Busby's School

[T. Sackett]

June 23 was a gala day for school district No. 8, at Busby.  It was the last day of Miss Mintie Nichols' school.  She came into our district a stranger to teach our spring term of school, and to say she has made a success is putting it mildly.  The pupils and patrons have leaned to love her and she them.  The days being long, she has for some time been holding the pupils a short time after school hours, drilling them for the last day.  The last day came and our big hearted Jim Kitterman fitted up the fine grove where the People's party had such a grand rally last August, and here they came in wagons, buggies, horseback and on foot, not only patrons of the school, but large numbers from a distance, until it looked as if we were going to have another grand rally.  About nine o'clock Miss Nichols marched her pupils, about 50 in number, from the school house to the grove.  It was a sight to see them march, keeping perfect step, enough to make an old soldier ashamed of himself to think how he did when he first went out in the "awkward squad."  The stand was draped with our big national flag, which contains 50 yards of loyalty and patriotism in its folds.  Mrs. Sprague had given the use of her organ and our Jim had his guitar, so we had plenty of music, vocal and instrumental.   The program was carried out to perfection, the pupils, large and small, performed their parts so well that is showed great generalship in the teacher.  Then the dinner!  It was fine and plenty of it.  At 1:30 p.m. we had more music and then Prof. D. M. Barkley, our worthy county superintendent, spoke for an hour and held the large audience in rapt attention.  Short speeches were also made by F. P. Sharp, J. W. Cutter and W. W. Hensley.  It was such a grand success that Mr. Barkley thought it prudent to put on the brakes a little and he addressed the children and told them that their teacher, whom they so greatly loved, was only human and liable to err like other people.  Mr. Barkley forgot that Painterhood especially Busby, never did things by halves.  The pupils presented Miss Nichols with a fine album.   It was a day never to be forgotten by those who were present.   
--A PATRON.

     From the Elk County Citizen, July 6, 1893