The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-07
A DAUNTLEss SAILOR MAN.

public school was little trying, even with
ones sister to share the inspection. The
boys and girls do stare so at newcomer
you know, taking account of every detail
of ones appearance, from hair-ribbons to
shoe-strings, and not infrequently making
comments of distressingly personal ma
ture.
Little cliaues of the schoolgirls gathered
in corners with their heads close together
and discussed our young friends in whis-
pers.
The sisters tried to look unconscious, and
I am afraid they did not succeed very we'll.
The ordeal was severe one, as plenty of
you can understand. [ certainly hope that
boys and girls do not know very well how
cruel they often are, and how rude. The
more sensitive and well-bred the new
conner is the more does he or she shrink
from being the observed of all observers,
when it is perfectly evident that the star
ing is for assigning to the victim of it his
social status in the school.
Happily in this case the rudeness was
not too long prolonged and presently
Ruth and Edith were "taken up" by the
most exclusive set of girls in the school
Jennie Morgan invited them to come to
Sunday-scho with her, and when she
found them presentable she insisted
that they must always come with
her and that she should come for them i'll
her carriage each Sunday morning. Mrs.
Morgan left her card for Ruth and Edith s
mother too, and altogether matters were
going on finely. Jennie was fashionable
little missionary and she at once set her
self to work to bring her new friends into
the fold OF her own particular Sunday
school.
- ta1l i
riously with them regarding what she
called their souls.
In the end she tried to induce them to
sign a pledge which she brought from her
Eunday-school and which was a sort of
blank contract with voluminous specifica-
tions as to the sort of Christianity they
were going to practice for the rest OF their
natural lives.
Everything seemed to be going on beau
tifully, and it must be admitted that the
"new girls' (they were very little girls so
pray forgive them) were very well pleased
indeed with the rides in Jennie's carriage,
and the prestige which Jennie's friendship
gave them at school. And then, suddenly,
something happened. Ruth came home
heart-broken, and sobbed out all her woes
in mammals sympathetic arms. "Jennie
won't speak to me any more!
''She isn't going to take me to her Sum-
day-school once more.
"And none of the girls that Jennie plays
with will play with us, and some of the
other girls we don't like, and we're just as
lonesome as we can be, and L wish we
could go back where everybody knows US
and we know everybody"
1t took a long time for the story TO come
out, for the little girls had lost sight of the
cause of the calamity, so great was their
grief.
Il don't think we did anything bad or
mean. mamma, or if we did we didn't do
it on purpose" came at last.
''You see, it was this way. Do you re-
member about poor girl | told you of
named Lizzie Brown? Well, she is bigger
and older than most of the scholars in our
room, but she can't help it. It's because
she is so poor she can't come to school all
the time because she has to work.
81 suppose she has no father. or if she
has one be isn't good for anything, so of
course / couldn't ask her about him and
make her feel bad.
'But anyway her mother is poor, poor
woman that wears cotton gloves and came
to school to see her one day and they two
talked together in the hall and they kissed
each other and then they talked and cried
and felt SO sorry wanted to cry little
too.
"Wen, Lizzie works for a lady that is
good to her now, and let's her come to
school. OF course her clothes are not very
pretty, and she is ashamed, because she is
so big.
''None of the girls talk to her at all; but
Edith and / did, because she is good girl
and studies hard and never does anything
the least bit naughty or rude.
'sShe brings her lunch in basket, and it
is not very good lunch. And to-day she
sat on one of the front benches in the yard