Connecticut western news., 1892-03-10


 in the seat behind. pulled her sisters arm to make her stop. but she did not heed.
 Jane saw tho committee and the strange lady and gentleman go out, while the teacher stood courtesying at the door, and all through nearing cloud of tears. When the door closed after the company she hooped her arms around her face, and laid it down on the desk. The teacher came and stood beside her, and asked her what the matter was. Jane only shook her head and wept.
 "Are you sickY' asked the teacher, bending low over her.
 "No, ma'am," sobbed Jane. She would not say another word. and the teacher went back to her desk and called class. "Jane," she said presently. in clear, authoritative voice, "You may go out and get pail of water"
 The teacher meant 1t very kindly; it was considered quite privilege to get 8 pail of water, and then pass it around in tin dipper; she thought it would serve to distract Jane's mind from her grief, whatever 1t might be.
 But it was dreadful for poor Jane to pull herself up to her full height and crawl slowly down the aisle, with her arms crooked in pink ring around her face, and all the school looking. She stumbled over a protruding nail. and everybody Uttered, and the teacher called out, "Hushr' sharply.
 Jane went out with the water pail, but instead of filling it from the pump near the school house she sat it down on the platform and fled desperately down the soad to little bridge over brook.
 Her mind was made up, she would not go back to school, she had never been SO miserable in her life, and the misery was all the greater because she was ashamed of it and ashamed to con- fess it. She did not want to tell even her mother that she minded so much be- cause she was tall; she crouched low down in the buskes and wept.
 Presently she heard quick batter of bare feet on the bridge, then 8 break in the bushes.
 "Hallor" called hesitating voice. Jane made no sound.
 "Ho, you needn't play you ain't there" said the voice. ''I see you come in here. was looking out of the window. 1 raised my hand when teacher asked S7eere you was, and she sent me out here to fetch the water, and to tell you to come in.
 Jane looked up and saw boys face peering down at her from the top of the bank, his brown cheeks flushing, his red lips parting in bashful laugh. Il ain't ever going back to school. Robbie" said Jane with sob. All the old childish comradeship seemed to come back to her, she had not seen much of him for a year or two; she had played more with girls.
 "I don't care, you're the prettiest girl in school anyhow" said Robert in q shamefaced way. "Why, Robert Carnesl ain't." "Yes, you are" "Oh, Robbie-maybe shall be-taller than am now" ''I don't care if you are. you'll always be the prettiest. Come along"
 ''I ain't going back to school" "Teacher won't like it." II can't help it." "Oh, come along" "I won't" The girls pink face turned up toward him like a pink flower from the DuSneS. 1neT6 WAS q lOOh III lI Luat | the boy knew we'll. He knew that when his old playmate said 1T won't" in that | tone, she didn't.
 Robert seated himself on the bank and began to whistle. Jane looked at him: | she could see his slender shoulders in his little homemade blue and white shirt, and his handsome face gazing ahead ab- stractedly as he whlstled.
 "Why don't you go back to schoolr' she asked hesitatingly. l "Oh, ain't going back if you ain't."
 "Why not, I'd like to know?" 1 "Cause I ain't. Say, Mary Etta has got her head down on her desk crying cause you don't come in, and seen Maria passing along some crab apples to put ill your desk"
 Jane said nothing. Robert whistled again.
 Jane waited a minute. "Well, I'll come," said she. "You go ahead and get the water"
 There was leap of bare feet over the bridge, and Jane came out from the swarm of flower butterflies, with unde
 fined conviction that brought comfort il
 her childish heart, that however tall she
 grew, although she might outgrow al
 her dresses, she would never outgrow
 love.-Mary E. Wilkins in Boston Globe