News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1922-03-29
ADOPTING A TEACHER ,
How to Improve a Rural School
Where There Is Will There Is a
Way.
By Dorothy Garfield Fisher

| 1870
I clean, poor, little Kitchen, settled
down for a real visit and to hear the
news.
AS Aunt Mari bent her rheumatic
knees creakily and dropped into a
chair by me, | noticed she was sewing
on some little square pieces of bright
colored cotton cloth. Starting new
quilt?" | asked.
Give got something better to do
than that" she answered with her
usual spicy, lively accent. "Pve
adopted school teacher!'
"Why, what do. you meant"
queried, 81 never heard of such a
thing"
"'Twouldn't be such a bad 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 of
nothing a year, managing somehow
with garden and berry patch and
a pig and hens, and adding to her
tiny income whatever she can make
by hooking rugs and crocheting lace.
The only thing she will accept from
her relations is to let them pay for
the telephone 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," said
Aunt Mari. "It came to me one day,
just like that, like swapping your
fingers, the idea did | was sitting
on my door step last September peel
sauce out of, and | saw the new
down the road. / noticed she walked
sort of tired and discouraged. She
amt more'n girl herself, not more
than 81, Il don't believe. And l
thought to myself, if | had a girl,
off away from home, trying to teach
lot of young ones, guess I'd like
to think that folks took an interest
in her. And when she came up
opposite, called out to her and said
wouldn't she came in and sit down
for 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.
And she came in. and 'twan't
long before | was hearing all about
her troubles. Not one 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 both
cred, 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 village 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 |
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?" l
asked, knowing very well that Aunt |
Mari's tiny home only had two rooms |
and a lean-to ell for the kitchen.
Haven't | got two rooms" she |
demanded tartly, "and can | sleep in
more than one at time? / borrowed |
folding bed from Cousin Jim Git !
had stood in his attic ever since Aunt |
En-. died) and l set it up in the din
ingroom, -setting-roOm, and | took i
her right in. And l amt a bit sorry,
either. 1t does me good to have a
young person around. She helps with
the dishes, and makes her own bed,
and | didn't charge her but just what !
it costs me-"
$50 that's the way you've adopted
her?" | asked.
"No, Stree, that's only the begin
ming. Ever since I've been helping
her improve that school,"
This was too much! Aunt Mari, !
20 years old, without a cent, crippled
with rheumatism, without an inch of
margin of her scrimping narrow life,
helping improve a school,"
"Why, whatever have you been able
to do?" asked incredulously.
torted. "You know what Scripture
says about doing what your hand
finds to do. Well, just knowing what
goes on at school, has give my hand
good and plenty to do! You see every
evening Miss Rise talks more or less
about what's been happening at
school, little things, just ordinary lit
tie things. And do you know, re'lize
now, I've never known any more
about the daily life of that school
than if twas on the moon! Well,
here for instance. it comes out |
that those poor ignorant little Bowl
ing girls (you know what their
mother is, and their father not much !
BETTER, didn't even know the names
of colors How should they? No I
body at home ever to take the trouble
to do more than Knock 'em side the |
head. Well, got out my piece-bag |
and picked out pieces of the princi-
pal colors, and sewed 'em together to