Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 March 1890 — OUR LITTLE FOLKS. [ARTICLE]

OUR LITTLE FOLKS.

Grandma’s First Day at ScliooL Every one about the house knew that school was to begin on Monday, and Bess was saying for the twentieth time: “I’m all ready, grandma, everything. Just think! it’s only to-morroAv.” ‘How times have changed since I Avas a little girl and went to school!” said grandma, Avitli that far-away look in her eyes that Avas ahvays there Avhen she was “ ’memberin’,” as Bess said. “O, grandma, I never thought that you ever Avent to school, as old as vou are.” “I Avas just as young as you are once, my dear,” said grandma. “Tell me ’bout Avhen you went to school,” begged Bess, draAving close to dear grandma. “I Avas eight or nine years «old before I started to school,” grandma began. “We lived in Ohio, and it Avas more than sixty years ago. “Every one had to pay to go, and the school only lasted three months in tlie winter, Avhen it was too cold to Avork. “My little brother John AA r ent Avith me. “My mother Avove a piece of flannel on tlie big loom from the avool of our own sheep. Then she colored it broAvn Avith Avalnnt hulls. From this she made me a brand-new flannel dress, very long, Avith tucks in it to let out as I grew. “Fatiier went to the woods, and shot a deer and skinned him and tanned the hide. From this deerskin he made me a pair of buckskin shoes. They were tied together with leather strings, and Avere stiff and heavy. “Mother next sold some tallow, and bought a square of real store flannel of a bright red color. She cut this in two- on the bias, so as to make one piece larger than the other. The smaller of these three cornered pieces was for me fro- wear around my neck as a handkerchief- The larger one was to serve as a shawl and hat, for I wore it over my head. “With all my neAv things on and a little tin bucket in one hand, with our dinner in it, and the little primer my mother had bought me hugged to my breast, we started t©' school right after breakfast, father, John and I. “Father carried his ax on Ms shoulder, going on before us and ‘blazing’ the Avay. By ‘blazing’ I mean he chopped a large chip out of the trees on each side, and' cut a-way the underbrush for a path. The school-house Avas a mile and a quarter fro-m our house, over hills and through hollows. “The scliool-hoUse Avas built of big round logs Avith clav stuffed in to fill up the cracks. There Avas a Avide chimney Avhere a log fire burned. “The seats Avere logs split Avith stout legs stuck in there. We- sat on the fiat side. My feet never touched the floor. They used to get very tired hanging doAvn, and I would SAving them back and forth to rest them. There Avere no backs to these seats, and no desks in front of them. “I did not know Avhat a school was like, and I felt very strange. I was afraid of the teacher, he was such a large fellorv, and went around carrying a big stick three or four feet long under Ms arm. He was called the master..* “Father told him our n antes, and then went home, telling ns not to get lost, but come straight ho-me by the path he had made. I felt like crying when father left, every thing Avas so straDge. “That day the teacher put all the big boys and girl's in one class and the little ones in another. “ When noon came we all opened our dinner buckets and ate onr dinners, for some of the children had come three miles. “We then all Avent out-doors, and the big boys played ball very much as boys do now. The girls and smaller boys played 1 blind man’s buff,’ ‘ drop the handkerchief ’ and ‘black man’ just as children do now. It was almost dark before we reached home that night. The teacher went Avith us to stay a week at our house, as he did with all the other pupils. That was the first day I ever spent at school.”— Youth’s Companion.