The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-11-16

found trace, - q
Timothy Lsavitt tells me that the
first school was taught by q Miss
Carrie Griffin, q friend of theirs
from Madeha. ''In an old house near
the river juBt above the island"
He says the house was built by the
father Of Mr.. Herbert Hotaling, edi-
That Mrs. Hotaling and Mr.. Edwin
Coffin planned to build dam across
the river there. and erect -four
mill, but before the dam was finished
the project was abandoned and the
house was used for a schoolhouse
that summer. Seymour Leavitt was
one Of the pupils. That fall the
men and boys Of the neighborhood
made q bee" and built the old log
schoolhouse, on the corner of the
Shanpon farm just west of the GENE
tary, the land Tor both being donated
by Uncle Robert shannon. This
building was very small with two
windows on side, as I remember
1t. At first 1t had one long desk
on each side built against the wall,
each with bench In front Of 1t,
so the pupils sat with their backs
here also the summer of 81 then the
men made regular desks and seats,
but they were fastened ends to the
walls.
The teachers the three years
went to school there were: winters,
Mr.. Pinkerton, Mr.. McGraw, and Mr..
Prentiss Summers, Miss Mary Cap
linger the first two, then Alma Cof-
fin. That was the summer that Sey-
mour and I raced to see which could
"leave off head" most in spelling and
get the prize Alma offered. think
he missed a purpose, for / got
the prize and he didn't seem to mind.
I have 1t still, and some day you
may hear of a gray haired women
lodging the authorities to slip lit
tie old book under the sod that
covers his quiet resting place at
Minneopa. Then you will know that
the little spelling prize has gone to
! its rightful owner.
That little log schoolhouse was
| the center OF all our neighboorhood
life, and the road in front of It was
our playground. In winter the big
boys used it for baseball. so we
| small fry would go farther back into
| the woods and tramp out fox and
geese grounds in the snow or play
at jackstraws indoors. But in sum-
| Der the big ones did not go and we
had II all to ourselves. It was Uncle
Robert who first showed me that
playground and the schoolhouse,
now 1t Is many years since we took
him. an old. man with snowy hair
and still, peaceful face, and left him
to rest in the beautiful Lakewood
cemetary in Minneapolis.
The spelling schools in winter and
the prayer meetings In summer are
among my clearest recollections. In
the former. either Spring Island
would challenge Rush Lake or Rush
Lake Spring Island and a wordy
member who spelled down but l do
remember how the old school
house looked with the rows of
spoilers on either side and the mas
ter standing at the home made desk
giving out the words by the light Of
a tallow candle or lamp borrowed
from some neighbor. Mrs. Leavitt
was always very good about bring
ing her lamps. s
After one exciting session Ed
Thompson, the boy who had been
frightened by Indians. asked Lettie
Mead II he might see her home.
When she refused he remarked
earnestly, "Pd just as soon go as
not" which remark has been stand
ing joke In our families ever since.
Among the Rush Lake crowd l re-
member the Price young folks and
Jennie Williams best. Do any OF
you happen to know Jennie? She Is
little and black eyed and brim full
Of fun-but,, pshaw! ! forget. She
was married years ago and her grand
children are growing up, too. while
onnl1in0 onhnnId things nf the
past.
wish you all could have known
dear old Aunt Susan Shannon with
her round cheerful face and her
brisk movements. Things had to
move when Aunt Susan got after
them She spun the wool 80, y
own sheep, and with part Of 1t she
INIT stockings and mittens for nine
including herself. I can see her ]rni'
yet, her body waving and her feet
tapping in time to the clicking
needles. She used to say her toes
went to pray. She would knit all the
only thing I can think Of whic'
could keep up with them was her
dear consecrated tongue when she
went to pray. he would knit all the
knit in the dark until the service
the entire service was held without
light, but Aunt Susans knitting was
pocketed at the first hymn.
One hot summer night thunder
shower came up during prayer meet
ing and the whole guidance ad-
journed hastily to Bro. Leavitt's as
the nearest place OF safety, rolling
under the fence, those who could not
Trd the bars and scurrying along
to escape a wetting. We rushed into
the house SO suddenly that poor
'nthy. who was down stairs hunt
ing a clean shirt, lust had time to
escape into the pantry where he
remained prisoner until his moth"
discovered his whereabouts and
brought him his clothes.
We young folks all profited : by
Aunt Susan's philosophy. She was
like "Mrs. Wigs of the Cabbage
Patch" In that she made 1t a prac-
tice to put her troubles down in tho
bottom of her heart and "sit on the
lid and SMILE II you went to her'
with a grievance she would tell you
=. THANK the Lord and q
along" or, "The grin's on his owr
face" And so she lived her life so
full of toll and hardships, raisin
her family and making her HON"
haven for all the itinerants within
reach. Her long life-stocking w;
aithfully knitted. the toe carefully
narrowed off, and in 1912 the Master
pronounced 1t good, snapped the
thread and now she lies beside I'm
Gle Robert in beautiful Lakewood.
We love to recall those old days and
- L D. a. NwNA Be-