NEW FRIENDS

AS I RODE ON THE BUS TO SCHOOL SOME DAYS BAKER RODE OTHERS HE WOULD WALK INTO TOWN. THERE WOULD BE SEVERAL OTHERS MY AGE OR OLDER RIDING. MR. MILLER WAS THE BUS DRIVER AND HE WAS SO KND AND FRIENDLY. HE DIDN'T PUT UP WITH FOOLISHNESS BUT EVERYONE ENJOYED BEING ON HIS BUS. HE'D GO BACK TO HIS MECHANIC JOB AFTER DRIVING THE BUS THEN TAKE US HOME AFTER SCHOOL. I SUPPOSE HE'D RETURN TO WORK AFTER THAT. I THINK THE BUS WAS ALWAYS STORED AT BROWNINGS GARAGE WHERE HE WORKED. WHEN THERE WAS GAMES IN THE EVENING HE'D GO AROUND IN THE BUS AND PICK UP STUDENTS WHO WAS GOING TO TOWN TO SEE THE GAME.
I STILL REMEBER MY FIRST SCARED DAY AT SCHOOL. THE BUILDING WAS SO BIG IT SEEMED TO ME WITH THREE FLOORS. IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG TO GET USED TO WHERE TO GO AND WHO TAUGHT WHICH CLASSES. I HAD MISS STURGIL FOR MATH AND SHE KEPT A WASTE BASKET BY THE DOOR. THAT WAS FOR THE GUM CHEWERS TO DEPOSIT THIER GUM AS WE ENTERED THE ROOM. THERE WAS NO HIDING YOUR WAD FROM HER. IF YOU GOT PAST THE WASTE BASKET SHE'D CALL YOUR NAME AND POINT AT THE WASTE BASKET. SO EITHER THE STUDENTS DIDN'T COME IN CHEWING ARE DROPPED IT IN THE BASKET AS THEY ENTERED THE DOOR. THAT CLASS WAS RIGHT AFTER LUNCH IN THE OLD HIGH SCHOOL GRADE SCHOOL BUILDING WHERE MOST OF THE FRESHMAN CLASSES WERE HELD. SHE WAS STRICT WITH HER CLASSES BUT VERY FAIR IF YOU PUT FORTH THE EFFORT. I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT MR. BEAUDREU TAUGHT AND HE TOLD US WE HAD TO EARN OUR GRADE. THE FIRST REPORT CARD THAT CAME OUT HAD SOME OF THE STUDENTS WHO ALWAYS GOT A'S WITH LESS THAN A'S. THEIR PARENTS THE RICH AND FAMOUS LANDED IN MR. THOMAS'S OFFICE NEXT DAY AND THEIR CHILDRENS GRADES WERE CHANGED. HE ONLY TAUGHT THAT YEAR THEN MOVED ON. I DON'T THINK HE LIKED BEING TOLD HOW SOME STUDENTS GOT GOOD GRADES.
MR GARRETT TAUGHT ENGLISH LITERATURE. HE HAD SORT OF A MONOTONE VOICE AND IF WE HADN'T READ OUR LITERATURE ASSIGNMENT HE'D SPEND THE HOUR READING TO US. SOME WOULD FALL ASLEEP WHILE HE DRONED ON AND ON. I DON'T CARE FOR SHAKESPEARE EVEN TO THIS DAY. I STILL HEAR MR GARRET 'S VOICE IN MY HEAD. HOME EC WAS ACROSS THE STREET IN THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING SO IF THE GIRLS TOOK HOME EC WE CROSSED THE STREET FOR THAT. ONE SEMESTER WAS COOKING AND SECOND SEMESTER FOR SEWING AND INTERIOR DECORATING MRS. WEERY WAS THE TEACHER. WHAT HAPPENED TO MY TALENTS?? DOROTHY LOVELAND RODE THE BUS AND WE BECAME FRIENDS. SHE HAD BEEN GOING INTO TOWN FOR ALL HER GRADE SCHOOL SO WAS NOT AS INTIMEDATED AS I WAS. I DOUBT SHE EVER WAS. WE MADE OTHER GOOD FRIENDS ALSO. VIRGINIA ALLEN, WANDA BEAN, ARMINDA RHODEHOUSE AND JEAN ROMRELL. VIRGINIA'S DAD HAD A FARM IN EGIN AND HAD BOUGHT AN OLD HOUSE THAT VIRGINIA AND HER TWO BROTHERS MOVED INTO FOR THE SCHOOL TERM. VIRGINIA FIXED THEIR MEALS AND KEPT A FAIRLY GOOD HOUSE AS WELL AS GREAT GRADES. WE DIDN'T HANG OUT THERE VERY MUCH. I THINK HER DAD GAVE THEM RULES TO LIVE BY SO THEY DIDN'T ABUSE THEIR PRIVLEDGE OF GETTING AN EDUCATION. JEAN LIVED NEXT DOOR SO WE'D GO THERE FAIRLY OFTEN AS HER MOM WAS HOME. ARMINDA LIVED IN TETON WANDA ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF ST. ANTHONY. ARMINDA AND BERT BRIGGS MARRIED BEFORE SHE FINISHED SOPHMORE YEAR. THAT MARRIAGE LASTED ALL THOSE MANY YEARS AND SHE STILL LIVE,S IN TETON UNLESS SHE'S IN A CARE CENTER. SHE CALLED ME WHEN GRANDPA PASSED AWAY A GOOD MEMORY SHE HAS. DOROTHY PLAYED THE CLAIRNET IN THE PEP BAND SO WE'D ALWAYS GO TO THE GAMES. ON WEEK ENDS IF WE COULD DOROTHY AND I WOULD WALK RIDE BYKE OR SOME TIMES HER FOLKS WOULD TAKE US TO TOWN TO HANG OUT WITH ALL THESE GIRLS. DURING THE WINTER WHEN THE SNOW WAS JUST RIGHT I'D HAVE A SLEIGH RIDE PARTY DAD WOULD HOOK UP THE SLEIGH AND WE'D ALL JUMP ON SING RIDE THE LITTLE SEIGH OR THOSE WHO SKIID WOULD SKI BE HIND THE SLEIGH THEN WE'D GO HOME TO MOM'S HOME MADE CHILI. IT WAS A FEAST FOR EVERYONE AND AFTER THE FIRST TIME AND SOME WERE BORED ARE WHAT EVER INSTIGATED IT WE'D HAVE ANOTHER BEFORE THE SNOW MELTED THAT YEAR. THEY HAD STARTED THE LUNCH THING BUT I DIDN'T ALWAYS HAVE THE MONEY FOR THE MEAL BUT NOW AND THEN I'D GET TO EAT AT THE LUNCH PLACE. MOST OF US TOOK OUR LUNCHES AND THERE MWAS A SMALL OLD GYM THAT USED FOR THE LUNCH ROOM.