articlesforchristians

Polly liked to go to school. She had wished to go for a long time. She thought that she should like it. And, sure enough, she did.

Father had taught Polly to read. So she did not begin with the very easiest book. She began with the second reader.

It was just the same with the number work. She knew all about eight and eight, and nine and nine.

She could tell Miss Barnes, her teacher, the answer to six times four, and seven times three.

Besides, she could tell how much things cost at her father’s store. And she knew how much sugar you could buy for thirty cents, if it cost ten cents a pound.

One day, Miss Barnes said, “Now we will have our geography lesson. We will talk about our village. You may tell all the things that you have seen when I have taken you walking. Who will talk first? “

“I will,” said Polly. “I know things about our village. It is called East Village. It is in a valley. The hills are high all around it. They make good sliding places.

“There is one store and it is my father’s. The post office is in it. There is one church. It is white. I go to church.

“There is a railroad station. Peter and I have to watch for trains when we cross the tracks.”

“Where does the railroad go?” asked Miss Barnes.

“It goes to Large Village,” said Polly. “And when you get there, you can travel to many other places. I am not sure where it goes the other way.”

“I know,” said a big boy. “It goes through the White Mountains. If you ride far enough, you will reach the ocean. Once I did.”

“Good,” said Miss Barnes. “Can you tell more, Polly? “

“Oh, yes,” answered Polly. “I know about the blacksmith’s shop. I go there. The blacksmith is my friend. Next to his shop is the creamery. Some of the butter they make goes far away. I have seen boxes of it at the station.”

“They send it to Boston,” said another girl.

“There is a sawmill,” said Polly. “They make butter boxes there. Besides, they saw up big logs. I have seen them.

“I have been inside the grain shop. That is where Tim’s father buys all the grain for his Jersey cows. We get ours there, too. But we do not buy so much.”

“Have we a river?” asked Miss Barnes.

“Yes, it is the Moose River,” said Polly. “Last winter I saw men cutting ice on it. I saw them putting the cakes into the big ice house. The boys fish in the river in the summer. So does Blacky.

“It turns the wheels of the sawmill. I have seen three brooks that run into it. One goes under the road just a little way from here. Lots of other brooks must help to make it, too.”

“Where do the brooks come from?” asked Miss Barnes. “Perhaps you do not know that, Polly.”

“Oh, yes, I know,” said Polly. “Peter and I went to the boiling spring the other day. A brook comes from that. It is the one that goes under the road.”

“Can you tell us anything about our trees?” asked Miss Barnes.

“We have elm trees in our yard,” said Polly. “Our swing is in one of them. We can swing way up in the branches. The leaves are all gone now.

“We have maple trees in front of our house. They go all the way up to Tim’s. Peter and I made wreaths of their leaves. They were red and yellow.

“I know something more, too. Next spring my father will tap those trees. We can get maple sugar from their sap.

“Peter and I know where to find butter nut trees. The squirrels take most of the butternuts.

“We know where to find beech trees, too. Once Tim hunted for beechnuts under a maple.

“One of the big boys gave me some acorns and some oak leaves. I do not know where the oak trees are.”

“That is a good geography lesson, Polly,” said Miss Barnes. “Your father must have shown you a great many things. I did not show you all that you told us about. Now I have thought of something.

“I am going to give a box to each child in my room. We will call them ‘Keepsake Boxes.’

“You may put into these boxes anything about this geography lesson that you can find. I will look at your boxes next week. Do you think that will be fun?”

“Oh, yes, Miss Barnes!” shouted all the children.

And Polly said, “I can think of lots of things for my Keepsake Box this very minute. I can think of butternuts, and beechnuts, and corn from the grain shop, and a stamp from the post office. Oh, I am in a hurry to go home so that I can begin.”