Kirsten's New Teacher

"Kirsten! Please pay attention!"
Kirsten Larson looked up at her cousin Lisbeth. Lisbeth's voice seemed as cold as the winter wind outside the cabin door.
"I was daydreaming," Kirsten admitted. "How I wish it were summer so we could play outside again!". She looked down at her blank slate and sighed.
For more than two weeks, the weather had been so bitterly cold that the children couldn't leave the cabin except to do chores. They couldn't go skating or sledding and it was much to cold to walk to school. Every day the cabin seemed to get smaller as through it were shrinking up like an old apple.
Miss Winston. their teacher, had put Lisbeth in charge of lessons at home and somehow that had made everything worse. Lisbeth was so serious! Usually Lisbeth was fun, but not now. Her lessons were harder and much longer than Miss Winston's and she gave lots of orders. Worst of all, in the evenings, when all the family played games and talked together, Lisbeth sat apart, planning lessons. It was as if she were suddenly too grown-up for games.
Kirsten frowned and wrote a verse from lesson 20 of her reader on her slate:
Work while you work
Play while you play
For that is the way
To be cheerful and gay.
The little room was smokey, and Kirsten's eyes stung. She looked at her brother Peter and her other cousin Anna. Peter looked sleepy. Anna was yawning.
Lisbeth stood beside Kirsten. "You've forgotten the rest of your verse," she said
"One thing each time
And that done well
Is a very good rule
As many can tell."
Then Lisbeth tapped Kirsten's shoulder the way Miss Winston often did. "You must learn to pay attention to what's important," she said.
Kirsten felt her cheeks redden. She didn't like it when Lisbeth was bossy. "We've been studying for so long. If we were at school it would be time for recess," Kirsten said.
"You want Miss Winston to be proud when you go back to school, don't you?" Lisbeth replied. "I know I do. I want her to see what a good teacher I can be."
" Even Miss Winston wouldn't make us study for this long," Kirsten said. "Please, let's stop and play awhile. We could play one of the games from the Fourth of July celebration. Remember that wonderful music and the picnic?"
"I remember the Fourth of July sack race!" Anna said eagerly.
" I remember the parade!" Peter said. He jumped up and began to march around the table. "Let's pretend we have drums and a fiddle. Let's have a parade!"
Lisbeth folded her arms across her chest. " Peter, you know we can't have a parade in this tiny cabin."
" But a parade is a grand idea," Kirsten said. " Lisbeth, we could have a parade in the barn, couldn't we? Blackie the horse and Marika the cow could march with us. We could practice in secret, and the invite Mama and Lars and Aunt Inger to watch us. We could call it the Fourth of January!"
Lisbeth shook her head." We don't have time for a parade. With our fathers away at the logging camp, there are too many chores to be done."
" But we need some fun too," Kirsten insisted. "Its been ages since we've laughed. You've gotten too serious Lisbeth. I think you've forgotten how to have fun!"
Lisbeth blushed. The her voice grew stern, as Miss Winston's often did. "I remember how to have fun," She said. "But I also remember that chores and lessons come first. Have your parade ,Kirsten, but don't forget what lesson 20 says! Don't let the parade interfere with your work."
" Oh, please don't be cross," Anna cried. She couldn't help being upset when someone else was. "Play with us just a little Lisbeth. Kirsten, as her to play."
Kirsten wished she hadn't spoken so sharply to Lisbeth, but she couldn't bring herself to admitt it. "Come on," she said to Anna and Peter. "Lets go out to the barn and plan our parade. And Anna, don't look so sad!"

