From: riharpist@aol.com (RIharpist) Subject: New story by Gigi: Anna 1827 Date: 19 Mar 1997 00:03:02 GMT This is another of my ancestral stories. Anna was in my family, but this account of her is purely fictional. She lived near Dedham, Massachusetts at a time when the business of being a girl was to learn to be a lady. If you object to reading stories about the spanking of young children, please do not read this. Spanking children was common practice in those times. Anna was nine at the time this story takes place. Please do not reprint this story or use it for any purpose other than your own reading without my permission. Thank you. Anna 1827 by Gigi Anna's grandmother was assisting her with the completion of her sampler, a requirement for every young girl, in order to learn the various sewing stitches. These skills were to prepare her for her future life as a lady, where the art of fine stitchery was considered expected. Samplers at that time, as they are today, were framed and hung in the homes of the families of origin. Unfortunately, Anna was a "tomboy", holding outdoor play in higher esteem than stitchery. When she could be cornered enough to do her work, it was often done in a sloppy way, just to hurry and get through it. This was a source of great irritation to her mother and grandmother, for whom a beautiful childhood sampler held top priority. One lovely morning, Anna's grandmother called her in and directed her to get some work done on her sampler. Anna knew enough not to protest, but inside, she was very angry. She tried not to stamp her feet upon coming in, but her heavier than usual step caused her grandmother to threaten the use of the switch. Anna took up the linen fabric, needle, and embroidery thread and sat on the window seat, where she could look outside. Her grandmother sat nearby, doing her own work, growing more and more iritated, as Anna gazed out the window. The threats of spanking continued., and each time, Anna would pick up her work and do some more. Finally, after an hour of this frustration, her grandmother asked to see what she had done. It was clearly sloppy. Her grandmother was furious. She took it all away and bent Anna over the arm of the parlor wing backed chair. She left to get the switch, when Anna's father came into the kitchen. Looking through the parlor door, he saw his daughter's bottom up in the air over the arm of the chair. He looked at his mother-in-law and the switch in puzzlement. Grandmother explained what had happened. Anna's father took the switch and hung it up. "I think she deserves the strap for this, for she has been manipulating you long enough. I will take over as her father!" He entered the parlor, strap in hand, raised the dress of his daughter, and unbuttoned her bloomers. She cried out in anguish and humiliation, but he disregarded her pleas. Down went the bloomers to just below her buttocks, and the strap began its work. "This is for being sloppy (slap!), lazy (slap!), and uncaring (slap!) of your (slap!) work (slap!). You will (slap!) rip it all out (slap!) and start (slap!) again. Do (slap!) you understand? (slap!)" Anna nodded, sobbing, "yes", and her father pulled her bloomers back up, buttoning them once more. He raised her to her feet and pulled down her dress. Anna was crying so hard she could not see. "Back to the chair, young lady, and to your work!", he thundered. Grandmother handed a sobbing Anna a handkerchief and then her sampler. There were pretty stitches by lunchtime.