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They lived scarcely within shouting distance of one another, and were independent, like all pioneers. This winter of 1784-1785 Colonel Pope engaged a tutor for his two boys, to teach them the three R's Reading, 'Riting and 'Rithmetic. He did not wish them to grow up numbskulls. He invited his neighbors to send their boys over and be tutored at the same time. It was a backwoods school.
Jake was the oldest of the children, and he had to work hard in the little patch of corn on the steep mountainside, which barely yielded a crop. Down the path a mile or so there was a little log schoolhouse where a lady teacher gave some of the mountain children lessons in "readin', ritin', and 'rithmetic."
And say, when I've been soldierin', and try to run in a stiff bluff instead of the real goods, he looks as disappointed as if I'd done something real low down. So gen'rally I hits up the books when there's nothin' else doin'. Mr. Robert's on. He comes in one mornin' and pipes off the 'rithmetic. "What's this, Torchy?" says he. "Studying?"
"Go down this minute do you hear? Rudolph, stop always letting your big brother get the best of you in marbles. Iz-zy!" "In a minute." "Don't let me have to ask you again, Isadore Kantor!" "Aw, ma; I got some 'rithmetic to do. Let Esther go." "Always Esther! Your sister stays right in the front room with her spelling." "Aw, ma; I got spelling, too."
"Why, law, Hannah, you know I never could make any fist of reading, writing, and 'rithmetic; and so the keeping of the farm-books is just the one torment of my life. Now, Ishmael, you know, could put all the books to rights for me, and keep them to rights." "If that be so, it will relieve my mind very much, Reuben," replied Hannah.
"Let me be the teacher," begged Sister, when her blackboard was arranged to her liking. "I know how, Roddy." "Well, all right, you can be teacher first," agreed Brother. "But after you play, then it's my turn." Sister picked up a book and pointed to the blackboard. "'Rithmetic class, go to the board," she commanded.
"No, I'm not," said Fred, "for I was told afterwards by an old clergyman that the young doctor was quite right, and that anyone who was good at 'rithmetic could work the thing out for himself in less than half an hour." Just as Fred said this there came a loud cry from the mast-head that made us all spring to our feet like lightning. "There she blows! There she breaches!"
Ah! this is a brave day's work for me thirteen blessed shillings!" "Ten, you mean, Mrs. Kebby!" "Oh, no, sir," cried Mrs. Kebby obsequiously, "the lady gave me ten, bless her heart, but you've quite forgot your three." "I said two." "Ah! so you did, sir. I'm a poor schollard at 'rithmetic." "You're clever enough to get money out of people," said Diana, who was disgusted at the avarice of the hag.
Truly, if anybody had kep track of their pride and self-conceit, and counted how many times it fell, and fell hard, too, durin' the World's Fair, it would have been a lesson to 'em on the vanity of earthly things, and a good lesson in rithmetic, too. Why, they couldn't tell the number of times unless they could go up into millions, and I d'no but trillions.
"Glad to hear any doctor ever could be right," returned the innkeeper, who had never been ill, and attributed his health to his distrust of physicians. "Fresh air, wholesome food and a clear conscience them's to long life what the three R's are to 'rithmetic. Powerful sorry you can't pass the night. I'd admire to talk over the political situation with an intelligent man."
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