For the next few days, Kirsten, Anna and Peter worked on the parade in every spare moment. Kirsten woke Peter and Anna extra early to do chores. Anna fed the chickens and Peter brought in firewood for the stove. Kirsten milked Marika and went to root cellar to get vegetables, shutting the door behind her so the family's food wouldn't freeze in the bitter weather and rot. Then she ran to the barn where Anna and Peter waited for her. By finishing their chores quickly, they had time to work on the parade before Lisbeth called them for lessons.
And oh, what a parade it was going to be! There would be songs, speeches, games, costumes! Kirsten and Anna made capes from old aprons. They decorated their straw hats with pinecones. Peter put a string through his little hat so he could tie it on Caro, the dog. They all twisted sprigs of evergreen to make wreaths for the animals.
One morning, Peter asked. "Kirsten, could I ride Blackie in our parade?"
" I have a better idea," Kirsten said. " You can ride the pig. Think how funny it would be to ride Sadie as though she were a fat pony! You'd like that wouldn't you Peter?"
" Would I ever!" Peter cried.
Peter and Anna were still giggling about the pig when they all went back to the cabin. Mama was kneading bread. Lisbeth was working on sums." Don't give away our secret!" Kirsten whispered. But she was laughing too.
Mama looked at the giggling children, then at Lisbeth. "Lisbeth, why aren't you playing with the others?" Mama said gently.
"Miss Winston would not want me to neglect my own studies just because I'm teaching the others," Lisbeth said.
"Lisbeth," Kirsten said, "Surely Miss Winston didn't expect you to do your work and all the work she does, too."
"You don't understand what it is to have a big responsility, " Lisbeth said.
"I understand what it is to become bossy and forget your friends," Kirsten muttered.
Mama stopped kneading the dough and frowned. " Is something wrong between you girl?"
Lisbeth looked back down at her book. "Nothing's wrong really ," she said
" I hope not," Mama said. "These dark, cold days are hard enough without bad feelings between you"
Kirsten glanced at Lisbeth and caught her eye. Lisbeth looked away.

The next evening, Kirsten was kneeling on the floor of the root cellar, piling hard purple rutabagas into a basket. Mama would cook these big sweet roots and mash them for supper. But Kirsten wasn't thinking about food. The Fourth of January parade was tomorrow. Everything was ready. Yet over and over, she asked herself if there was anything she'd forgotten.
Just then, Peter trotted down the stairs. "Kirsten come help. Anna and I were playing with our costumes when the rooster stole my hat. He flew up into the rafters with it. We can't reach him!"
"What were you doing with the costumes?" Kirsten said. " We had everything all ready for tomorrow."
" Anna said we could try them on one more time." Peter said. " Then the rooster raided us!"
Kirsten grabbed her basket of rutabagas and hurried out of the root cellar--forgetting to close the doors behind her.
Anna waited inside the barn. She pointed to the rooster perched overhead, the little straw hat held fast in his beak. " Kirsten, he won't come down!" Anna said.
"Well, we can't climb after him," Kirsten said. She set down the basket, took a rutabaga and threw it at the rooster. She missed. Peter tried and missed, too. The rooster didn't budge. Then Anna picked up a big one and threw it upward with all her might. It whizzed past the rooster, who squawked in alarm and let the hat sail to the ground.
" Peter, be quick and hide it with the other costumes!" Kirsten said. " Anna help me gather up our dinner."
The girls ran about, picking up rutabagas from the barn floor. One had fallen into the pig pen, where Sadie was munching on it. " Give it here Sadie!" Kirsten said. She reached out , but Sadie swallowed the rutabaga greedily.
" Kirsten! Where are you?" Lisbeth called from the barn lot. "We need the rutabagas!"
" Lets go, " Kirsten said. She grabbed up the basket and ran out of the barn toward the brightly lit cabin. Behind the cabin in the darkness, the doors of the root cellar stood wide open.

