Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1922-03-29
Adopting a School Teacher.
By Dorothy Garfield Fisher


By Dorothy Garfield Fisher
/ hadn't been in North Bartlett
vile for some months and / hadn't
seen old Aunt Mari Stedman for a
year, so when / stepped into her
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 a
new quilt ?" l asked.
:, I've got something better to do
than that!" she answered with her
usual spicy, lively accent, "I'ye
adopted school-teacher
why, what do you mean?" I uuer-
leo, Il never heard of such a thing.S
Iwouldn't be such bad thing If
more folks did it." she said, every
body 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 year. managing somehow
Wlth a garden and berry patch and
pug and hens, and adding to her
tiny income whatever she can bv
hooking rugs and crocheting lace.
Ihe only thing she will accept from
her relations is to let them paw for
cne telephone which makes it safe
1or her to live alone as she does. /
reany couldn't see how under the
sun she could "adopt" ANYBODY eva,,
IN the most remote way. W"
Now IIl tell you all ahout i'm
said Aunt Mari. "It came to me ona
Gay, just like that, like snann;nor Ias.
Hngers, the idea did. L was sif+;rr.
on my doorstep last September naais
ang some early apples to make apn1a-
sauce out of, and I saw tbe ~.
Ieacher OF our district school con,;n
uoWn the road. 1 noticed She woIIts
ed sort of tired and discoura ared On
In ~ more,n a girl herself, not more
nan tWenty-one, / don't bel;eva
And l thought to myself, If I had q
snl, OH away from home. irving 70
.Iacn d lot OF young ones, I guess PS
IKE 20 tnlnk that folks took an IN
,esC IN her. And when she came M
,pp1slCs, called out to her and sa;S
, ,,;rI,to sne come in and sit down for
ooi,d ana nave an apple? She
fta,,. 80 surprised! She told me
..IeerWards that it was the frae @
rle1ndly word anybody in town Irss haJ
spoken to her. 0"h hao
ana she came in. and ,+,,,.
ohg before l was hearing ali ohn,,t
1er troubles. Not one family j., III
nat dlstrlct, and most of than, 81 @lI
~ oandy spare rooms, wouId tate
er TO board. No sir, twas too ,,,S.nI %
rouole. They never had taken -
99arders and they couldn't be hoth in
u, now help was so hard to oet anJ
.ashng cost so much, and ali u thu
est; And she had to walk two LIE Sne
tne VllIage and live in the Tavarn
laC may be respectable enonrh a
a averhs go, but they amt no fit nlooo
= Ill : .iice young girl and you know
, |, ~ VIII Iravellng men coming and oo
- r5 an 1ours of the day and nio6+
oto, l.t goooness ,knows-who troupes Of
o.ors ana folks that come show;,,or -
a1i 9ogs and things at the town
,o,,,, aiiI hai! the time not anothay,
, n,noh ;3eatol4g ~ there. And it cost
hat wo,,id II 'opk 90 an her money. And
ad weather 2" winter ana
Well, what could YOU do o?n .st
!, Knowlng. very well that Amt
Iarl tiny home had only two rooros
nd a., lean-to ell for the kitchen,
Haven't 1 got two rooms % sh
emanded tartly, "And can 1 sIeep in
ore than one at time? I borro1,
1 FOLDING bed from Cousin Tin,
t mad stood in his attic ever since
unit En- died) and I set it up in tbe
nng-room, setting-room, and / took
er right in. And / amt a bit sorrv
ther 1t does me good to have 2
oung person around. She helps with
le dlshes, and makes her own bed.
ID don't charge her but nast what
costs me-
90 tnats the way you have adopt
herr" I asked.
mo Stree, that's only the begin
ng. Ever since I've been heIning
er improve that school,"
This was too much! Aunt Mari,
venty years old, without a cent
1ppled with rheumatism, without an
ch margin to the scrimping mar
w life, helping improve a school,"
why, whatever have you been
lie to do?" asked increduously.
What haven't / done ?" she re-
rted. You know what the Scrip-
re says about doing what your hand
Ids to do. Well, just knowing what
'es on at school, has give INV hand
'od and plenty to do! You see ey-
y evening Miss Rice talks more or
IS ABOUT what's been happening at
hool, little things, just ordinary
tie things. And do you know, I
alize now, 1--WE never known any
ore about the daily life of that
hool than if twas on the moon!
ell, here for instance. . it comes
It that those poor, ignorant little
wiling girls, (you know what their
other is, and their father not much
tter) didn't even know the names
colors. How should theyf Mo-
dy at home ever to take the trou-~
2 to do more than knock'em side
e head. Well, got out nay piece
g and picked out pieces of the prin-
pal colors, and sewed 'em together
make a sort of color book and give
to- the teacher.
A day or so after it Came out she
dn't any washbasin or soap. :. say
nest, did you have any idea that
ere were schools in Vermont, with
t any soap or water to wash the
i'dren's hands? 1t gives me
rn to hear about it. I went out in
e woodshed, and took my extra
lshbasin / keep there, and fixed her
some soft soap in a bottle, with
hole in the cork, so the young ones