[Sidenote: Picnic Manners]
North Lord School celebrated the coming of summer with a picnic. Miss
Bradford attended carefully to everything except the behavior of her
pupils. Scarcely had the crowd gathered, before she began directing the
boys and girls how to conduct themselves. Calling out from a distance,
she said:
“Shame on you boys for taking the swings first. Let the girls have a
good time, then you can have the swings if you want them.”
Several older girls made a dash for the bridge that led over to the
other side of the railroad tracks. They were out of sight in a moment
with the teacher on a hot chase. When she overtook them there was
another scolding.
“You’re a pretty lot! There’ll be several girls sent home now if there
is any more running off like this.”
On returning to the group of children she heard a confusion about the
lunches:
“Here, let me. I’m going to get out the lunches.” “No, get out, you
can’t manage this.” Meanwhile some one was ordering them all away from
the lunch baskets.
Thus it continued to the end with noisy, and in large part, fruitless
attempts on the part of Miss Bradford to keep some sort of order and
decorum.