ABSTRACT

Progress

She had married a man anda farm twenty miles away

“Edgar is gone,” said the mother, with head half bowed,—“gone to work in Nashville;he and his father couldn’t agree.”

hired Ben a summer and would not pay him

it asked little of them, and they answered with little, and yet it ridiculedtheir offering

town

uncorseted

When the Lawrences stopped, I knew that the doubts of the oldfolks about book-learning had conquered again, and so, toiling up the hill, and getting as far intothe cabin as possible, I put Cicero “pro Archia Poeta” into the simplest English with localapplications, and usually convinced them—for a week or so.

I lovedmy school, and the fine faith the children had in the wisdom of their teacher was truly marvellous

There were the Dowells from their farm over toward Alexandria,—Fanny, with her smooth black face and wondering eyes; Martha, brown and dull; the pretty girl-wife of a brother, and the younger brood

growing row of dark solemn faces and bright eagereyes facing me.

My desk was made ofthree boards, reinforced at critical points, and my chair, borrowed from the landlady, had to bereturned every night. Seats for the children—these puzzled me much

Oh,” thought I, “this is lucky”; but even then fell the awful shadow of the Veil, for they ate first,then I—alone

knowledge of theirown ignorance

my errand

that the hunting of ducks andbears and men is wonderfully interesting, but I am sure that the man who has never hunted acountry school has something to learn of the pleasures of the chase.

Young and happy, I toowent, and I shall not soon forget that summer, seventeen years ago.

white teachers inthe morning, Negroes at night.