The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-03-22
ADOPTING A SCHOOL TEACHER
DOROTHY CANFIELD FISHER


I hadn't been in North Bartlettyille
fer some months and l hadn't seen old
Aunt Mari Stedman for year, so when
] stepped into her clean, poor little
kitchen, settled down for a real visit
and to hear the news.
A. Aunt Mari bent her rheumatic
Lnces creakily and dropped into a chair
by me- 1 noticed she was sewing on
some little square pieces of bright-cOl-
ured cotton cloth. Starting new
quiltE' l asked.
I've got something better to do than
that ," she answered with her usual
spicy. lively accent, I've adopted a
schoolteacher."
q Why. what do you mean?" l queried,
i never heard of such a thing"
TWOEldn't be such bad thing IL
more folks did it, she said. Every
body adopted orphans during the war,
and they're way across the water. And
scho olteachers are right under our
nose =
Now Aunt Mari lives on half of
nothing year, managing somehow with
q garden and a berry patch and 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
Jet them pay for the telephone which
makes il safe for her to live alone rs
shc does. l really couldn't see how I'M
der the sun she could adopt anybody,
even in the most remote way.
vow I'll tell You ell about it, said
Aune Mari 1T came to me one day,
Just like that, like swapping your fin
aers. the idea did. l was sitting on
my doorstep last September peeling
some early apples to make apple sauce
cut Of and | saw the new teacher of
cur district school coming down the
road. | noticed she walked sort of tired
and discouraged She amt more'n
sirl herself. not more than q, / don't
Relieve. And | thought to myself, if
+ had a girl, off away from home, try
ing 10 teach a lot of young ones. / guess
ID like to think that folks took an in
Ie"e>t in her. And when she came up
opposite. l called out to her and said
vtou.dn't she come in and sit down for
5ollcd 50 surprised, She told me aft
crwgrds that it was the first friendly
word anybody in town had spoken to
Ter.
And she came in and 'twan't
long before [ was hearing all about her
troubles Not one family in all that dis
tr.ct and most of them have got dandy
>Darr rooms. would take her to board.
20 sir twas too much trouble. They
never had taken in bOarders and they
Couldn't be battered, now help was so
Lard 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
q t&verns GO but that amt no fit place
for nice young girl and you know IT.
with travelling men coming and going
ell hours of the day and night and good
ness knows-whO troupeS OF actors ana
folks that come showing trained dogs
and things at the town hall, and half
the time not another woman boarding
there And ii cost 50 much IT took all
Ter money And what would she do,
come winter and bad weather.
We'll. what could you doE asked
moving very Wen that Aunt Mari
tiny home only had two rooms and a.
leau-to ell for the Kitchen.
Haven't ! got two rooms she de
handed tartly. And can l sleep in
more than one at timeE l borrowed
folding bed from Cousin. Jim ut had
i-od in his attic ever since Aunt Em
e-adj and | set it mp in the dining
raonl-setting- room, and l looks her right
iu And / amt a bit sorry either. 1t
does me good 10 have young person
around She helps with the dishes, and
makes her own bed. and | don't charge
her but just what it costs me
so that's the way you've adopted
herr / asked.
No Stree. that's only the beginning.
Ever since I've besn helping her i'm
prove that school.
This was too much Aunt Mari, 1OI
year; old. without cent, crippled with
rheumatism. without an inch of margin
10 her scrimping narrow life, helping
inpl ave u school
''Why. whatever have YOU been able
t. Go?' I asked incv9dulOusly.
What haven't | done:' she retorted-
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 20
do. You see every evening Miss Rice
talks more or less about what's been
happening at school, little things, just
ordinary little 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 Bowling girls
(you know what their mother is, and
their father not much better) didn't
even know the names of colors. How
should they: Nobody at home ever to.
take the trouble to do more than
knock EN- side the head. Wen, l got
cut my piece-bag and picked out pieces
of the principal colors. and sewed 'em
together to make a sort of color book
and give it to the teacher.
a day or so after it came out she