In the past, all the farm children had been taught at home. But soon, the ladies in town felt it was time to think about providing them with something better. Katrina, for one, wanted Teddy and Ingrid to have the advantage of a formal education. As usual, Lordor agreed.
A few months later, a charming little red schoolhouse was built. That fall, they hired Miss Lucille Beemer, an eighteen-year-old schoolteacher from Philadelphia, to teach grades one through eight.
She was young, but what the committee liked about Miss Beemer’s particular job application was her special interest in literature and English, so important to their community. As recent immigrants, they wanted their children to speak and read English well.
Miss Beemer’s first few years were not easy. Most of the schoolbooks she was given to work with were in Swedish, and nobody had any idea what grade to put what child in. Her oldest student was Gustav Tildholme, a sixteen-and-a-half-year-old eighth grader. Her youngest child was six-year-old Ander Swensen, and she had fifteen other students of all sizes and grades—all being taught in the same room. It was quite a job. Miss Beemer was so glad to have Gustav in the class that first year. On cold winter mornings, he rode his mule to school early, brought in the wood, and started the fire in the potbellied stove. As he was over six feet tall, he also helped her control some of the younger boys when they got too rowdy. Gustav was more of an outdoor boy and not a very attentive student, but he was a treasure as a helpmate. Like the other children, he loved Miss Beemer.
Dearest Parents,
I am writing to inform you that your daughter is now a real teacher. I have seventeen pupils who call me Miss Beemer, and I am feeling quite the grown-up. The family I am living with is a Swedish couple, Mr. and Mrs. Lordor Nordstrom. He is tall and nice, and she is not tall, but very pretty and sweet and wears a gingham bonnet. Their two children, Teddy and little Ingrid, are darling and very well behaved. Mr. Nordstrom has a dairy farm with many cows, chickens, and one pig. I do not like the pig. I went close to the pen, and it tried to bite me, and I about had a jiminy fit! Mrs. Nordstrom said she was sorry it had tried to bite me, but the pig thought I had something to eat.
Mother, would you please send me my good blue dress? I did not think I would need it, but the people here are very social and put on many dances and get-togethers. I am putting on a little weight. Mrs. Nordstrom makes a lot of pies and sweet pastries, and I find it hard to say no. Do write and tell me the news of home.
With love and affection,
Lucille
Hi-Ho, Katrina,
I am so glad to hear from you again. A mother with two children now! I can’t believe it. I am still playing the field. You have the babies, and I’ll have the fun. You always were the mother type, not me. Anyhow, the kiddies sound swell.
Not much news here at the house, except that Dagmar Jensen’s husband has come to join her. He has been hired on, so I now have my own room. It’s that cubbyhole up on the fourth floor, where we used to hide our books, but it will do for the meantime.
I am now stepping out with a baseball player. He plays with the Chicago Cubs and oh boy, how that boy can bat. And what parties! They sure know how to have a good time. I’ll say they do. Last night, I didn’t get home until 4 a.m.
Say, how is that pig you wrote me about? She sounds like a gal after my own heart. Gotta run. The old lady is up and ringing her bell.
Anna Lee
Sweet Potato had been trouble from the beginning. She was never what you would call well behaved. Whenever Katrina or Lordor or the children tried to pet her, she made it quite clear she didn’t particularly care for any of them. “Feed me, but don’t bother me” was her motto. And she would eat anything. She once ate a pair of Lordor’s long red underwear that had blown off the clothesline, buttons and all, plus an entire Sears, Roebuck catalog and a leather shoe.
She was truly a disgusting, gluttonous creature with, evidently, the digestion of a goat. “That pig is such a pig,” said Katrina. But as much trouble as she was, Katrina and Lordor could never bring themselves to sell her, nor certainly to eat her for dinner. To them, Sweet Potato had one big saving grace. She was so content in her grotesqueness, so completely oblivious to what others thought, that she made them laugh. Of course, being a pig, Sweet Potato never understood her good fortune.
It was also fortunate that she couldn’t understand English. Mrs. Knott had often announced in a rather loud voice, “Katrina, if this was my pig, she’d be in a pot today and sausage in the morning.” Sweet Potato just snorted and kept on eating. They said she was the only pig in the state of Missouri that ever died of old age. Sweet Potato would not understand the irony, but she would even outlive Mrs. Knott.
Little Ander Swensen, Birdie and Lars Swensen’s now seven-year-old son, was a cute red-haired boy who looked just like someone had picked up a large bucket of freckles and thrown them at him. He must have had over a thousand freckles on his face and ears alone. But what endeared him to everyone was his sweet nature and silly giggle.
Being such a close neighbor, he spent a lot of time over at the Nordstrom house. He loved Mrs. Nordstrom’s cooking and clearly had a crush on Ingrid. And he let her boss him around without mercy.
Ingrid loved to play tricks on her father. One day, she even made Ander help her dress up one of Lordor’s favorite cows.
That morning when Lordor went in the barn for the milking, there stood Sally, his prize heifer, wearing one of Katrina’s big straw bonnets and a red checked apron. Lordor heard the muffled giggles coming from the hayloft and pretended to be very upset. “Oh…my poor Sally. When I find out who did this, I’m going to throw them in the pen with Sweet Potato, and then they’ll be sorry!”
Of course Lordor knew who had done it. He had seen the two children sneaking the hat and the apron out of the house earlier that morning.
Later, at the lunch table, when Lordor was telling Katrina and Miss Beemer what had happened, Ander’s big brown eyes opened wide, and, being the sincere and truthful boy he was, he immediately broke down and confessed. “I did it, Mr. Nordstrom. It was my idea. You can throw me in the pen if you want to.”
It was all the adults could do not to laugh. Lordor said, “What do you think, Miss Beemer? You’re his teacher. Should I throw him in the pen or not?”
Ander looked over at Miss Beemer in terror, awaiting his fate.
“No, Mr. Nordstrom. I think the fact he told the truth is very admirable. I believe he deserves to be saved.”
Ander breathed a big sigh of relief. “Oh, thank you, Miss Beemer. I’m scared of that pig.”
Katrina said, “I agree, Miss Beemer. In fact, for being so truthful, I think Ander deserves a second piece of cake.”
Ingrid piped up and said, “I want one, too.”
“Sorry, Ingrid, too late. You missed your chance,” said Teddy.