The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-05-20
WHEN THE
SUN MOVED
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1912, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
BY M. QUAD

| by donating the site, and the county
went ahead and erected neat frame
schoolhouse. There had never been
| a regular school in that district before,
and parents and pupils were proud OF
it. A teacher was hired, and for six
weeks after school opened all went
we'll Then a shadow came.
One day as Farmer Johnson, who
had three children attending the school,
was driving by Farmer Hoke went
out to the gate to stop him and say:
Look here, jim; about our school,"
ats fine" was the reply.
az dunno about that; | dunno"
@Why, Moses. what can be wrong?
That gal teacher fills the bill mighty
well, and my children are learning
something every day"
eyes; but what are they learning"
"Why, what we've all had to learn.
Nothing has happened to make you
dissatisfied, hope"
"Say, George" said Moses as he came
step nearer and lowered his voice a
bit. "What about the north pole and
the south pole? The teacher is telling
that this earth is like a pumpkin sus-
pended between two posts with stick
through the middle of it,"
"Well, / reckon that's right"
"But has that got anything to do
with blowing and planting? Is it go
ing to raise more corn to the acre? Is
it going to stop kicking cow from
kicking? Is it going to cure sore
backed horse2"
"N-o-o-o, reckon not. But it's jest
as well to know these things. haint
it."
Jest time thown away, as / look at
it. And the teacher is a-telling that
this earth is round.
That's what everybody is a-saying
nowadays, Moses"
Look at that meadow out there.
George. Is it round, like an orange,
or fat, like a pancake?'
"It's fat, of course"
@And all the rest of the world is
round, is it? Something mighty queer
about that. If the world is round
why don't we fall off? Man can't
walk around on a side hill and keep
his balance"
81 was saying so to Smith when /
was in town buying a shovel the other
day, and he says it's gravity that
keeps us standing upright
II don't believe any such gol durn-
ed nonsenser exclaimed Moses IF
hnr 10
my children then I'm agin it. My
Sam come home the other day and
said it was 100000 miles to the
sun. The teacher had told him twice
over-93, 100000 miles, George"
"Yes. I've heard it was about that"
"And you hain't done anything
about it?'
"Noap. Didn't see what could do.
/ can't measure the distance"
Farmer Hoke thought the thing over
for a week. and there might have
been no more trouble had not his son
Sam come home one day and asked
of him:
Pop, where is the sun at O'Clock
in the morning.
I'm the east. you doughhead."
"And at noon!"
: "In the south
"And at sunsetY
''In the west"
"How does 1t get there"
"How do / get from the house to
the barn and back? ! move. don't II
What has that gal teacher been put
ting into your head nowf"
Pop. the sun don't move hairs
breadth all day! announced the lad, /
with a chuckle.
by the jumping Jehosaphat, but
that's going too fur-too fur" growled 1
the father. Move? Move? Look at
that sun up there and tell me if you
dare that she hain't movingm
But it's the earth, pop"
Then why haint we moving along
either toward the house or barn?"
"Gravitation is a-holding u.s."
by thunder, but We'll see about it!
won't lick you this time, but don't
you talk any more nonsense. I'll make
certain folkses' eyes bung out tomor-
rer!"
Moses Hoke had said be would give
the land for the schoolhouse site, but
the deed to the county hadn't been
drawn yet. He was, therefore, free to
go to the trustees and say:
II want you to move your old school
house of my landr'
why, Moses. what's the matter?'
was asked.
Our children are being made fools
Of That gal teacher is a-teiling them
that the sun don't move blamed inch
ell day long"
And it doesn't, Moses. It's the earth
that moves"
I'm give you a week to move the
III.
"But you donated the land"
where's your deedy'
Moses had them dead TO rights. The
trustees and the teacher and the more
intelligent farmers consulted together
md the best they could do was to send !
word to the unbeliever that they had !
changed their minds and were now
satisfied that the sun did move. He a
waited a year before he gave deed, 4
md then when they went back on him /
lie could smile and say: {
well, had her hustling right along
or twelve months,anyhow, and we had c