Year: 1879

AT the age OF sixteen, before we had
discarded our "roundabouts," we had
contracted to "keep school, in District
Number Five, for $12 per month and
s'boarding round" We knew very we'll
the little red school house, standing at
the exact center of the district, on the
borders of mighty swamp, the farm
houses scattered about the hills, and we
also knew the nuisance of that particular
school, squad of half q dozen rough
fellows who had emerged into ''tail
coats" and would hardly relish the dis
cipline of boy-pedagogue in a round
about.


After the first flush of elation at our
election, the reflection came back, like a
return wave of ice water, tnat in all
human probability, ere our seventeenth
birthday should dawn, we should be seen
vanishing head foremost out OF the
school house window into snow drift,
propelled by class Number One of the
big boys. In our anxiety we applied to
"Aunt Anna" the general oracle of the
household. Aunt Anna was stalwart
maiden of sixty summers, gigantic in
proportions, but every inch a lady in
her dear old heart. She had nursed
half the children in town through mea-
sells, mumps and chicken-pox, and was
the mainstay in all family emergencies.
There were sly rumors that the occa-
sional attacks of "fdgets' which over
came the good old lady at night had
some relation to a mysterious black bot
tie which she always carried in her work
box; but Aunt Anna, plus the "fdgets,"
was worth a regiment of feminines for
the homemade uses of country life.


"Well, now, you are really going to
keep school in District Number Five, :"
said Aunt Anna, smoothing down her
tacles for good, long look at the in
cipient pedagogue, seated at the oppo-
site corner of the fireplace.


ssYes, Aunt Anna, have promised to
keep school, but between you and me,
am dreadfully afraid to tackle that crowd
of boys. You know what rough set
they are, and one of them has already
given out that there will be no board
wanted in District Number Five after
the first week"


'.That's serious matter. Now, let's
see if we can't think of something to
help you. Now, you see, / don't know
anything about book larnin'. No doubt
you can cipher that back seat of boys
into the middle of next week. But they
can fling you over the roof of the school
house in o jiffy if they have a mind to.
know every family in the district. I
have nussed in every house, and taken
the measure of every youngster that will
come to that school. There's one thing
in your favor. There1l be ten great gals
in that school, and most of 'em are good
gals, too. Now, some are head taller
than you, and two OF three of them are
right handsome, too. They can twist
that crowd of great, bashful boys round
their little fingers if they want 20. Now,
mind what tell you; do you go right to
work and gain the affections of them ten
great gals, and they'll manage the great
boys while you keep school"


That sounded well; and armed with
IlIis panacea against rebellion, we opened
school the Monday after Thanksgiving.
1t was rough looking set up on the
high seats-that row of villainous-loek-
ing fellows, and one of them big enough
to throw me over into the big swamp
with one hand


Happily our first boarding place was
with two of the ''great gals" Never did
we clay ourselves OUT to gain the good
graces of the lovely sex as during the
first week of that boardin' round. We
rode on the front of the sled with the
tallest girl, played checkers with the
second, got all snarled up in ''cat's
cradle" with the pretty visiting cousin,
and put in a word of explanation for the
''hard sums" of all in the long evenings
at home.


The first crisis came at the beginning
of the second week, when big lout
''sauced" the new schoolmaster. Some
how it crushed us, and for minute the
school-room swan round, and the idea of
seizing our fur cap and making for home
fitted across our vision. Just then the
patter of light footstep was heard down
the long slope of the narrow aisle leading
up to the seat of the stem great gals. .
The tallest glided down, ostensibly to ask
| the explanation of hard sum; but as we
leaned over the slate, with dimness
| in the eyes, we heard whisper in our
ears:


.'Don't be cast down! We girls will
shame that seat of boys into good man
ners before another week"


A light broke in; we were gaining the
affections of the ten great gals"
So things drifted for six weeks, when
dawned the Judgment day. We had
gone to board with good, motherly wo
man, who loves us as her own son. A
big fire in the parlor greeted our arrival
and supper fit for the parson himself
After tea our hostess appeared in her best
black silk, and in her hand mighty
black "ruler," and sat down before us
with the air of a Minerva.


stNow matters have come to point in
| your school; you have been trying te
govern that crowd OF. raseally boys by
love, but that has come to an end. To
morrow they'll try to put you out. Take
this ruler, and don't come home to-mor
row night unless you have used it uI
over the head and shoulders of some
body"


There was no appeal from that.
greater than the whole class of 'tgrea1
gals" had spoken, and we felt in oul
souls that fate was standing at the school
house door.


Were we endowed with the epic rage
cf Homer or Pope, we might posi-
bly, depict the scenes of the coming day
How the ugliest loafer, in frock coat
kicked in the door at recess; how, wher
the trembling young master asked "wh.
did that?" the big boor lifted his thuml
to his nose and executed that significan
gyration with the little finger which
would make savage of st. John him
self; how, fred with the courage of des
pair, and a vision of our farm nous
Minerva, we seized the big oaken ruler