Year: 1867

Black had poured out water for the rest
of the family, he appropriated the pitcher
to himself. Whether he did tins from
choice or necessity, cannot tell, but
hope, for the sake of the reputation of
humanity in general, and Mr. Black in
particular, that it was for the latter rea-
son.


There was no looking glass in my room
at this place. What should | do NV
hair is not very long, and as | am not in
habit of wearing a night cap, l knew
that in the morning the parting would he
about as straight as one of Mr.. Blacks
rail fences. | sat down on the rickety
char near the window to think over
what | shouM do. The train of my
thoughts Somehow ran into my own
school-days, and there came up to my
mind another school house not unlike the
one on the hill But what had the old
red school-house to do with looking glass
es ! Nothing at all, / said TO myself and
began to bring back my thoughts to the
present need, when all at once it flashed
across me that the dapper little mistress





window every Wednesday when school
was out, and as the blind was a plain
board one, it formed, when the window
was down, quite good looking glass,
and on every Wednesday, as have said
the teacher smoothed her hair and
Strengthened her collar before it, and then
we knew that Mr. Mann, better known
as the theachcis bcau,' was coming to
take the woman to ride, and afterward.
to take tea with his mother Yes
woull try Miss koland's plan. threw
up the window it had no blinds.


sat down on the clair again, and
very carefully; too, for it had only three
legs, unless l might call the wall the
fourth. | was disappointed had made
my plan, and was on the point of putting
it in execution, when l found myself
without materials. But | was not dis
couraged | must invent something A
picture that | might look into suggested
itself, but knew there was none nearer
than the parlor underneath. A door knob
was the next candidate but there was
only an iron latch on my door.


AT length | gave up trying to invent a
substitute for Il looking. glass, and thought
I must contrive some way te keep my
hair in the same position all night, and
thus preclude the necessity of one alto.
gether | could tie my hair firmly behini
but where should find string! | had
very serious thoughts of pulling out some
OF the fringe from Mrs. Blacks blue and
white coyerlid and knitting it together
for my purpose, when my eyes fell upon
my boots, which had removed before
got into the looking-glas dilemma. Yes,
| could take my shoestrings and | did.
and was soon asleep. with my hair done
up in cue, dreaming that was teach
ing distant school in the Sout. Sea
Islands, where the spelling books were
made with looking glass covers. And
when went home at the close of the
week, l invested ten cents in pocket
mirror.


can best describe the appearance of
Mrs Blacks table by saying that it looked
as though whirlwiDd had, three times
each day, burst IN the vicinity of her
dresser, lifted tho dishes in the air, and
then set them down upon it, and some-
times the tempest had forgot to blow the
cloth on.


Mrs Rice, one of Mrs Smiths neigl.
bcrs, sent word to me that she was ready
for me, and | was glad to 60 down the
hill again, where people seemed little
more civilized life in modern form, and
where one family at least had wash bowl
and pitcher. Mrs Rice met me at her
door.


Glad to see ye, Miss Blake; walk right
in. Hope ye find my boys is good boys; if
ye don't ye must jest send me word, and
I'll tend to 'em. This is your room, and
she opened door off the narrow hall,
and waitedsuntil had walked I'M then
she excused herself saying she must 60
and get tea, as John-her husbaud-
always wanted to set by as soon as he
came in.


AS soon as | was alone, began to sur
vey my new quarters, and one OF the
first objects that caught my eye was-Oh!

joy--a wash bowl and pitcher. lifted
the pitcher; it cracked | looked down
into the bowl ; there was the indentical
crack; they had borrowed them for the
school maam.' | had heard Of circulating
libraries, but this was somthing new.


Have uot read enoght TO you from
my paper roll more than you will
believe, | am afraid. N,v.rth,less h I'VE
told only the truth, and-!et me whisper
it in your ear, so that the good people
who live near the little school house on
the hill never hear it, as they may be SEN
silive,-before l closed my term that
summer, l found that same bowl and
pitcher in three different places but to
which family it belonged, | never could
to this day determine.


A WIFE on BILLIARDs.-You editors
/ 81, l.,