The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-03-24
AUNT MARI TELLS HOW
SHE ADOPTED A TEACHER
How a Lonely Woman Lishtened the
Burdens Of a Lonesome Girl
Teacher.

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 chair
by me, | noticed she was sewing on
some little square pieces Of bright
colored cotton Goth Starting a new
quilt?" | asked.
7 i've got something better to do than
that" she answered with her usual
spicy, lively accent, I've adopted a
schoolteacher"
why, what do you mean?' quer
lied, I never heard Of such a thing.
"Twouldnt be such bad tn ng ii
more folks did IT, she said, Every.
body adopted orphans during the war
and they're way across the water
And school.teacheres are right under
our noses"
Now Aunt Mari lives on half OF
nothing a year, managing somehow
with a garden and berry patch and
a pig and hens. and add 'ng TO her
tiny income whatever she made by
hooking rugs and crochet.ng lace. The
only thing she will accept from her
relations is to let them pay for the
telephone which makes 1t safe for her
to live alone as she does. | really
couldn I see how under the sun she
could adopt anybody even in TIE
most remote way.
Now I'll tell you all about II, sad
Aunt Mari 1T came to me one day
just like that, like swapping your fin
gers the idea did. was setting on
my doorstep last September peeling
some early apples to make applesauce
out OF, and saw the new teacher OF
our district school coming down the
road. ! noticed she walked sort OF
tired and discouraged. She amt
more'n girl herself, not more than
twenty-one. ! don't believe. And
thought to myself, If had a girl, of
away from home trying to teach q
lot Of young ones. guess I'd like C
think that folks took an interest IN
her. And when she came up opposits
| called out to her and said wouldn't
she come In and sit down for a minute
and have an apple? SIe looked so sur
prised, She told me afterwards thai
II was the first friendly word anybody
in town had spoken to her.
An she came in. and 'twant Ions
before | was hearing all about hel
troubles Not one family in all thai
district, and most Of them have dandy
spare rooms, would take her TO BOARD
No SIR. twas too much trouble They
never had taken boarders and they
couldn I be bothered, now help was
so hard to get, and washing cost SC
much and all the rest And she hai
10 walk two miles 70 the village anC
/ live in the Tavern, that may be re
spectacle enough as. tayorns 80. but
that amt no III place for nice young
girl and you know II, with travelling
men coming and going all hours .ol
the day and night and goodness.knowS
who troupes OF actors and folks thai
come showing ira ned dogs ana
things at the Town Hall, and half the
time not another woman boardinl
there. And it cost SO much 1t tool
all her money. And what would she
do, come winter and bad weather.
well, what could YOU do2
asked, knowing very wei that Aunt
Maris tiny home only had two room.
and a lean.to ell for the kitchen.
Haven't got two rooms?" she de
handed tartly And can / sleep ir
more than one at time? borrow
ed a folding bed from Cousin Jim 81
Aad stood in his attic ever since
Aunt En- diedl and set IL up in the
dinlng.room, setting groom, and tool
her right In. And amt a bit sorry
either. 1t does me good to have Z
young person around. She helps witl
the dishes. and makes her own bed
and don't charge her but just wha
II costs me,
80 that's the way you've adopted
herr" asked.
NO Stree, that's only the begin
ming. Ever since I've been helpini
her improve that school
This was too much, Aunt Mar
seventy years old without a cent
crippled with rheumatism withou
an inch Of margin TO her scrmpin
narrow life, helping improve
school"
Why, whatever have you bee
able to do?' asked ncredulously.
What haven't | done?" she rotor
ed. You know what Scripture say
about doing what your had finds {
do. Well, just knowing what goes o
at school, has give my hand good an
plenty to do. You sec every evenin
Miss Rise talks more or less abou
what's been happening at school, Ii
tie things, just ordinary lit thing
: And do YOU know, reallz
, now, I've never known an
. more about the daily lie
that school than II twas on III
moon Well here for instance
i It comes out that those poor ignoral
= little Bowling girls, (you know VIII;
+ their mother is and their father n,
Q much better didn't even know Il
c names of colors
!, How should they? Nobody at hon
ever to take the trouble to do mo-
/. than knock EN- side the head We
II | got out my piece.bag and picked o
!. pieces OF the principal colorS, al
d sewed en- together to make a so
y of color book and give It to the teac
h e;,
II A day or so after 1t came out $
y hadn't any washbasin or soap 81
: honest did you have any idea tn
" there were schools IN Vermont. wit
a out any soap or water to wash I
:, children lands? 1t gives me a tn
= to hear about it, | went out in t
!" woodshed, and took my extra was
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