k is the teacher,
and he played too. You would think he was trying to pound the piano all
to pieces but he is a good player. We have two papers kept up at school,
_The Snow Bird_ and _The Waif_--one for the younger and the other for
the older girls. Miss Jones, the composition teacher, corrects them
both. Kate Buell and Anna Maria Chapin read _The Waif_ to-day and Gusta
Buell and I read _The Snow Bird_. She has beautiful curls and has two
nice brothers also, Albert and Arthur, and the girls all like them. They
have not lived in town very long.

_February_ 25.--I guess I won't fill up my journal any more by saying I
arose this morning at the usual time, for I don't think it is a matter
of life or death whether I get up at the usual time or a few minutes
later and when I am older and read over the account of the manner in
which I occupied my time in my younger days I don't think it will add
particularly to the interest to know whether I used to get up at 7 or at
a quarter before. I think Miss Sprague, our schoolroom teacher, would
have been glad if none of us had got up at all this morning for we acted
so in school. She does not want any noise during the three minute
recess, but there has been a good deal all day. In singing class they
disturbed Mr. Kimball by blowing through combs. We took off our round
combs and put paper over them and then blew--Mary Wheeler and Lottie
Lapham and Anna sat nearest me and we all tried to do it, but Lottie was
the only one who could make it go. He thought we all did, so he made us
come up and sit by him. I did not want to a bit. He told Miss Sprague of
us and she told the whole school if there was as much noise another day
she would keep every one of us an hour after half-past 4. As soon as she
said this they all began to groan. She said "Silence." I only made the
least speck of a noise that no one heard.

_February_ 26.--To-night, after singing class, Mr. Richards asked all
who blew through combs to rise. I did not, because I could not make it
go, but when he said all who groaned could rise, I did, and some others,
but not half who did it. He kept us very late and we all had to sign an
apology to Miss Sprague.

Grandfather made me a present of a beautiful blue stone to-day called
Malachite. Anna said she always thought Malachite was one of the
prophets.

_March_ 3, 1856.--Elizabeth Spencer sits with me in school now. She is
full of fun but always manages to look very sober when Miss