The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-10


glance around her. It seemed to
her as if everybody was smiling, even
Susan Mowbray, who whispered, "Do
not you take on! They say lots of
things about me, but l don't care"
Ann Sophia put her hands under
her desk and grasped it so hard that
it hurt her. That dreadful big boy
and all those laughing girls shouldn't
see. her cry, anyway.
Presently the teacher began exam
lining the scholars to arrange them in
classes. Ann Sophia could read very
well, and she was put in class with
much larger girls. They did not like
it and ignored her completely. Susan
Mowbray was in class of beginners.
She was given some examples to do
and bent over them, twisting her
mouth into all sorts of shapes. When
recess time came she had not done
one; she pulled Ann Sophia's dress
as the pupils were pouring out of the
room.
"Say, won't you help me9 1 amt
got one done yet"
Ann Sophia hesitated. She was
quick at arithmetic herself, and it
seemed to her as if she would die of
disgrace if she could not do any of
her examples. She looked wistfully
out the windows at the merry groups
and then sat down by Susan and be-
gan explaining; when the others came
trooping back at the end of recess
she still sat there.
After recess Miss Larkin called
the class of big girls. The one who
called herself Lady Judith Rosabelle
Miller was among them. Miss Lar
kin called her Lady Miller. Every
body laughed, but the teachers face
was quite grave. The girl went
scowling back to her seat at the end
of the lesson; she didn't like to be
laughed at, and she knew the nick
name would stick. She wrote little
note and twisted it up and tossed it
to Ann Sophia.
"Pass it on to that girl behind you,'
she said.
Ann Sophia looked at the little wad
of paper and shook he head.
"Pass it on, I tell you," repeated
the girl.
Ann Sophia never moved. The
girls face grew red.
ooh, she's going to be good little
girl-the teachers favorite." she
whispered, tauntingly. "Never mind
4 won't forget it-you'll wish you
had passed it" and she snatched the
note back and tore it up.
Ann Sophia bent over her slate
and tried to think only of her exam
pies. When the class was called the
teacher smiled down at her, for her
work was perfect. Rose and Celia
were in the same class, but no one
else had done all the examples. Ann
Sophia went oack to her seat with ra-
diant eyes. The big girl made face
at her as she passed, and whispered:
"Red headl Teachers good little
grill"
Ann Sophia leaned her elbows on
her desk and wondered if the day
would ever end.
At noon some of the pupils went
home, but those who lived at dis
lance had brought their lunches.
Ann Sophia followed the others
slowly. Susan Mowbray went home,
SO she was alone at last. She hung
wistfully about the groups of girls.
They were taking out apples and
turnovers and cake; Ann Sophia's
bag held only cold johnnycake.
Rose caught her wistful glance and
asked her to join the circle, but Ann
Sophia shook her head and walked
away; the girls were all sharing
lunches, and she had nothing to offer.
1t seemed as if that was hard enough,
without hearing the big girl say:
"Oh, there's no use asking her, she's
too stuck-up. She's teachers good
little girl"
Ann Sophia crept over to the edge
of the woods and sat down behind a
little pine tree and ate her solitary
lunch. Presently the girls began to
play, circling round and round and
singing to one in the center,
Here we all stand In ring.
For you to choose while we do sing,
Choose the one you love the best,
And presume twill suit the rest"
Sometimes when the choice was
made they sang, what dreadful
choice you've made" and sometimes,
"What lovely choice you've made"
Ann Sophia, looking longingly at
the circle, thought that she would
choose Rose. 1t must be awful to be
called a dreadful chOice hut thew