The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1893-10-05
MARIAs IxPRIhEsT.


ass,ra the desk ,Bd eAsviDs the eud {
her Jed psrcl, sac and Miss Hsndeso
we're tie o. u oaes 10 tie seho0lroon.
wn .hsf fpaf o'slock. aud ,ll the other
bad so5e homa Mara vIs ussd 10 sls'
iug sitter school three days cut ot I've j
mort Of tho weeks this wGs her lol. some
times It stpsiltng or geography iesso
that she mHssd sometimes sbe ~bispofe'
% Tires pRrsr bslis, Or ebesed gun. o
IguMreltd sIJh her sest mate OF pulleC
Johlny Beuuetts bslr There Vas 81
saga rrtsou lor MAuss troubles, II
bad photoeraph Of her you would DO
care 10 see II, al lesst not TO give It sec
opd l05k Nobody ever cared to loot I
second time at Maria
Her hair Was red, - tot Of carrot red
the sifIs said, her face was ireeEied, heI
mouth vas very wide, two teeth Sere
gone, and altogether, | suppose /. would
! hsye been hard - fud a hotGeIer girl.
+ Perhaps the usiy scoSl that ws nesrly
always 90 her face was the worst feature
of It bat this. Maria did DO. understand.
Nobody liked Mara, and perhaps 1t Is
safe to ssy that Msus liked uobody.
There was ross boy or girl 10 her grade
with whom she had notst some time or
G, her had ouble. Hall dozen girls at
tue present time would 20, speak 10 hCr
Wien they met her 10 the playground, nd
as for the boys. they seldom took tbe
trouble to speak. except TO shout some
teasing rhyme at her about the color OF
her hAr Or about the lsrgeness Of ber
mouth.
Miss Henderson, sat at her desk, book
10 hsud, she was not resdiag. Instead,
she Was carefully .tudying Msriss face
and manner, aud trying TO decide what
she could do Tor her.
A new teacher was Miss Henderson,
who had come from Tar away home to
take the place OF friend OF hers VIII o had
the position for two years. As she studied
Maria's scow hng face, she recalled what
her ineud had said. 10 the main, they
are very eooi children, ss good as the
average. sometimes thiuk they are beh
ter than the other grades in the same
school; bat there is one exception, "a lin
tie grl about twelve years old, who is cet'
tainly the worst child ever knew. Her
name is Mara Coleman; and, really, l do
not think .h bas one redeming trait, She
is fearful homely child t. begin with.
and her fDger nails are always soiled, and
her red hair in froszle. As for her teeth,
she never even thought Of brushing them.
Dl course, sll this makes her repulsive 10
appearance. and her tempre mstcher her
heir; it is tirery IN the extreme. She has
been in my room sI months, and during
hat time do do not think | ever
ieatd her lsugh or saw her smile. She is
n too constant bad bumor to laugh or
mile
What record for a scholar? Miss Hen
lerson had asked more questions, bad
ound out, indeed, what she could about
Maria, aud had been studying her ever
ince. She was not willing to spend SIX
months in that way.
As she watched her on this day, she de-
'ided to try an experiment. Closing ber
,oob, she walked over to where the heels
yere kicking, and, sitting down in the
eat in front, she said, with q pleasant
mile on her face Does not your hsr
url, Msui? How pretty it would look
0 curls
The heels stopped kicking, and Mana
scow ling eyes 90 her teacher. Was
be being made fun oi5
The pleasant voice went on had a liu ,
lie friend whose hsir was Just the color oil
ours; and 1t cutled naturally, as | think
ours would with little care, You csn' :
o, think how pretty it looked
Did she have freckles?
Why yes. said Miss Henders u, still !,
milling kindly. Now You speak ei 1t, |
smem Der she bad, and little squint IN
er eye, besides. In fact, one eye was q
life smaller than the other. Yet for sll =
I that, she had one OF the swe eetest faces
evtrssw Mamie Wells her name was:
nd she was general iavorite, Everybody ""
we'd and admired her.
With red bar and frecklfsl The words
semed to burst from Msrias lips without =
.ving intended to speak :,
Why, certainly, said Mics Hendert on. ',
hose accidents have rotbing to do with "
ther liking or disliking people, you y
now.
Haven't they? said Maria, with wise d
,ss OF her head, as il she meant, Much II
ou know about 1t! d
Certainly no., said Miss Henderson. u
eope are liked for the words they speak q
ID the helpful and loving ways they
ave-, without regard TO any looks, save II
Ie kind that they can msnsge. .
Folks cant msusge their Looks, said -"
aria decidedly. =,
Oh, indeed they can, the kind that / "
can; neatly arranged hsir, aud neatly
rushed shoes, and teeth and han 10 and
ger nsils as clean az soap and water can
axe them hsve wonderinl effect on
oks, Aud If ell such m,tters are cared r,
?, people take very hula botice Of sny L
1er Kind Of lock- te
doo believe II, .ald Msri. frank tc
Nj. Hsndetton desided thu, sLe would
Il at this time reproye any rndnes. that b.
isht be shown b.r, II
Try u. she ssid, wiih wise col Of her e.
lapely head Tbat "a The beet way
ov for proving the trutb OF a thing. Il
H..