In the *By Thistle By Thimble* story "The Schoolmaster," a boy named Micajah is looking for a teacher. His family has moved many times: from Concord, New Hampshire to Buffalo, New York to Rapid City, South Dakota to Denver, Colorado and finally to San Mateo, California. In California, he attends the one-room school house of a teacher named Master Simon. Master Simon enraptures the class with a magical geography lesson that draws Micajah into the fold, and brings a sense of belonging to the whole class.