The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 1, July 1897 - April, 1898 Page: 296

296 Texas Historical Association Quarterly.
smoking them out and shooting as they emerged. We had Par-
ley's Universal History, then a new book, which had many merits
in the eyes of a child and not a few in the eyes of this grown per-
son. We had also then, as now, books called "readers intended for
the use of schools," among which the English Reader and the
National Reader still held first place. The school was in summer
time, and during the long hot days the wild cattle came to the
grove around the school-house to stamp in the shade. Their bel-
lowing and fighting often monopolized our attention to the annoy-
ance of the teacher, and often serious danger to our horses. 'Tis
an ill wind that blows nobody good. It was necessary to drive these
cattle away, which was by no means the simple thing it is to drive
gentle cattle. We had to go in force, and when the enemy was routed
we were apt to become dispersed in pursuit and it took time to
rally. We had many plays which I observe are still in vogue with
school-boys. But our favorite sport was to ride away at noon for
a swim in some shady pool in the neighboring streams, and we all
became good swimmers. After the swim, we ran our horses back
to the school-house. A level piece of road leading from the school-
house suggested a race track, where we tried the speed of our "nags"
with merry races, in which the girls rode as well as the boys, and
won many equestrian contests. We also had swings for the girls
and various athletic exercises for the boys. I believe that we had
more sport and genuine enjoyment and at the same time gave more
attention to our studies at this school than any other I have known
either before or since.
With the close of summer, our school closed, when I was eleven
years old. The teacher remained in the neighborhood for some
time and wherever he was it seemed as if school was in session
from the numbers who came to him for instruction, especially
young men. He did not resume his school, but removed to another
part of the country, where, years afterward, he closed his useful
life. No towering monument with marble piled around marks the
tomb of Robert Barnard Wells, but the light which he let shine
before men still gleams through the clouds of time.