Read Online What a Pair! by Wanda E Brunstetter - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Wanda E Brunstetter
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new things. He especially liked learning new words. Of course, sometimes he used big, long words that even his teacher didn’t understand. And whether he’d either heard them from Grandpa Miller or found them in the dictionary, he always made sure he knew what they meant before he tried using them in a sentence.
“What are you thinking about?” Mattie asked, bumping Mark’s arm.
“School.”
“Me, too. Sure wish I was older and had already graduated from the eighth grade.” Mattie looked at Calvin and Russell riding their bikes up ahead. They’d both saved up some of the money they’d earned selling produce at their roadside stand this summer and had bought their own bikes. That’s why they got to ride to school and Mark and Mattie had to walk. “This is Russell’s last year at school, and Calvin only has two more years after this one,” she said.
“That’s right, and we won’t be far behind them.” Mark smiled. “So we need to study hard and learn all we can.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re so
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, and you always get good grades.”
“You’d be smart, too, if you’d quit daydreaming so much and start paying attention to what the teacher says.”
“I do pay attention. I just can’t remember well.”
“You’d remember more if you didn’t think about other things all the time.”
“I can’t help it,” she said. “Things just seem to pop into my head.”
“Well, remember this—you’re ‘unequalled,’ so you can do anything you want to do.”
Mattie said nothing, so Mark shrugged his shoulders and kept walking toward the schoolhouse. His legs couldn’t seem to move fast enough, he was so eager to get there. He didn’t understand Mattie’s daydreaming, and didn’t think he’d ever figure her out. Sometimes he wished he had a twin brother instead of a dreamy-eyed sister who was nothing like him at all. But then if they were just alike, that would probably be boring.
When Mark and Mattie entered the schoolyard, Mattie spotted Stella talking with a group of girls over by the swings, so she decided to join them while Mark went to visit with some of the boys.
Even though Mattie didn’t like all the schoolwork she knew she’d have to do, she did enjoy getting to see all her friends. It was fun to talk about the things they’d done over the summer months. Some, like Becky Yoder, had gone on a trip to visit family who lived in another state. Mattie wished she had relatives living somewhere other than Ohio. It would be fun to ride the bus or train and visit somewhere she hadn’t been before. But at least they got to ride in their driver’s van whenever they visited Grandpa and Grandma Troyer in Burton. That was better than staying home all the time.
Mattie said hello to Stella and the other girls, and then someone suggested they take turns pushing some of the younger ones on the swings. Mattie didn’t want to do that, so she picked some pretty flowers growing in the field next to the schoolhouse to give to their teacher, Anna Ruth. She’d only picked a few flowers when the school bell rang.
Mattie sighed and shuffled into the schoolhouse behind the other children. Like it or not, her school day was about to begin.
When Mattie and the others entered the schoolhouse, the boys jostled one another as they hung their straw hats on some hooks on the wall, and then put their lunch boxes away on a bench at the back of the room. On the girls’ side of the room things were a little quieter, as they found places for their lunch boxes as well. Then Mattie hurried to the front of the room, where the teacher’s desk sat in the corner, and gave her the flowers she’d picked.
“Why, thank you, Mattie. These are lovely, and it was nice of you to think of me.” When Anna Ruth smiled, the whole room seemed to light up. She had light brown hair, hazel-colored eyes, and a pretty face. Mattie was surprised the twenty-year-old schoolteacher wasn’t married yet. In fact, as
“What are you thinking about?” Mattie asked, bumping Mark’s arm.
“School.”
“Me, too. Sure wish I was older and had already graduated from the eighth grade.” Mattie looked at Calvin and Russell riding their bikes up ahead. They’d both saved up some of the money they’d earned selling produce at their roadside stand this summer and had bought their own bikes. That’s why they got to ride to school and Mark and Mattie had to walk. “This is Russell’s last year at school, and Calvin only has two more years after this one,” she said.
“That’s right, and we won’t be far behind them.” Mark smiled. “So we need to study hard and learn all we can.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re so
schmaert
, and you always get good grades.”
“You’d be smart, too, if you’d quit daydreaming so much and start paying attention to what the teacher says.”
“I do pay attention. I just can’t remember well.”
“You’d remember more if you didn’t think about other things all the time.”
“I can’t help it,” she said. “Things just seem to pop into my head.”
“Well, remember this—you’re ‘unequalled,’ so you can do anything you want to do.”
Mattie said nothing, so Mark shrugged his shoulders and kept walking toward the schoolhouse. His legs couldn’t seem to move fast enough, he was so eager to get there. He didn’t understand Mattie’s daydreaming, and didn’t think he’d ever figure her out. Sometimes he wished he had a twin brother instead of a dreamy-eyed sister who was nothing like him at all. But then if they were just alike, that would probably be boring.
When Mark and Mattie entered the schoolyard, Mattie spotted Stella talking with a group of girls over by the swings, so she decided to join them while Mark went to visit with some of the boys.
Even though Mattie didn’t like all the schoolwork she knew she’d have to do, she did enjoy getting to see all her friends. It was fun to talk about the things they’d done over the summer months. Some, like Becky Yoder, had gone on a trip to visit family who lived in another state. Mattie wished she had relatives living somewhere other than Ohio. It would be fun to ride the bus or train and visit somewhere she hadn’t been before. But at least they got to ride in their driver’s van whenever they visited Grandpa and Grandma Troyer in Burton. That was better than staying home all the time.
Mattie said hello to Stella and the other girls, and then someone suggested they take turns pushing some of the younger ones on the swings. Mattie didn’t want to do that, so she picked some pretty flowers growing in the field next to the schoolhouse to give to their teacher, Anna Ruth. She’d only picked a few flowers when the school bell rang.
Mattie sighed and shuffled into the schoolhouse behind the other children. Like it or not, her school day was about to begin.
When Mattie and the others entered the schoolhouse, the boys jostled one another as they hung their straw hats on some hooks on the wall, and then put their lunch boxes away on a bench at the back of the room. On the girls’ side of the room things were a little quieter, as they found places for their lunch boxes as well. Then Mattie hurried to the front of the room, where the teacher’s desk sat in the corner, and gave her the flowers she’d picked.
“Why, thank you, Mattie. These are lovely, and it was nice of you to think of me.” When Anna Ruth smiled, the whole room seemed to light up. She had light brown hair, hazel-colored eyes, and a pretty face. Mattie was surprised the twenty-year-old schoolteacher wasn’t married yet. In fact, as
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