fbpx

Schoolteacher in One-Room Schoolhouse Was Strict

By Capper's Staff
Published on August 16, 2012

My dad whittled out a wooden gun for my brother John, who loved it so much he took it to our one-room schoolhouse to show it off. John was quite a cut-up, so when school took up he raised his hand. When the teacher asked what he wanted, he asked her if she had heard of the big “hold up.” When she said no, he told her, “My gun’s holding the window up!” John was sitting by a window, and he had propped the window up with his wooden gun. His schoolmates had a big laugh, but the teacher didn’t think it was so funny. She kept him after school!

Velma C. Young
Maywood, Nebraska


Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.