hay rakc and rake the hay after it was cut. It took a little practice in order to be able to trip the rake at the proper time and keep the rows straight. How proud I felt when I heard dad tell my mother that I could rakc as well as the boys. The hay was then forked into coils and when it was well dried it was gathered and placed on the hay wagon to be hauled to the barn. Then it was put in the loft until it was full. The rest of the hay was built into stacks and left in the field until it was needed. I remember very well my first time in the one room schoolhouse in Mermaid . I did not want to go but I had to. I recall being a very shy child at home, especially when strangers came to the house. So I was off to a poor start. My mother drove me to the school by horse and wagon at noon time. I suppose so that my first day would be short. I cried bitter tears and begged my mother to take me home with her. She had to pry my fingers off the end of the wagon scat. My brothers were already in the classroom but knowing it at the time didn't help me much. I must say that the teacher who was there at that time was a very severe looking lady and patience was not her strongest virtue. Consequently, my first time in school was a heart breaking disaster as far as I was concerned, I am sure that no one suffered more than my dear mother that day when she had to drive the two miles back home without me. She knew that it wouldn't be any easier for her to take me home and have to go through it all again the next day. I went off to school with the boys after that and, although I never had much love for that teacher, I got used to it and learned to make friends with the other children. When I look back on the conditions of that schoolroom at that time, I cannot help but wonder what children of today would think if they got a glimpse of those conditions. The drinking water was carried over from the barn next to the school and left in an open bucket on a little shelf in one of the back comers of the room. There was a mug attached to the handle of the pail which nearly everyone used to drink from. A few had mugs of their own. An old pot-bellied stove stood in the centre of the room. A row of double desks went from the back of the room almost to the blackboards. There were two windows on each of the side walls. Eventually, the windows were removed from one side and put in the other. This was much easier on the eyes. Sanitation was not of great importance then. The outdoor toilet was a proper disgrace. One side of the double toilet was used by the boys and the other by the girls. There was no place for the pupils to wash their hands. Another unsanitary part of the early education equipment was the slate. How I abhor the thought of it to this day. The slates were so scratchy, especially the cheaper ones. There were some -2