Strawberry Girl Read Online Free Page B
Author: Lois Lenski
gave them seats in the side row. It was nice to be a new girl in a new school and sit in the side row by the open window. Birdie was happy. She knew she would soon like all the girls and they would like her. School opened with a song.
Mr. Pearce stood in front with his back to the fireplace. A bamboo pole leaned in one corner, and a pile of fatwood, to burn on cold days, filled another. A small blackboard was on the rear wall. Mr. Pearce's voice was shrill, and all the children chimed in. When the song was over, Mr. Pearce made a talk and asked the children to be studious and to work, hard to get an education.
The morning went by very fast. Dovey was put with the Marsh twins in the First Reader. Birdie was in the Fourth Grade with Olema Dorsey and Rofelia Marsh. Lank Tatum and Shad Harden were in the Fifth. Birdie wondered why the Slater boy was not there.
During recess they all played together as if they were old friends. At noon, Birdie and Dovey and Dan sat together under the live oak tree and ate their dinner. Other family groups were scattered here and there. Birdie opened the dinner bucket. It contained a bottle of cane syrup, pieces of fried rabbit and cooked hominy grits. They ate the grits with a spoon. They poured syrup from the bottle into the cover of the bucket and dipped their biscuits in it.
After they had eaten, the boys ran off to a bayhead a short distance away. A clump of trees grew in a low swampy place, near a pond. They tied a grapevine swing to the top of a tree, and hung onto it, to swing our over the pond. When the bell rang, they came back to their seats in the schoolhouse.
Lessons had already begun and Birdie was standing at the blackboard doing arithmetic when suddenly the outer door opened, and two large overgrown boys stumbled in. Mr. Pearce looked up at them over his glasses, bur said nothing. The boys swaggered to their seats in the back of the room.
Birdie stared at them. The younger one reminded her of Jefferson Davis Slater.
When the teacher finished the lesson with the First Grade, he said severely: "Gus and Joe Slater, you were absent this morning. And tardy this evening. Have you a good excuse!"
"Yep!" said Gus. "We been rabbit-huntin'."
"Yep!" said Joe. "We been quail-trappin'."
"Seen a bunch o' wild turkeys," added Gus.
"Got too close and scared 'em away!" added Joe.
The children began to laugh.
"That will do!" said Mr. Pearce sternly. "Get out your books. "
The Slater boys slammed their books on their desks. They shoved their feet out across the aisle.
Birdie went on with her arithmetic. So they were Slaters. They must be Shoestring's older brothers. She wondered why he was not in school. Maybe he was out rabbit-hunting too.
Mr. Pearce started the Third Grade spelling class. When little Latrelle Tatum went through the aisle to take her place on the recitation bench, she stumbled over Gus Slater's foot and fell.
Birdie ran, picked her up and dried her tears. She glared at the Slater boys. Did they come to school only to pester little children and make trouble!
"Have you no consideration even for a child!" Mr. Pearce's voice was soft with reproach. "Naw!" said Gus. "She don't belong to come round this way.
"We don't have to come to school, nohow," said Joe.
"Pa says he needs us to home," Gus went on.
"To hunt rabbits! To trap quail!" Mr. Pearce's voice was soft with sarcasm.
"Pa said we dent need to git book-larnin'," boasted Joe. "Do you come to school," said Mr. Pearce gently, "you must study your books."
Gus and Joe threw their books on the floor in active defiance. "lest try and make us!" they answered with a laugh.
Mr. Pearce picked up the bamboo rod and bravely walked to the back of the room. The eyes of all the children followed him.
Some of the little girls began to cry. The room grew tense. Everybody knew something was going to happen.
Birdie slipped over into Dovey's seat and put her arm around her. She stared at the Slater boys, half-afraid and yet
Mr. Pearce stood in front with his back to the fireplace. A bamboo pole leaned in one corner, and a pile of fatwood, to burn on cold days, filled another. A small blackboard was on the rear wall. Mr. Pearce's voice was shrill, and all the children chimed in. When the song was over, Mr. Pearce made a talk and asked the children to be studious and to work, hard to get an education.
The morning went by very fast. Dovey was put with the Marsh twins in the First Reader. Birdie was in the Fourth Grade with Olema Dorsey and Rofelia Marsh. Lank Tatum and Shad Harden were in the Fifth. Birdie wondered why the Slater boy was not there.
During recess they all played together as if they were old friends. At noon, Birdie and Dovey and Dan sat together under the live oak tree and ate their dinner. Other family groups were scattered here and there. Birdie opened the dinner bucket. It contained a bottle of cane syrup, pieces of fried rabbit and cooked hominy grits. They ate the grits with a spoon. They poured syrup from the bottle into the cover of the bucket and dipped their biscuits in it.
After they had eaten, the boys ran off to a bayhead a short distance away. A clump of trees grew in a low swampy place, near a pond. They tied a grapevine swing to the top of a tree, and hung onto it, to swing our over the pond. When the bell rang, they came back to their seats in the schoolhouse.
Lessons had already begun and Birdie was standing at the blackboard doing arithmetic when suddenly the outer door opened, and two large overgrown boys stumbled in. Mr. Pearce looked up at them over his glasses, bur said nothing. The boys swaggered to their seats in the back of the room.
Birdie stared at them. The younger one reminded her of Jefferson Davis Slater.
When the teacher finished the lesson with the First Grade, he said severely: "Gus and Joe Slater, you were absent this morning. And tardy this evening. Have you a good excuse!"
"Yep!" said Gus. "We been rabbit-huntin'."
"Yep!" said Joe. "We been quail-trappin'."
"Seen a bunch o' wild turkeys," added Gus.
"Got too close and scared 'em away!" added Joe.
The children began to laugh.
"That will do!" said Mr. Pearce sternly. "Get out your books. "
The Slater boys slammed their books on their desks. They shoved their feet out across the aisle.
Birdie went on with her arithmetic. So they were Slaters. They must be Shoestring's older brothers. She wondered why he was not in school. Maybe he was out rabbit-hunting too.
Mr. Pearce started the Third Grade spelling class. When little Latrelle Tatum went through the aisle to take her place on the recitation bench, she stumbled over Gus Slater's foot and fell.
Birdie ran, picked her up and dried her tears. She glared at the Slater boys. Did they come to school only to pester little children and make trouble!
"Have you no consideration even for a child!" Mr. Pearce's voice was soft with reproach. "Naw!" said Gus. "She don't belong to come round this way.
"We don't have to come to school, nohow," said Joe.
"Pa says he needs us to home," Gus went on.
"To hunt rabbits! To trap quail!" Mr. Pearce's voice was soft with sarcasm.
"Pa said we dent need to git book-larnin'," boasted Joe. "Do you come to school," said Mr. Pearce gently, "you must study your books."
Gus and Joe threw their books on the floor in active defiance. "lest try and make us!" they answered with a laugh.
Mr. Pearce picked up the bamboo rod and bravely walked to the back of the room. The eyes of all the children followed him.
Some of the little girls began to cry. The room grew tense. Everybody knew something was going to happen.
Birdie slipped over into Dovey's seat and put her arm around her. She stared at the Slater boys, half-afraid and yet
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