Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

VEVAY TOWNSI11H AND ITS HISTORY

743

shaped coat of the same. He carried a gun over one shoulder,
and over the other, trailed in the snow behind him, the carcass of
a deer he had just shot. IHe was asked to direct us to the 'Rolfe
Settlement.' His keen eyes at once took in the whole situation.
He scanned the worn teams, the battered covers of the heavily
loaded sleighs, the anxious faces of the elders of the party, and the
scared looks of the children. He saw that we were newcomers,
withl no idea of what life in the backwoods must be, and before he
could speak lie broke into a loud, ringing laugh that echoed and
re-echoed through the woods as though twenty men were laughing, and then le caught lis breath and said, with a sweeping gesture
towards the woods all around, 'the'Rolfe Settlement? Why, it's
right here.' Sure enlough, within a f:w rods we found shelter in
the hospitable home of Ira Rolfe."
I do not know when tle first school house was built in this district, but my father in his letter says that Charlotte is to teach
school in this district, but my mother says the school house was a
mile away, so I take it that they both refer to the Rolfe school.
I have no information Las to just when a school house was built in
this district, only a fact that there was a school here in 1847.
I have a composition written by my sister Augusta, upon which
is written, "Miss Wheeler was teacher Summer 1847." The
composition was "On Teaching School," and I think I will reproduce it here for your edification.
"What a pleasent life leads the school teacher, nothing to do
but walk around the school room from morning till night, asking
questions, hearing lesson,, correcting the mischievous, rewarding
the diligent, with a look of approbation, and scolding if they feel
like scolding. O how I wish I were a school teacher and then I
should not be obliged to write compositions, the worst of all
tasks, when I do not feel like writing, and when I did not feel like
learning my lessons I should be at liberty to defer them untill
some other time.
'0, the life of a teacher,
How pleasant it is,
They have nothing to do,
But eat, work and live.'"
(I will note that four years from this essay she was granted a