Show f J Boarding Round Pound NOT NOT many years ago it was still the custom in the rural counties of New England England and and I I. am not sure that the custom custom custom cus cus- tom has entirely disappeared even yet yet yet- it was the custom I say to eng engage ge the district teacher for a certain amount of money a none too generous amount and board The method of hoarding boarding the teacher er was interesting Instead of assigning assigning assigning as as- signing him a regular place which he might consider his home for fot the winter at least the directors expected him Jo to live among his patrons R af week k in in ina a I I p. p fJ I place This system is known know as boarding round My first term as a school teacher was passed in one of these communities and every Monday was to me moving moving day Some of f the discomforts and disadvantages disadvantages disadvantages dis dis- advantages of this roving life are ob ob- But all was not unpleasantness unpleasantness unpleasantness' and I learned to know 3 each of my pupils in his home life and J knew much better how to train him in school my patrons too came to know me and to understand and appreciate my efforts to improve the school Then too there were social advantages as well as professional And if the eagerness to entertain me during the evenings interfered interfered interfered inter inter- some somewhat hat with my plans for study wI w 1 I I learned the secrets of the whole neighborhood neighborhood neigh neigh- and the inner character of every person in the district was carefully and minutely explained to me rhe by every other 1 1 inhabitant My welcome at the various homes was almost invariably a cordial one And if ifa ifa a mistaken kindness assigned me the remote remote remote re re- mote chilly spare room with its gloomy furniture and icy bed I certainly lived off the fat of the land lanet The cellars and pantries poured forth their choicest treasures treasures the the juiciest beef the sweetest hams the chickens the daintiest daintiest daintiest dain dain- cake the richest puddings the thickest pies and heaviest preserves I always wondered how I esc escaped ped the gout or foundering It was It-was was rarely indeed that I was eager to leave one house for the next Once 1 I asked to be received at the home of one of my pupils who lived farthest from the scho school l house When I had satisfied the curiosity of the people with whom I Iwas Iwas Iwas was staying that week as to where I was to be be- entertained th the next week the whole household raised hands in con con- They would would- not tell me why they were so sure I would return to th their ir y home after one days day's stay at the new ew place With apprehension I apt ap- ap t t- t i i s J Y j e i I On pro preached ached this new boarding house seeing it I felt my hea heart t sink Was that a human habitation or a sty r Within all was equally repulsive repulsive-a a house slatternly room a frowzy The supper was generous in quantity and save f for r the suspicion of ness not badly cooked We went to bed early the family in inthe inthe inthe the second of the ground floor I up a like ladder-like staircase to the loft The bed need not be described the dim smoky candle disclosed all of it I cared to see sufficient to say I did not undress undress undress un un- dress but rolled roIled myself in my overcoat In the morning I was awakened by the light from the combined dining room and kitchen shining up through cracks t f in the floor I did not wash but rubbed my face with a piece of ice I presume my hosts thought t it unwholesome to wash in inter winter per perhaps it was was for for them As I clambered down I found the hostess hostess hostess hos hos- tess more frowzy than ever getting breakfast which was nearly ready Untidiness was not the only vice of the family To go from the stove to the kitchen table was too exhausting The cook stood by the stove within a ring of pots and pans and dishes ranged around on the floor In one dish a blackened bit of what I took to be meat was swimming swimming swimming swim swim- ming in an ani ocean of grease I detest greasy food and andI adI I to o get along without without- that The fried potatoes looked good but just before we sat down some dust from the fire wood peppered them Ahem beyond my taste I would eat no potatoe pota pota- toe toes The bread slipped to the floor floor- floor such a floor floor and and was quickly gathered on the plate again I would avoid bread There were boiled eggs but the old lady shelled the eggs with her own hands hands and and such hands no eggs for forme me I would have had to plead headache and go hungry but for the cakes broad thick light t as foam and of an appetizing golden gold gold- en brown I made my breakfast of cak cakes s. s Plateful Plateful after plateful when alas a kitten playing witha with a ball fell into the pan of batter sitting 1 on the floor I felt nervous for here was the end of my breakfast The economIcal economical economical econom econom- ical dame carefully lifted the drowning kitten out by the tail and scra scraped ped the dri dripping dough back into the pan petulantly exclaiming II There Ill I'll have to kill them cats yet that's the third one that's been in there this morn morn- ing And I well I-well-I- well I M. M |