Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-05-08

,a.o aoh!' too. and then they both
1pookeu az puzzled as before. Miss
barnard looked out of the window a
moment, and seemed to be thinking.
Then she said: Come and see the
school, children, then you will UNDER
tell you"
They followed her with tiptoeing
sSeps down q long, carpeted and pa
pered hall, and into a large room. also
carpeted and papered. The walls were
.ung with pictures, hanging-baskets
1ull OF vines, and cages containing
canaries were in the windows; little
wicker chairs were scattered about the
room. n a long, low desk ran around
W. sides OF it. On a platform near the
200 stood a piano. and in front of it
sat a young lady ready to play.
But best OF all, the room was filled
with little girls from three years of age
to nine, all standing in rows, their
orIght faces turned toward the piano.
ouch curls, such dainty aprons of mus
I'm and lace, such beautiful plaid
dresses and shining shoes, and such
white little hands sparkling with rings!
The children thought they had entered
tairyland, and were sure of it a mo
ment later. when the music struck up
and the rows of girls began to march
They wheeled and wheeled again,
formed themselves Into a hollow
| square, and performed all sorts of
bewildering evolutions. Then at
q given signal they filed each
to her own chair, and sat down,
taking up the first work of the day.
This happened to be making tiny bas-
kets out of many-colored splints. and
the little Whitacres watched it with de-
lighted eyes. But in a few minutes
Miss Barnard thought she heard some
thing that sounded like a sob, and look
ing down, she saw that the younger
child was crying on her sisters Shout
dor. Taking Katy by the hand, she
led the way out of the Don
''What is the matter, my dear?" she
asked kindly, STOPPING down to wipe
away the tears, and Fanny, with the
quick insight of a child into another's
feelings, answered:
81 think she's crying for gladness,
cause it's so pretty and she wants to
do it. l think this school IS the best !
ever saw"
This sage and complacently-deliv-
cred opinion made Miss Barnard smile.
They were not the pair Of worldly-wise
children she had suspected, and her
design was completely frustrated by
their simplicity. They had evidently
no suspicion that the school was not
open to them as were the public
schools, and she shrank from enlight-
ening them.
'.Do you think it would take us long
to learn to march and make baskets?"
asked Fanny, while Katy wiped he1
eyes, and listened with interest for the
reply.
"No; it will not take you more than
a day or two;' and with that answer
Miss Barnard felt she had committed
herself, and could not go back. ''Come
tomorrow, a little earlier" she said,
sand I will help you to start right"
She opened the door for them. and
followed them with her eyes as they
went cautiously down the steps. At the
foot they turned as with one accord,
looked back, smiled, and called out,
.~Good-bye!"
"Babes in the wood, if aver there
were any!' exclaimed Miss Barnard as
she closed the door.
Strangely enough, it was only the
evening before that Miss Barnard had
said to herself, as she figured up hel
receipts for the half-term: what a
selfish creature l am! Making ono
hundred dollars a month, clear, and
nobody to take are of but myself and
Ellie, and yet my mite in the contribu'
ton box is all l give for charitable pur'
poses. If I only had time to look up
people that need help I should Ger.
tainly do it! But there it is. I never
have tho time, and l a not bear to
subscribe to these big associations that
take in and do for the just and the I'M
Just by machinery. / like to see where
my money goes and what it does, and
make sure that I am not buying new
carpets for a director or new bonnets
for a matron.'
A bit of a cynic was Miss Barnard.
Exclusively business relations with the
world are apt to have that effect on
one.
When, therefore, two scarcely more
than babies presented themselves at
her door demanding in all innocence
their education free gratis, Miss Bar
nard's mind reverted to her thoughts
Of the evening before, and something
said to her plainly, This is your OPP
p%ortunity." Use, however, had bred
such . habit in her that it was not easy
to do . thing SO manifestly unbusiness'
like, hence her momentary hesitation
The impulse came again, and stronger
than before, and it was this and no
herself which had answered Fanny!
question.
When the kindergarten department
closed at noon for the day, and Mis-!
Barnard had leisure from her higher
classes, she stepped into the room
where EAie Bambury, her young half
sister. had charge every day of the lit
tic folk. Eftie had been SO absorbed il
her music that she had scarcely noticed
the entrance of her sister with the two
children that morning, and so wa
quite at IA loss to understand wher
Pauline said. smiling shamefuliy, al
one does at u joke on ones self: ,
..Ncll Two taken them!'
..Taken what?' said Effie, whirlins
around. II hope, Pauline, youhayen',
A:~oo rs 1;fo. hp,t