The Sequel

Bain City, Kansas — When Walt’s eyesight would no longer allow him to use his keyboard, my husband went over to Walt’s home, and would write down what Walt dictated. This is some of the writings that have never been printed. I found them recently. Walt’s first book, ‘Wolf’s Bain City’ is available at the Corner Pharmacy and the Book Barn.

Back to the Keyboard by Walt ‘Wolf’ Montgomery.

Since so many people commented favorably on my first attempt at writing a book, “Wolf’s Bain City,” and encouraged me to write a sequel, I have searched through my memories for stories that didn’t make it into my first book—not because they weren’t suitable material but only because I had temporarily forgotten them when compiling the stories for book number one.
My friend and editor J. H. (Johnny) Johnston III suggested combining my further recollections of my Bain City boyhood with stories of my time playing professional baseball. That is what I have done in these reminiscences. I hope you will find them interesting. My editor liked the new stories and I hope you will as well. The first anecdote I selected for “book two” covers my years of formal schooling. The setting was the Bain City School, presided over by Miss Blanche Gwartney. Good Miss Gwartney. Retracing my growing up years in Bain City, my memory of the second most important woman during that time was Miss Blanche Gwartney. She was my elementary school teacher for seven years. She carried the load alone, eight grades, five subjects each day.
That is 40 separate classes a day! Third grade reading, fifth grade, geography, and eighth grade social studies.
How did she manage it? Forty students, five days a week for eight years. I would think that just contemplating such a schedule would be enough to drive a person out of their mind. As I recall each class lasted for about 10 minutes. Once in a while she would have a little relief by having a seventh or eighth grade girl teach a group of second grade kids.
I don’t recall her ever missing a day of school—or for that matter, ever being late for class. The only break I can remember that she received occurred one year when there was a shortage of money in the school district. Due to the monetary shortfall the last month was removed from the school year calendar. We started classes the day after Labor Day and recessed for the summer April 15.
Miss Gwartney had some radical ideas but she was revered in Bain City. Having had her as my only teacher throughout my elementary years, I had no one with which to make a comparison. She was simply the best. We boys protected her, as we would have if she were our own mother, especially after an encounter with a student who ran home screaming curse words and making threats. Thank goodness we had the door barred. After a half hour or so the matter would be over and by the next morning all was forgotten.
One of the strangest quirks Miss Gwartney exhibited was her belief that people who used their left hand for writing might be devil worshipers. I found this out early on because I was the only left-handed student in the entire Bain City School.
Miss Gwartney would instruct one of the older girls to slap my left hand with a wooden ruler when she caught me using that particular appendage. I took this for a time, but one day I caught the girl deputy when we were off of the school grounds and got the matter settled. On a couple of other occasions, I remember Miss Gwartney’s tenacity for showing us who was boss.
We had monthly desk inspections. On one of those desk inspection occasions everyone complied except for one boy. He went to his desk and threw everything that was in it onto the floor. She ordered him to pick up the items that were scattered on the floor.
With that he struck her in the face with his open hand and ran out the door. She yelled for somebody to take charge and ran out the door in hot pursuit. She returned in 10 minutes with the culprit in tow. The same thing happened on another occasion but it ended in the same fashion.
It was cause for a big celebration when Bain City School, District No. 18, opened in the fall of 1916. “Bain City people to have a big time on Friday night of this week”, The Leavenworth Times predicted. Teachers and the school boards of neighboring schools were invited to attend the dedication. Professor Joseph Tonar and the Soldiers Home band provided music. School Superintendent Voorhees, Dr. Everhardy, and Chaplain Payne spoke at what The Leavenworth Times said; the dedication was “one of the biggest events in the history of Bain City.” John Kersten, Walter Spaethe and Joseph Tonar comprised the school board. Miss Agnes Tonar was the first teacher.

Walt's obituary >> The Lawrence Journal-World...

The author, Annie Walker Johnston (LHS Class of 1954) is a Leavenworth resident and wife of the late J.H. Johnston III, former Leavenworth Times publisher.
Copyright 2011 Leavenworth Times. Some rights reserved.