Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1877-12-19

father, or because he was 80 good
scholar.
just as he reached his fourteenth |
birthday he entered the highest
class in the school. 1t was now that
the watch was to be won or lost!
He had not been in the class a
week before he found that he had a
rival-a sweet little girl, named
Flossic Lee. She had just come into
the school, as her parents had only
recently moved to our village from
distant city, and Flossie, after an
examination, had been placed in the
same class with Willie.
Of course she was stranger to
us all. but there was something so
pleasant in her face, and her man.
ner was so gentle, that If she had
chosen she could have had hosts Of
friends, but she seemed to prefer to
keep a good deal by herself. Her
simple dresses, with the neat rufiies
in the neck and sleeves, with her
fresh white aprons that never seem.
ed to get a spot OH them, looked
very plain beside the stylish suits OF
the other girls. Perhaps she felt
this, and so kept apart from them.
But one thing was sure: Flossie was
at that school to get her education,
and she knew that she must make
the most of her time. Her parents
did not have q great deal of money;
but as their little girl was a fine
scholar, they felt that they must
send her to school as long as they
could; and Flossie had often told
/ them that she "meant to be q teach
er and earn lots of money for them
So you see that, although she did
not have n gold watch to work for,
she had something worth a great
deal more.
And this Flossie Lee was the rival
Willie had found: for she very soon
skipped over all the others, and took
her place at the head of the class;
and it looked as though it was going
TO be pretty hard task to get her
out of il.
Quite in despair, one day, Willie
said to his mamma:
ats no use trying. ! tell you, l
shall never get higher than number
two-never! Flossie Lee can't fail.
But there's one thing about it; if any
one has got to keep me from getting
to the head this year, I'd rather 1t
would be Flossie than anybody else
, in school, for like her first rate
And | guess he did, for many a fine
pear or bunch of grapes or delicious
orange did Willie take from his own
; home table, and watch his chance
to put them into FlOssie's modest
. little lunch basket that hung under
her sacque in the hall of the school,
".or,' as he told his mamma, one
day, "Flossie never seems to have
any thing but crackers or bread and
butter for luncheon, and she almost
always goes OIL by herself to eat it
/ when all the rest Of MS are having
|, lots of goodies; and tell you i'll
fun, mamma, to hide and watch he
ewes shine when she finds the goOt
I things I've put in! / guess sh'
G thinks it's some good fairy that put
,. them there, don't you y
c One day, at recess, as a group o
Z! boys and girls were chatting togethe
C about very hard lesson they hat
lust been reciting, in which ever.
] one of the class had failed Mt leas
I once, save Flossie, one of the boys
G who was rather rough in his way
) called out:
u "Say, Will Fiske, you can bet o
Z one thing pretty sure, and that IS
!, you'll never get that gold watch a
y long as Flossie Lees in the clas
IL Number one she is and number on
m she will stayT
i 81 know that said Fanny Hun
70 lev, who never had a perfect lesso
70 in her life, III should think you'd |
70 as mad as fire at her, Willie, IL
II stead of doing what l saw you q
" today. Who was it put that orans
70 into her basket, l should like
is know, ell Y
if "'Fore I'd he such tell tale, F;
of Huntley," said bright little girl
. the group; ''if you weren't alwa
lis pecking round you wouldn't see
Id much.'
81 don't care,- answered Will
H. ~ am, not ashamed of it. Yes, d
it, put an orange into her basket, a,
/ wish had the chance oftener, I
,st she's good and kind, and l like b
he the best of any girl in school,