" So thats what you've been planning!" Mama said when Kirsten and the others announced their show at breakfast. " A Fourth of January parade! That will be a treat!"
Lars jumped to his feet. Aunt Inger put on her shawl and held out Lisbeth's to her. Lisbeth hesitated. "Mama, I've lessons to prepare," she said.
'Your work will wait for you," Aunt Inger said firmly. "Now its time to smile and rest. Come with us, dear."
Kirsten ran with Anna and Peter to the barn. When the rest followed, Lisbeth was with them.
Everything was ready. Kirsten's heart thumped. Peter blew a loud blast on his penny whistle and cried, "Let the Larson's Fourth of January celebration begin!"
First came a the hymn, "Amazing Grace". The children stood straight and solemn, just like a choir. Then Kirsten recited a verse from her reader. Anna sang "Yankee Doodle", all by herself. Then Peter stood on a hay bale to recite the Declaration on Independence. He'd spent more time making wreaths than learning the words of the Declaration. But his voice was strong, and he made broad sweeps with his arms. "Life and Liberty for all! Happiness for all!", he said over and over. Kirsten thought he sounded like a judge.
Everyone was laughing and clapping except Lisbeth, who sat with her hands clasped together in her lap. She pressed her lips together the way Miss Winston did when one of her students did something foolish.
Kirsten tried not to notice. "And now", she cried, " the parade!"
First came Anna, riding on Blackie. Blackie held his head high, as though he knew everyone was watching him. Caro ran beside the horse, with Peter's hat tied firmly on his head. Then came Marika , the cow, with Kirsten on her back. At each step, Kirsten dropped a few kernals of corn onto the barn floor. Hungrily eating the kernals, Sadie plodded along behind the rest, Peter seated on her back. Sadie looked as if she'd been marching in parades all her life.
But just when Kirsten decided the parade was a grand sucess, Sadie stopped in her tracks to root for more corn. Peter kicked her sides with his heels. "Get going", he cried.
Sadie raised her head and looked back. She squined as if she'd just realized she had a little boy on her back. Then she took off like a streak. Peter grabbed hold of Sadie's ears and let out a whoop.
"Runaway pig!" Kirsten cried. "Help! Runaway pig!"
Lars leaped up and tried to catch the pigs tail. Flapping her skirt, Lisbeth ran after Lars. Chickens flew into the air squawking, like alarmed ladies. Mama grabbed a shovel, and Aunt Inger snatched the rake. Anna sat on Blackie, her eyes as big as silver dollars. Kirsten scrambled off the cow, but slipped and landed with a bump in the straw. Caro was everwhere barking as loudly as he could.
Three times Sadie ran around the bar before Mama and Aunt Inger prodder her into her pen. Lisbeth slammed the gate. Swift as a squirrel, Peter scrambled up onto the railing. His cheeks were pink and his eyes as bright as candles.
"That was fun!" he cried
For a moment, everyone was silent. The air was filled with dust and straw. Lisbeth got a queer look on her face and Kirsten thought she was going to scold her for making such a mess of things. Instead Lisbeth began to laugh. In an instant, Mama, Aunt Inger and the rest joined in.
Lars hoisted Peter up onto his shoulders. "Here's the star of the parade!" Lars said " The runaway pig rider!"
'That's faster than Sadie's run in her whole life!" Lisbeth said, wiping tears of laughter from her cheeks.
"Oh, my sides hurt with laughing," Aunt Inger said. "What a funny parade we all made running after Peter!"
Kirsten was embarassed. She hadn't planned for the parade to end like this! But she couldn't help being pleased. Everyone had enjoyed the parade---even Lisbeth!
"Look at Sadie now," Anna said. "She looks sweet as pie, eating that rutabaga."
Kirsten looked. She must have overlooked a rutabaga last night, she thought. Then suddenly, her heart stopped: the root cellar! When she'd come out of the root cellar with the basket, she'd forgotten to close the doors behind her. All the vegetables stored there would be frozen.
Kirsten rushed out of the barn . Because of her carelessness, the family wouldn't have enough food to last the winter. They would starve!
"Kirsten, where are you off to?" she heard Lisbeth call. "Wait!"
But Kirsten couldnt' wait. She raced around the house to the root cellar--and stopped short. The doors were closed. Kirsten opened them and quickly went down the steps. The food wasn't frozen! But how...?
Turning, Kirsten saw Lisbeth on the stairs.
"What's wrong?" Lisbeth said.
"Oh, Lisbeth, I did something terrible!" Kirsten said miserably. "I left the doors open. All our food could have been ruined if the wind hadn't blown the doors shut!"
"It wasn't the wind," Lisbeth said. "After I called you last night, I saw the doors were open. So I shut them."
"Oh, Lisbeth, thank you!" Kirsten breathed.
But she felt ashamed. "Instead of thinking about my job, my mind was on that silly parade. You were right. I should have paid attention to what was important."
Lisbeth put her hand on Kirsten's shoulder. "But you were right too," she said. "It was grand to laugh for a change."
"You didn't think the parade was too silly?" Kirsten said doubtfully.
"No. You recited your verse perfectly too," Lisbeth said. 'In fact, Miss Winston will love hearing about it when we return to school. And to think I missed out on almost all of it because I was trying to be a proper teacher and make Miss Winston proud."
" You have been a good teacher," Kirsten said. "But its been so hard not having you for a friend."
Lisbeth thought for a moment. Then she said," Prehaps after I finish with my work tonight I can join you in a game of blindman's bluff--if you still want me."
Kirsten grinned. She closed one of the root cellar doors as Lisbeth closed the other. " We want you in all our games, Lisbeth. Alway!"

Kirsten's New Teacher was written by Renee Graef and published by American Girl Magazine