Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-08-11
A Stupid Little Thing.

In making herself constant annoy.
ance. Il think you are perfectly iusti-
ned IN, sending her away and forbidding
ner 20 enter the room again. She has
bcen here for months without making
che least progress, and is such a stupid
little thing there is no hope of benefit
7ng her in any way"
81 hardly know why she comes. I'M
less it is to make disturbance" re-
piled Miss Ross. az am extremely I'M
willing to give her up however and am
puzzled to know what to do with her.
now that l am to leave this school in
your charge and go over to see what
can be done for the poor children of
Mud Lane
II am sure I can have no control over
her." said Miss Miller, with look of
dismay. "She seems to bring the very
spirit of INSTRUMENTATION into the school
with her. We have done all we can for
her, L am convinced. Why not give
her up? Perhaps the good seed sown
an her heart may, in time, spring up
and grow"
If she gives me up, 1 shant give her
up" lisped shrill voice, and looking
back of them they saw, to their sur
prise, that the little weazen-faced girl
was standing by and heard every word.
II shan't give Miss Ross up" she pro,
tested. IF she goes l shall go with
her" and she slipped away to her class,
where Miss Ross soon followed to take
leave of her pupils, begging of them to
obey her successor, Miss Miller, and
giving each one as a parting gift a little
red Testament
When one was proffcred to Bet she
shook her hea;i stoutly: Don't need it,
she said, Cos why? Tn going with
Miss Ross over there"
why are you going? To teach the
chill to be disorlerly?"
No. To help. l can help. I've
cousins there, loads of 'em! I'll bring
'em in. You'll see."
very well, but you can take that
Testament and keep it, and read in it
every day about Jesus. for l want YOU
all to remember that He is your best
friend. l shall be away where l can
not hear if you speak to me, but you
can never get so far away from Him
that He will not hear you if you call
upon Him."
The child took the little book with
out word and abruptly ran from the
room. Miss Ross presently caught Il
glimpse of her black eyes peering
through crack in the door, watching
as she left the class, but upon reaching
the entry her rebellious pupil was no
where to be seen.
Waiting upon the next corner for u
car, the piping voice was again heard
at Der elbow saying, trembling now:
ITS true, then, you're going?"
Job, yes, my child, or why should I
have said SOP"
"To fool me and make me keep ont.
The girls have been all the time saving
you would leave if I kept up such a
muss, so 1 thought if said was going
too you would change your mind and
stay"
"Oh, no, I am going to start another
school, as [ have told you, but L shall
not forget to pray to God for you, and
you must give Miss Miller as little
trouble as possible"
Il shant go near her. You're my
teacher. never had no other. / shall
never have no other. l shall go long
'es vou."
Miss Ross was touched by the girls
persistence, but giving her an orange
from her bag, and bidding her kind
goodnight, she left her upon the
corner of the street with pang of re-
greet. "a stupid little thing" to be
sure. She did not know that word
of her teaching remained in her mem
DRY, and yet Bet had been the most
punctual of her Lime Alley pupils,
and there was something winsome
even in her lawlessness. II can pray
for her." she thought, "and will pray
for her. There is tender corner
somewhere in her careless little heart"
And she recalled the unusual sight of
the bold, black eyes clouded with tears,
as they were when last she gazed down
into them.
During the busy week that followed,
the conscientious young woman was
followed by vision of those misty
eyes, and the thought was always dis
missed with a prayer that the dear
Lord would rescue Bet from the miser-
able life she now seemed destined to
lead.
Going, on the day appointed, to Mud
Lane, expecting not more than six OF
eight dirty pupils at first, what was her
surprise to find the dingy little room
full of children, with faces and hands
scrubbed as clean as soap and water
could scrub them. As she entered and
spoke pleasantly to the children, who
regarded her with awe, the largest of
the girls came timidly forward and put
Bets little red Bible in her hand
"Bet sent it." she said Bet is all
sr>ashed to pieces; you never see tbs
like. A cart run over her. She got
us all to come, and she meant to be here
herself to help you make us behave;
and she said you looked at every spal-
pane in the school and smiled like the
sunshine, and deed, you do, MIAMI"
And We promised Bet to wash our
hands and faces, put in another tangIe-
haired girl, and she said to tell you
she had helped so much, and that was
all she ever could, and she w,ls sorry
awful"
Where is Bet?" asked Miss Ross,
much distressed to hear of the accident
that had proved the dirty, eltish look
ing and appearing child to be veritable
flesh and blood.
"She didn't send for you," said the
girl. "She said it was no place for such
as you"
Tn1aad Mice ROoc foupI ~ a yarv 20