The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-06-28
AOHARITY SCHOLAR

| low curls blowing about, her freckIed
| face all red with excitement, and her
mouth stretched in the broadest of
smiles. ''Are you?" said Theodore Bar
| clay. Theodore was dressed very pret-
| tily in white embroidered frock with
| q dark-blue sash and dark-blue stock
| ings. Her boots were new and shining,
her hat was of the very finest Leghorn,
| and altogether she felt herself to be very
| stylish indeed.
ITO Miss Milton,'' added Bessie.
''Mother is to wash for Miss Milton, and
that will pay for my schooling. Won't
it be nice?'
At this, Theodore turned up her little
nose.
Upon my word" said she, "washer-
women's children are looking up in the
| worldr'
! Bessie did not understand this, so she
| only smiled the more gleefully, and re-
| peated, second time, "Won't it be
| niceP The public school is SO far away,
and Cora says that the children there
are 80 rough, so that mother didn't like
| the idea of me going there, and-''
''Is my Swiss muslin dress ironed?"
rudely interrupted Theodore.
"Yes," said Bessie, s'it's all ready, in
a basket, and I'm going to take it home
this evening""
'But l want it now," said Theodore.
81 am going to wear it to tea at Mrs.
Adams'
very well,'' said Bessie. ''Then
will carry it over at oncer'
And she ran checrfully for the basket.
Bessie Gales mother was 3 hard-work-
l., -
days, and who was anxious to educate
her children so that life should not be
such drudgery to them as it had always
been to her.
And Mrs. Barclay, Theodore S mother,
who was delicate woman and could
only go out occasionally in a carriage,
used to sit by her window and watch
the washerwoman' little children
swarming across the road, and Mrs
Gale herself. with quick steps, cherry
cheeks, and skirts pinned well up around
her, hanging clothes on the line, and
would say to herself, with q sigh, Mrs.
Gale is % lucky woman!'
Miss Milton's little flock of scholars
was assembled in the school-room the
| next morning at nine o'clock.
There had been a heavy thunder
| shower in the night, and the grass and
| bushes were too wet for the little girls
| to play, as usual, around the door, while
| every time the wind blew a miniature
shower descended from the boughs of
the old elm, where the wooden seats
were placed.
Bessie Gale had arrived bright and
early, with her curls tied back with
blue ribbon, her face shining with plenty
| of soap and water, and stitfly-starch-
ed calico dress rustling at every move
ment that she made.
She had come smiling into the school
room, prepared for n cordial reception
from the other scholars, most of whom
she knew previously; but, to her dismay
and surprise, they all turned ooldly
from her, answered her remarks with
brief, blunt replies, and assembled in
| little knots by themselves in various
parts of the room, leaving her all alone.
! Girls" said Bessie, after a few min
utes of trouble and bewildered silence,
''what is the matterP"
The girls laughed and whispered lit
tie among themselves, but made no an
swer.
ais there anything wrong with my
dressP" persisted Bessie, looking down
at the poor little stiff calico dress of
which she had been so proud. 81 know
| It isn't quite new; but it is very clean,
and neatly mended."
| Just then Miss Milton came in, so that
further discussion was checked. But
little Alice Hodges stole up to Bessie as
they were taking their seats, and whis1
pered, as she laid her cheek against Bes-
| sie's shoulder:
81 know why the girls won't play
with you. It's because Theo Barclay
told 'em you were a charity scholar!
| What is charity scholar, Bessie? Is it
wrong to be charityp And what makes
you do itP''
''Alice, go to your seatr' Miss Mil
toms clear distinct voice here interposed,
and Bessie sat there, quite still, with the
big tears gathering in her eyes and an
uncomfortable feeling all over her. And
so downcast and detected was she that
Miss Milton herself observed it. and call
| ed her to the desk at recess time.
| "Bessie," said she, ''what is the mat
terP''
Nothing, ma am," the child answer
| ed
''Why are you not playing with the
| other little girls?" questioned the teacher.
| ''They don't want me, ma am, L
think" said Bessie, still in the same
suppressed voice. ''Theodora Barclay
has told them that [ was "a charity
scholarr'
.'That is all absurd!' said Miss Milton
sharply. ''Your tuition is paid for as
much rs that of any of the other chill
dren. If Theo Barclay has said so, she
| is talking nonsense"
And Miss Milton resolved that if the
children did not alter their line of con-
duct she would have q serious talk with
them.
Theo Barclay went home to her mother
that evening full of the story of Bessie
Gale.
"a charity child, mamma said she,
leaning on the arm of her mothers chair.
"Her mother pays for her schooling with
washing! How can she expect the rest
of us girls to play with her, ] wOnder?"
Mrs. Barclay looked sadly down at
the child's excited face.
''If that is what you call being a
charity child" said she, land mind |
don't say that your logic is correct
know of another one in Miss Milton $
schoolr'
''Who is it, mammal cried Theo
eagerly. "And why didn't you tell me
of it before? Is it Augusta Moor? I'm
almost sure that it is Augusta. Or else
it is Pheb Gregoryr'
cts little girl" quietly went on
Mrs. Barclay. ''whose father has been
unfortunate in business, and was going
to take her out of school because he felt
that he could not afford the expense of
her tuition But Miss Milton was very
kind, as she always is, and so she has
offered to keep her on for nothing until
the child's father frtatS into hIIGineSS