r Gu
> Smith,;
Il No criticisms pray.
: Alas, beneath the daisy's bloom
The poor old master sleeps,
, And over his lone neglected tomb
Il No kinsman ever weep;
But the scholars liked him, every on
And chatted with him Moons
: He warmed our jackets though lii
fun:
p Likewise our pantaloons.
Where are the boys that used to pla
, With me along the creek?
4 Oh, some Of them have passed away,
While others vainly seek
Their fortunes in some foreign land.
Poor Barker wandered thence
I'd like to take him by the hand
D And get that fifty cents.
= Hiphh0 while gazing ON the place