Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1905 to 1906Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud)
General
Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1905 to 1906
Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud)
Short stories, Canadian
At dusk Frank and I set out for the Enderly Road, carrying a basket, a
small step-ladder, an unlit lantern, a hammer, and a box of tacks. It
was dark when we reached the Enderly Road schoolhouse. Fortunately, it
was quite out of sight of any inhabited spot, being surrounded by
woods. Hence, mysterious lights in it at strange hours would not be
likely to attract attention.
The door was locked, but we easily got in by a window, lighted our
lantern, and went to work. The schoolroom was small, and the
old-fashioned furniture bore marks of hard usage; but everything was
very snug, and the carefully swept floor and dusted desks bore
testimony to the neatness of our small friend Maggie and her chum
Minnie.
Our basket was full of mottoes made from letters cut out of cardboard
and covered with lissome sprays of fir. They were, moreover, adorned
with gorgeous pink and red tissue roses, which Carrie and Mabel had
contributed. We had considerable trouble in getting them tacked up
properly, but when we had succeeded, and had furthermore surmounted
doors, windows, and blackboard with wreaths of green, the little
Enderly Road schoolroom was quite transformed.
"It looks nice," said Frank in a tone of satisfaction. "Hope Maggie
will like it."
We swept up the litter we had made, and then scrambled out of the
window.
"I'd like to see Matt Dickey's face when he comes Monday morning," I
laughed, as we struck into the back lands.
"I'd like to see that midget of a Maggie's," said Frank. "See here,
Phil, let's attend the examination Monday afternoon. I'd like to see
our decorations in daylight."
We decided to do so, and also thought of something else. Snow fell all
day Sunday, so that, on Monday morning, sleighs had to be brought out.
Frank and I drove down to the store and invested a considerable share
of our spare cash in a varied assortment of knick-knacks. After dinner
we drove through to the Enderly Road schoolhouse, tied our horse in a
quiet spot, and went in. Our arrival created quite a sensation for, as
a rule, Blackburn Hillites did not patronize Enderly Road functions.
Miss Davis, the pale, tired-looking little teacher, was evidently
pleased, and we were given seats of honour next to the minister on the
platform.
Our decorations really looked very well, and were further enhanced by
two large red geraniums in full bloom which, it appeared, Maggie had
brought from home to adorn the teacher's desk. The side benches were
lined with Enderly Road parents, and all the pupils were in their best
attire. Our friend Maggie was there, of course, and she smiled and
nodded towards the wreaths when she caught our eyes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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