Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-10-09

vacant space around him.
II do not know, / never met him
before came here, but have heard he
cut quite a figure in Paris winter be-
fore last. [ suppose he was more vi
yacioUs there, or ld belle Franchise
would never have smiled on him"
! Here Matte, remembering that the
bell had rung for her next class,
started on, telling Elise to come over
to her room early that evening, that
they might get through with their
work in time to go out for walk.
Elise and Matte were true friends,
and they always studied their lessons
together, helping each other all they
could, except in Latin. Elise would
not study that with any one, because
she felt that, in it, she could Eot help
them III return for the assistance they
would give her.
For few days after this little
episode, Elise, although she pretend
ed not to mind her failure, worked at
the despised study with more zeal.
But ere long she became discourag-
ed again, and many time would
have begged the Superintendent
permission to quit the class, but
for one reason-she knew that unless
she attained a proficiency III this
branch, she could not take a full
diploma that year, and, although the
study of Latin was great burden to
her, she could not gain her own con-
sent to lay it down at the cost of los
ing a DIP loma, 1.-The consummation
devoutedly to be desired" of every
school girls heart.
II am afraid it is useless for me
to try" she said to one of the girls,
on her way to the professors office the
day of the senior Latin examination,
"but It seems too bad, after ] have
been SO successful in all my
other classes, to give up, my
hopes of diploma and the
scholarship medal without even
making an effort in this. If l had
gotten the music medal, ! would not
care so much, but I lost time droning
over this old Latin, and could not pay
proper attention to nay music. / rarely
ever had such horrid luck in ali my
life, and poor papa viii be SO greatly
disappointed when he comes to com
mencementn Here Elise's voice fall
tered, and a tear stole into her great
blue eyes.
II am so glad you are going to try,
dearie, said the girl to whom she had
been speaking, land I hope sincerely,
you will meet with more success than
you expect" And she truly did; all
the girls loved the beautiful, kind
Franco-Irish girl, for she was always
naerry and always kind. She worked
hard all that day and remained in the
office writing long after all the other
girls had gone. The professor waited
patiently for her, but never glanced
to the desk where she sat. At last she
laid down her pen, folded her papers
without reading them, and, with a
deep sigh, handed them to the profess
sor. 1t was seldom Elise sighed, but
she was very tired now, and had little
hope of her labor awaiting, anything.
A little while afterwards she passed
by his door, and, glancing IN, saw that
he was sitting in the same place in
tently reading her papers.
II understand she SAID to herself.
HE is SO much afraid my papers
merit mark high enough to pass me
that he can not wait longer to look
over them"
Perhaps Elise felt that she was I'M
just to the professor in her surmise,
but she would have felt it more If she
had only glanced up to meet the kind,
sympathetic look in his eyes as she
handed him her papers, not an hour
before.
In few days they all met again in
his office to hear the fat passed on
the result of their labor, When be
came to Elise's name he made slight
pause before he read it, and the mark
he had put on her examinati0n--a
pause to give her failure emphasis,
Elise interpreted it. She was the only
one who had failed! No need Of en-
phasis to make her feel it! How was
she to bear her great disappointment?
If Ehse's good judgment had not
made her know how deficient she was
in a knowledge of this language, she
would have believed the Professor s
dislike for her had influenced kis
decision, but she well knew it was
just, and her heart sank deep under
her failure. She did not raise her
eyes from the floor: but sat there
mot1onless, expressionless, until the
class was dismissed, for the time, with
congratulat1on from the Professor.
Then, without speaking to any one,
she hastily turned to leave the room.
She made her exit from his presence
to-day less ioyfully than she had ever
done, for, heretofore, however serious
may have been her bearing when she
entered his recitation-room, her face
was always the most radiant Of the
class as soon as she was dismissed.
She avoided speaking to any one,
and walking briskly to her music
room opened her portfolio and COM
menccd practieing. It was the hour
for her to practice her vocal lesson,
but she was too nearly crying to sing.
At first her lovely eyes were so dim
with tears she could scarcely see the
notes, but ere long, with her unusual
powers of self control, she had master
ed her feelings sufficiently to sing.