Aunt Anna Thompson used to mention with much amusement the feuds between Miss Pierce’s scholars and the farmers’ daughters—more especially that peculiar class of young American girls who were “living out”—the “help”—in village families. It would never have answered to call them _servants_, nor were they such in the modern sense! These girls, usually the most ambitious of their family, made more independent by self support, gaining influence in proportion to the polish acquired by intercourse with village people, easily dominated all of their set, and together were a strong band. The school girls were supercilious, the help aggressively arrogant—and both classes equally proud and uncompromising. Many a battle was fought on Sunday as well as on week day. All around the gallery walls of the old church on the green was a row of square pews fenced in with the conventional high lattice work, while in front were two rows of benches. Many of the young people of the congregation chose to sit there where they were more free from the restraining presence of their seniors. Sometimes one part of the gallery would be considered the special choice, sometimes another, but “_out girls_” and _school girls_ would never freely mingle! When one pew was monopolized by school girls for a noticeable length of time the “out girls” would come early some Sunday and “pack” the seats. Then would follow pin pricking, pinching and punching through the lattice—and the incensed school girls would bide their time to preempt the “out girls’” places. The worst possible indignity that the school girls could heap upon the “help” was to give them the stinging epithet of “_Potwrastlers_”—probably meaning _dish-washers_!! Aunt Anna could judge of these stormy scenes from neutral ground as she belonged to neither faction. She said that the class spirit mentioned in “Poganuc People” was specially well depicted. “Nabby” of “Poganuc People” was for a long time the “help” in Miss Pierce’s family, so I think the old scholars would remember her—the “Aunt” Emily Addis who lived and died in the little house at the foot of Gallows Hill. When her mother died leaving to her care her little sister Mary—afterwards Mrs. Churchill—Miss Pierce kindly let her bring the child with her to her house—I think taking her into the school. “Nabby” is a composite character being in part Emily Addis and in part an older sister who married Hiram Barnes,—the “Hiel Jones” of the story—and left town. Dinah Atwell, a strange half-crazed character, may be remembered by the old scholars. She spent her time between the Pierce family here and another Pierce sister in Rhinebeck. Memories of her are centered in the old church on the green where she reigned a selfappointed tithing-mistress watching the children from her seat high up on the pulpit stairs. Mr. Norton told me that the Central Park was the thought of Miss Mary Pierce. She contributed money to have it graded and fenced.