The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-02-02

things were looking any better.
eff they only knew" he whispered to
himself Poor childrenl How unhap-
Ply they do look"
By-and-by recess came. The scholars
went rushing out helter-skelter That's
the way COLLINS always go-helter-skel-
ter, you know, and, of course, that's the
way they like the children to do.
Come back" said Miss Gray. I am
obliged to confess her voice was not very
pleasant You see the Goblin had been
whispering in her ear, too. He had
been saying: "What trying children !
So ungratefull they don't appreciate
what you do for them one bit ; for the
Goblin doesn't mind saying one thing to
the teacher and quite another to the
scholars. Why he had been telling the
boys and girls all the forenoon, "What
cross old stick Miss Gray is? She's
only pretended being pleasant. Teach
ers are all alike; she'll be just as ugly as
Miss Jones, see if she ism t.
All, but wasn't he a horrid old Cob
lin
AS l was saying, Miss Gray called out
Come back, every one of you, and if
you can't go out properly, why you shall
have no recess. AS it is, | shall take off
five minutes"
This time fear made them more careful,
and they went stiller: but cross thoughts
were pushing and crowding in their
hearts, and as soon as they were fairly
outside the door out they came.
"I'll tell you what, boys, I know
where there's just the best place to get
strawberries Let's go. What's the use
of staying indoors and studying stupid
old books such nice days?"
Miss Gray's as cross as two sticks. l
don't care # 1 don't get my geography
lesson" said Sallie Clarke. ibid you
hear how she snapped at us because we
made little noise AS if one wanted to
always go on the tips of ones toes Let's
do all we can to plague her.
Just now up came pleasant-faced lit
tie girl-her name was Peggy Earle
Little Sunbeam they called her at home.
Look here, scholars, I'll tell you
something. know what is the matter
with Miss Gray. You know she has
been expecting to 60 to Boston in the fall
to take music lessons, and last night she
got letter saying that the bank where
she had put all the money she's saved for
two whole years had failed Isn't it too
bad You know how she loves music and
now she must give it all up and Just go
on teaching as before.
i heard her tell mamma last evening
that she was all discouraged, and this
morning her eyes looked so red-as if she
had been crying all night.
Don't let's plague her; I think it
would be ever so much nicer for each one
of US to get her pretty bouquet of wild
flowers. You know she loves flowers
almost as much as music. Come, girls, let's
try it. And you Tom Brown, if you
knew how much Miss Gray thought of
you, guess you wouldn't be trying to
get the boys to play truant. Iheard her
tell Mrs. Grum the other day when she
was saying she wouldn't trust you out of
her sight; Well, would I'd trust
Tom Brown as soon as I would your own
son, Mrs. Grum. He's just as kind to me
as he can be, and I'm not in the least
afraid of his playing truant or leading
the other scholars to do wrong There
now, aren't you ashamed of yourself?'
Tom dropped his head.
We'll I'll not go, boys! I was real
mean to think of it. Ill give every
strawberry I've got to Miss Gray. Let's
go in as still as mice and study as hard as
we can all day. Miss Grays splendid
teacher and I'll show her l deserve her
good opinion"
Miss Gray rang her bell, saying to her
self, 81 suppose they will make all the
noise they can, just because my head
aches" Then she replaced the little bell
on her desk and sat down with her hand
at her head.
1t was the boys door which opened first
and Tom Brown marched up to the desk
holding out bright tin pail with huge
delicious berries half hidden in green
leaves.
please, Miss Gray, won't you accept
these strawberries?'
The clouds began to clear away from
the teachers face.
"But Tom, there are SO many of them,
she said. Don't you want them for your
self?'
No, I'd rather you'd have EN-, said
Tom, his face all in glow, and went to
his seat and all the other boys followed
him. What had they been doing to
their shoes to take all the noise out of
them? And then the way they opened
their books quite as if they never meant
to close them again.