The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-03-25
DOROTHY CANFlELD'
+ TELLS A GOOD
SCHOOL STORY
/" Adopting a Teacher
Proved a Help to
Community

lloIVho, WHO, dSds lnciiUcI Vi tue
State Board of Education, has
taken great interest in the better
ment of the rural schools.
She has emphasized her sugges-
tions in this direction in the fol-
lowingg character sketch which
forclbly points its own moral:
| hadn't been in North Bartlett
vile for some months and |
hadn't seen old Aunt Mari Sted-
man for a year, so when | stepped
irto her clean, poor little kitchen,
| settled down for a real visit and
to hear the news.
AS Aunt Mari bent her rheu-
matte knees creakily and dropped
into a chair by me, / noticed she
was sewing on some Nttle square
pieces Of bright-colored cotton
clcth. Starting a new quilt" |
asked
"Pve got something better to do
than that" she answered with her
usual spicy, lively accent, owe
ADOPTED q schoolteachcr?"
"Why, what do you mean" I
quoried, ~ never heard of such a
thing"
'Twouldn't be such a had
thing if more folks did it, she
said, Everybody adopted orphans
during the war, and they're way
across the water. And school
teachers are right under our
noses"
Now Aunt Mari lives on half
o. nothing a year. managing some
how with a garden a berry patch
and pig and hens, and adding
to her tiny incomewhatever she
can make by hooking rugs ana
crochetinG lace. The only thing
she will accept from her relations
Is to let them pay for the tele-
phone which makes it safe for her
to live alone as she does. |
really couldn't see how under the
sun she could "adopt" anybody,
even in the most remote way.
"Now I'll tell you all about it,"
saio Aunt Mari, st came to me
one day, just like that like snap
ping your fingers, the idea did.
| was sitting on my doorstep last
September peeling some early
apples to make applesauce out Of,
ana | saw the new teacher of our
district school coming down the
road. | noticed she walked sort
OF tired and discouraged. She
amt more'n a girl herself, not
more than u, | don't believe. And
thought to myself, if | had
e.I'i, off away from home, trying
to teach a lot of young ones, /
guess I'd like to think that folks
took an interest in her. And
when she came up DEPOSITS,
called out to her and said would
MT she come in and sit downfor
a minute, and have an apple? She
looked so. surprised! She told me
afterwards that it was the first
friendly word anybody in town
had spoken to her
'tWan't long before ! was hear
ing all about her troubles. Not
noe family in all that district, and
most of them have got dandy
spare rooms, would take her to
board. No sir, twas too much
trouble. They never had taken
in boarders and they couldn't be
bothered, now help was so hard
to get, and washing cost so
much, and all the rest. And she
had to walk two miles to the vii
iage and live in the Tavern, that
may be respectable enough as
taVerns go, but that amt no fit
place for nice young girl and
YOU know it, with travelling men
coming and going all hours of the
day and night and goodness-knows
who troupes of actors and folks
that come showing trained dogs
and things at the Town Hall, and
half tn etime not another woman
boarding there. And it cost so
much it took all her money. And
what would she do, come winter
and bad weather."
"Well, what could you do" |
asked, knowing very well that
Aunt Mari's tiny home only had
two rooms and lean-to ell for
the kitchen
Haven't | got two rooms"
she demanded tartly, "and can |
sleep in more than one at a time?
| borrowed a folding bed from
Cousin Jim Git had stood in his
attic ever since Aunt En- died)
and | set it up in the diningroom,
setting room. and | took her
right in An | amt a hi sorry
either, it does me good to have
d young person around. She helps
With the dishes, and makes her
own bed, and / don't charge her
but just what it costs me-.
$50 that's the way you've
adopted herr" | asked.
mo stree, that's only the be-
ginning. Ever since I've been
helping her improve that school"
This was too much! Aunt
Mari, seventy years old, without
Il cent, crippled with rheumatism,
without an inch of margin to her
scrimpng narrow life, helping
improve a school"