The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1915-07-09
The Little County schooI-louse.

BACK from the country road II
stands, it's door swinging wide to the
weather, and to those few Of the pas.
sersby who stop to gaze upon the
deserted little house. From its warp
ed and leaning bell-tower the cracked
old bell still swings to the touch of
Furious fingers upon the ragged rope
that bangles In the doorway So harsh
and iangling note is that with which
II breaks the quiet round, even in the
clang Of iron can the intruder hear
the protest of its utterance.
Put up the old rope reverently, fas-
tenlng II about one of these pegs that
stud the wall, each side the door.
Little round hats and little sunbonnets
once hung on this side; big tapping
brims and little caps on that
The little girls-hOw quietly they
climbed the rough wooden steps and
came peeplng in, on bright summer
mornings, their first glance for the
teacher and the flowers in their hands,
too. Roses, honeysuckle and pinks.
How demurely their bonnets came of
and were hung upon the pegsl The
boys tossed their hats. II was hit or
miss.
Here where the spiders have wrap
ped this shelf about in heavy gauze,
the water bucket stood. The little
spring below the hill still gushes out
It's sparkling wealth, but the narrow
path down the hillside is overgrown
with grass and weeds. The little feet
that wore II smooth long since march
ed of into the world or to the grave.
The redbirds scarlet flashes in the
thicket, and the squirrel knows its
fastness.
II was the test Of impartial ruling
to decide whose turn" IL was to go
for water. Whether the lazy boy who
elamored loud, that an unlearned les
son might be shirked, or the little
fellow who brought the bucket only half
full, every time. The dipper was a
gourd. II hung on this rusted nail.
Where now the dust lies heavy stood
the rough wooden benches, with the
straightbacks and smooth seats.
Those hard wooden benches, so far
from the floor It was for little legs to
7danglel They we're marked and cut
by many a jack-knife. There were
fiourishing capitals entwined by true
lovers knots, and round holes bored
through under great pretense Of In
dustry.
The teachers desk was but rough
hewn wood. Yet was II not a magis-
terial bench, bar of justice, en-
trenched behind whose might the
master issued a fat and IL was obeyed,
even to the letter of the law? Who
was the master? Let us fancy. Per-
haps some stern catechist who thun-
dered at all his school alike and WELD
ed the heavy hickory limb on girls
as readily as on boys. Or maybe
some ambitious young man, boarding
his monthly stipend as the key which
was to unlock the doors Of college
learning, all the wealth for which his
soul yearned, burning the midnight
taper over higher mathematics and
counting every day gone one step
nearer his goal of learning. Possibly
some soft-volced girl, distrustful OF
her strength to rule. but ruling well
through love alone. Who can say
what play of thought or ambitious
yearning was lived above that little
desk years ago?
See this line across the sagginG
floor. Here the members Of the blue
back" spelling class stood shoulder &c
shoulder. Here the stove stood wher
school held during cold weather
Around It the pupils would cluster
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