The Guess What

In 1933, I was five years old and in Kindergarten.  I had a lovely young teacher named Miss Beaver.  I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and would do anything to please her.  Of course, as was usual for a child growing up in the depression I hardly ever had any money.  I hardly knew what it was, in fact.  But occasionally, an aunt or an uncle would give me a penny, and I quickly learned how to spend it.  There was a little store across the street from Irving School where I attended Kindergarten every day from 9:00 till 11:30.  It had a candy case that was a sight to behold.  They had licorice, jawbreakers, sour lemon balls and Horehound drops that one could buy for a penny.  They also had something called "Guess Whats".  A Guess What was wrapped in a small brightly colored paper cylinder which contained a few pieces of hard candy, and a prize, which was the Guess what.  One never knew what the prize would be, and would spend delicious moments guessing what it might be.  It was always a small trinket, like a ring, a charm or a simply fabulous "priceless" gem like a fake pearl or opal.  A Guess What could also be purchased for a penny, and it was my very favorite thing to buy when I was lucky enough to have one.
One fateful morning, I had a penny and stopped at the store eager to buy my Guess What.  I was running late that morning.  The first bell had already rung before I left home.  It rang at 8:45, to alert parents and students that school was about to begin.. The second bell rang at 9:00, and the students were supposed to be in their classrooms before it stopped ringing. Just as Mr. Olsen handed me my Guess What, neatly tucked in its little brown paper bag, the second bell began to ring.  I had no time to open my treasure; it would cause me to be late.  I had never been late to school.  I wasn't about to be now. What would I do?  I panicked.  As I bolted out of the store and ran across the street to the Annex where my Kindergarten class met, I quickly lifted the skirt of my flowered cotton dress and slipped the brown bag that held my treasure into my bloomers, also made of flowered cotton.  There!  It would be safe nestled inside my pants until recess, when I planned to open it.  Candy that had been purchased on the way to school was not permitted in the classroom.  It was not permitted on the playground either, but I was prepared to take that chance, just to find out what my Guess What was.   I was not prepared, however for the discomfort presented from having a crinkly brown paper bag in my panties.  As I sat on the floor for opening exercises, I squirmed and wiggled, trying to find a comfortable way to sit with a bag in my pants.  Miss Beaver asked,  "Maxine, is there something the matter?"  "No" I answered, trying to keep an innocent look on my face.   But I continued to fidget.  We were having singing class.  I was in the back row, as usual.  I was a "frog" in the chorus, and frogs were always in the back row.  That meant that I had a low voice and couldn't sing a note.  I have never gotten over that.  I wanted so much to be a fairy.  The fairies were the kids who could sing on  key and they were in the front rows of the chorus.  On this day, however that wasn't my main problem.  My main problem was that bag of treats in my pants.  I fussed and fidgeted and squirmed.  Miss Beaver asked me three times if something was wrong.  She asked me if I needed to go the bathroom. I vehemently answered "No" to each of her questions.  Finally, she stopped the singing and called to me  to go out into the hall with her.  When she got me there, she pulled down my bloomer panties and found my treasure.  I was mortified and furious.  Miss Beaver said, decisively, "I'll take that."  And she did.  She took my Guess What.  I couldn't believe it.  She added great insult to my injury when, at recess time, she went to the office in the main building and called my mother to tell her of my transgression.  She asked my mother to come to school and bring me with her at 3:30 when the "afternoon" children had gone home.  Of course my mother agreed.  I had gone home at 11:30 without my precious Guess What.  I suffered all afternoon wondering what awful thing was going to happen to me.  At that point, my mother did not know the details of my delinquent behavior; she only knew that I was in trouble with my beloved Miss Beaver.  We went for the dreaded conference.  I waited outside while  Mother and Miss Beaver discussed   the situation in the classroom. It seemed like they were in there forever. I knew that Miss Beaver had put my  Guess What in a cupboard high over her head, and it was all I could think of.  Would I get it back?  It was such a treasure, and I desperately wanted to know what suprise my Guess What  contained.  Finally, my mother emerged from the classroom and came out on the porch where I was waiting.  I had wrapped myself around a pole on the porch to help ease my tension.  Miss Beaver followed Mother out of the classroom.  Mother said, "Maxine, you know you have been a very naughty girl.  You know you are not supposed to have candy at school".  I acknowledged that I had been naughty.  I promised never to do it again.  Then I asked, "Can I at least have my prize from the Guess What?  Miss Beaver can keep the candy".  But they were having no part of my bargaining.  Miss Beaver said, "No.  I will keep the whole package, to help teach you a lesson."   My mother agreed with her.  I begged just a little, till I could see it was doing no good at all.  Then I cried, really saddened over my loss.  But Miss  Beaver and Mother held firm.  Of course, my sacrifice was my punishment; I needed nothing further.  No spanking was needed, and none was given.   Mother did lecture me sternly as we walked home, and cautioned me to never do such an awful thing again.  She told me that next time I had a penny to spend, I should wait and spend it on the way home instead of on the way to school. I never quite recovered from the loss of my Guess What, and always wondered if Miss Beaver ate the candy and what she did with the ring or the gem or whatever  magic it was that my Guess What  held.  I never knew. I was always sorry that I had been such a disappointment to my adored Miss Beaver. As I recall this event now, which took place more than 66 years ago, I am quite sure that Miss Beaver and my mother were amused by my somewhat creative but  unsuccessful behavior, though of course they showed only disdain for an unorthodox, punishable act.  And guess what? You can be sure I never did such a thing again, though there were plenty of other risks taken and lessons learned. In fact, I was forever "learning lessons", it seemed.