The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-05-18
A Rainy Day Story.

There was a great rustling and
stamping and slamming of doors in
the basement. Mrs. Jewett. who
was visiting the Lawrences, looked
up from her work, and exclaimed:
What can that be?"
Only May coming i'll from
school," answered Mrs. Lawrenre,
with Il smile. she can make as
much noise on rainy day as any
boy
Even so it proved. In a few min
utes up came May, face wet and
glowing from encounter with wind
and rain, crimps which had ceased
to be crimpy, skirts pinned up,
Waterproof and rubber boots in
Land.
Here ! am, mamma" she cried.
Did you get wet, Mary?"
mo, indeed; couldn't, all bun
died up so. 1t was fun. | don't see
what people did, though, before the
days of waterproofs. The children
must have stayed at home on stormy
days, of course"
DO you think so?" asked grand
ma from her corner | never did,
Tor one. When l was four years old
| went to a district school two miles
away, but | think l was scarcely
ever absent in summer, rain or
shine"
oh, what brave little grand
ma cried May curling down on the.
rug before the fire. Tell me how
you managed it - please do. i
should think you must have taken
cold, getting so wet"
I'VE had a way said her grand
mother. You know few children
ever wore shoes and stockings then.
except to church; but as we were
the minister's family, or mother
thought it proper that we should
wear them. When the roads were
muddy, however, or very dusty, we
used TO roll up shoes and stock
lngS in a bundle with a towl or
two, and trot along with our bare
feet to school. 1t wouldn't do to
spoil such expensive things as shoes,
Tor one pair had to last Il year, at
least, and then he handed over to
the next younger child. The older
boys and girls would take turns in
carrying the little ones over the
hard places, and q two-milc walk
was not much for country children.
Then when we reached the school
house, we would wipe our feet on
the towels, put on our stockings and
shoes, and be all right again.
When it really showed or rained.
the fun was better still. If we were
caught in a storm, our great tip
cart, with load Of bed quilts
would be seen driving up about
the time for school to close.
Come, children, in with you!'
would be the cry; and we, five or
six of us, with perhaps twice the
number of neighbors' children,
Wonld stow ourselves away upon the
Iuilt in the bottom of the cart,
have one or two 'comforters' spread
over us and tucked in the sides, and
then set off for home.
What frolics and giggling there
would be all in the dark, under
those quilts as the old cart iolted
over the stones, and shook us all
together in a merry heap Along
the way we would stop ut this
house, and at that; the end of the /
quilt would be lifted, and out would |
crawl some rumpled little traveller.
when at last we were at home /
again, the hired man would take us
out-quilts children and all, IN a
squirming bundle, and deposit us
on the kitchen floor, to straighten
ourselves as best we could.
ut was better fun than you can
get in these days" Mary" ended
grandma, laughing heartily at the
recollection; and Mary laughed too,
as she answered, jumping up: Il de-
clare, grandma, you make me wish
I'd been a centennial girl."-IlIinois
Christian Weekly.