The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1892-01-01
TALL JANE.

."You don't mean that's James skirt,
Mrs. Wardg'
"Yes. ] do"
"why, its larger tim yourn."
~ know it. She's taller than l be.
She's grown all out of everything lately.
I've let down tucls an hens, an pieced
at the top, an now her pink gingham is
most up to her knees. | had to buy her
this new 80 she'd look decent to go to
school. Jane, come here minute"
Then Jane came in hesitatingly. Her
small head, with its mat of fair braids,
dropped forlornly, her slender shoulders
were bent. She pulled down her pink
skirt nervously, trying to make it longer.
"Stand up here side of me-" ordered
her mother. II want Mrs. Mason to see
how much taller you be-"
James pretty young face flushed pink
She stood beside her mother, and the
tears started in her eyes, although she
tried to smile.
"You can't get through the door if you
don't stop pretty soon, Jane" laughed
Mrs. Mason, who was visiting the Wards.
81 never see such sight. An she amt
over fourteen"
''She amt fifteen till next month";" re-
piled Mrs. Ward. An if she don't git her
growth till she's eighteen l don't know
where she'll be. Her father tells her he's
goin to hire her out by an by for tel
egraph pole"
Jane laughed feebly when her mother
and Mrs. Ward did. Then she stole back
to the doorstep, and the tears rolled down
her cheeks. 1t was nearly time for her
to start to school. Presently her mother
came with her dinner pail. Here's
your dinner" said she. You'd better
start before long, so as not to hurry. It's
a pretty warm morn'n."
"Yes'm," said Jane. She kept her
face turned away from her mother SO
her tear stained eyes should not be no
ticed.
"You shall have your new dress to wear
tomorrow" said her mother as she final
ly started with her school books under
her arm and the dinner pail swinging.
"You shan't wear that short thing
again."
Jane tugged at her pink dress skirt as
she went sout of the yard; she even
stopped a little to make it look longer.
Nobody knew how sore James heart was
over her height. She had mile to walk
to school, and she never thought of any
thing else all the way.
Presently she came to large white
house, with crabapple tree in the front
yard. Mary Eta and Maria Starr lived
there, and she saw the fiutter of their
blue dresses at the gate. They were
waitin for her.
"H 'lo!" said Mary Eta us Jane drew
near.
"Hullo!" responded Jane, trying to
make her voice cheerful.
Maria was eating crabapple and did
not say "hullo" but presently both she
and her sister stared wonderingly at
Jane.
"What's the natter" asked Mary Eta
finally.
"Nothin's the matter"
eyes there is too. You've been cryin."
Jane said nothing.
"She's mad" said Maria.
Mary Eta fingered. Whats the
matter" she asked again, quite lovingly.
"Nothin's the matter. l wish you'd
let me Alone" cried Jane, with burst
of tears. That was enough. Mary Eta
and Maria hurried up the road, with curt
switches of their blue starched skirts,
and Jane plodded miserably on behind.
Poor Jane was the tallest girl in school,
and not only that, but the tallest scholar:
not one of the boys was as tall as she,
and not only that, but she was taller
than the teacher. 1t did seem to Jane
that the committee ought to have chosen
u teacher who was taller, just out Of re-
gard to the becoming and suitable APP
pearance of the school. A stranger
might almost have taken her for the
teacher, especially since her hair was
done up.
When the bell had rung, Jane sat ut
her desk, her pink shoulders and her
pretty, pink face above all the others.
She looked like % tall, pink hollyhock in
a bed Of daisies. This was trying mo-
lnent for her. The committee came to
visit the school, and a strange gentle
man and his wife came with them.
Jane distinctly saw this strange lady
turn her white plumed head toward her,
then whisper to her husband. Then she
saw him look at her and ask one of the
committeeman who that tall girl was.
She could tell what he. said by the mo-
ton of his lips. Then he told his wife,
and little smile stole over her serene
face between its soft curls of black hair.
Jane thought she was laughing at her.
She did not dream that the lady had no.
ticed her because her face was so pretty,
and not because she was so tall.
The geography class came and the Wis
itors were still there. Jane filed out with
the rest. She thought she had her lesson
perfectly, but she missed in bounding
Uruguay, and had to go down. A little
bit of girl in a long sleeved apron went
above her. She had conviction that the
visitors were saying, "What! that great,
tall, grown up girl with her hair done
mp, missing!"
However, the change brought her next
70 Rohort CaYnes. be shuffial hie bare