Among the newcomers were two sisters, aged 14 and 16, respectively. They had been to 10 different teachers. They had learned to hold a book properly, to turn the pages, and laboriously to spell out a few words. They knew no Mother Goose Rhymes, none of the old Fairy Stories, and no Bible stories. Their training in arithmetic had taught them to repeat what they called the second line of the multiplication table, thus: 2X1=2, 2×2=4, 2×3=6, 2×4=8, etc. ›

To these girls our school was a revelation. It was particularly hard for them to understand that there might be fun in anything connected with school. Thus they disapproved of the running and racing by the children that took place when the school driver let down his charges a block from the school. They scolded the other children for it, later explaining to the teacher that they had done so because it "wasn't proper to run in town; city folks would laugh at them." To this the teacher laughingly replied that she liked to run, too, and straightway proposed a race, in which all took part except Maggie and Mary, who were not yet ready to accept the new conditions.

The many games also astounded Mary and Maggie. The teacher was a believer in games for the country school, and she led in them. Not only were there games at school, but every month there was a party, to which the home folks were invited. The first one was at Halloween. We decorated our rooms with autumn leaves. We made jack-o'-lanterns from pumpkins brought by the boys. These and a roaring fire in the fireplace gave all the light we needed. When the guests arrived we popped corn over the coals, bobbed for apples, tried to bite an apple suspended from the ceiling by a string, and played other Halloween games. The refreshments consisted of popcorn and roasted peanuts from our own gardens and apples bought with the money we had earned from the sale of a peck of potatoes from our garden. A few circle games, learned during the month, gave a finishing touch to our Halloween party.

In November we celebrated Thanksgiving Day. Again we decorated with autumn leaves. The home folks brought picnic baskets. The children made hot coffee for their elders and kettle tea for themselves and their younger guests. The table was laden with three big bowls of fruits and nuts. We had enough popcorn and peanuts from our garden for this celebration also. After dinner we put the tables out of the way, and made a cozy circle all around the room, two deep in some places. Parts of Longfellow's Hiawatha's Childhood had been memorized by the children in their regular school work. The children recited this naturally, one taking it up where another left off. The Thanksgiving Story was read by one of the children, and other poems and songs followed. All of the children took part just