Told by the Pioneers - Washington Secretary of State

Told by the Pioneers
Egypt" and then followed many other fine selections. The man was
Professor Nitschke, later on very well known on Puget Sound. He
had come west with a party of emigrants and at that time they were
camping neal' Olympia.
Mr. Blankenship, in his book, speaks of a circus that came to town
in 1868 and of the seats falling down. I attended that circus in my
father's arms, as I was two years old. Everyone went and took the
babies in those days. When the seats fell, father jumped with me and
reached back to help my mother, but her big hoops caught and she was
dragged back. She was hurt, but not seriously, and soon recovered.
There was quite a lot of musical talent in Olympia in early days
and sometimes the people gave "Old Folks Concerts" and dressed in
costumes. Mv mother had three beautiful silk dresses she had brought
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from China, which always were borrowed. One was amber satin with
large medalions scattered over it. This had been taken from the palace
in Pekin by an English officer when Pekin was sacked in 1860 and
presented to my mother when she lived in Hongkong'. Soon after my
mother and aunt came to Tumwater, there was a ball in Olympia.
When my aunt, Mrs. Crosby, saw the dresses they were thinking of
wearing, she said, "Why, girls, you can't wear those dresses here."
So they bought some Swiss and made high-necked, long sleeved waists
to wear with plain silk skirts. They were invited to go for wild blackberries
and appeared dressed for the occasion in pretty, thin white
dresses and slippers. Needless to say, they didn't g'o very far. But
they soon learned and packed their pretty things awa~·.
My first school teacher was Miss Mercy Slocum, later Mrs. W. E.
Boone. I was foul' years old and insisted on going to visit the school
so often with my sister, Ada "Woodruff, that my father said he had
better pay tuition and let me go. When I got sleepy, Miss Slocum
made a bed on a bench for me, using the coats of some of the g'irls.
Fine for the coats, wasn't iU The school was in the old Masonic building
on :Main and Eighth Streets where the fine new Masonic Temple
now stands. Later Mrs. Houghton and Miss Cushman taught there
and I attended. Then the Young Ladies Seminary was opened on
Union and ·Washington Streets, where the Mowell home now stands.
Mrs. Case, afterwards Mrs. P. C. Hale, and Miss Catlin, were the
teachers, then ~1iss Churchhill, afterwards Mrs. Wingard. vVhen I
was nine years old the "Union Academy" was opened in Swantown,
and my sister, Ada, and I attended for three years. The principal was
Professor M. G. Royal. Miss Mary Connolly, now Mrs. A. H. Chambers,
taught the little children and later Mrs. \Valker and Miss Tirzah
Bigelow, who later married Professor Royal. School was opened by
singing songs from an old book called "Songs for Today". Miss Eva
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