Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-06-23

laughing at her She did not dream
that the lady had noticed her because
her face was so pretty and not because
she was so tail.
The arithmetic class was called, and
Jane had to put an example on the
blackboard She begun quite low down
"Put your sum higher on the board, so
as to make room for those who cannot
reach, " the teacher called out sudden
| ly Height has its advantages, " re-
marked one of the committeeman affa-
bly,. The scholars Uttered.
Jane rubbed out her example and
stretched her slender arm up to the top
of the board Her face was blushing
| painfully, and there was such lump
IN ner throat she could hardly speak
when she explained her example, and
I everybody looked up curiously at the
sound of her changed voice.
The geography class came next. The
visitors were still there. Jane filed out
with the rest and then stood in the
center of long row like the apex of a
pyramid. She thought she had her les
son perfectly, but she missed in bound
ing Uruguay and had to go down. A
little bit of girl in long sleeved
apron went above her, and she had a
conviction that the visitors were say
ing, what, that great, tall, grown up
girl, with her hair done up, missing"
However, the change brought her
next to Robert Carnes, who gave a
sympathetic glance at Jane which she
felt rather than saw, but it comforted
her She and Robert were near neigh
bors and when they were children had
played together a great deal.
When Jane went back to her desk,
Maria Starr passed over slate slyly.
There was picture on it Jane knew
directly what it was meant for, al
though tho drawing was very bad in
deed. There was long row of figures in
triangular skirts and parallelogrammic
trousers with their feet turned out at
right angles on a line. These figures
were of a uniformly small height but
passing them with her handkerchief to
her eyes, and tears, represented by lit
tie dabs of the slate pencil, falling plen-
tifully, was very tall girl indeed
There was not quite room for her on
the slate, and the top of her head was
left to the Imagination
Jane did not smile nor look at Maria
she simply rubbed the picture out and
handed back the slate. She wanted to
cry, but she would not let the tears
come She pretended to be studying her
spelling lesson very intently
But the worst came when one Of the
committeeman addressed the school
| IL. 8 4. "a
distinctly that intellect was not to be
measured by size, and he often noticed
that the smallest scholars had their les
sons much better than those who were
taller and older Jane felt that he refer
red to her and little Hattie Baker and
the bounding Of Uruguay Her cheeks
burned hotter and hotter. Maria Starr,
who was three desks off in the same
row, leaned forward until she could see
her and Uttered Mary Eta in the seat
behind pulled her sister S arm to make
} her stop, but she did not heed.
Jane saw the committee and the
strange ladS 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 mat
ter was Jane only shook her head and
wept
: Are you sick'' asked the teacher,
bending low over her
3 "No. ma am, sobbed Jane. She
would not say another word, and the
} teacher went back to her desk and call
ed class She was pretty little wo-
l man, with black hair arranged in cum
3 ming little scallops all around her tenn
t pies She kept looking at James bent
head and shaking pink shoulders.
: Jane" she said presently in a clear,
authoritative voice, you may go out
and get Il pail of water. "
j The teacher meant it very kindly. II
was considered quite privilege TO get
a pail of water and then pass it around
g in tin dipper She thought it would
serve TO distract James mind from hel
5 grief, whatever it might be. But it wa:
dreadful for poor Jane TO pull herself
up to her full height and crawl slowly
l down the aisle, with her arms crooked
in pink ring around her face, and al
o the school looking. She stumbled ovei
T. a protruding nail, and everybody litter
ed, and the teacher called out Hush
d sharply.
It Jane went ont with the water pail
a bnt instead of filling it from the pump
d near the schoolhouse she set it down OF
+ the platform and fled desperately down
y the road to little bridge over brook
g She ran around the corner under thu
!. bridge and crawled into some bushes OF
Q the bank of the brook. Her mind wa
IS made up. She would not go back
II school. She had never been as misel
q able in her life, and the misery was a
the greater because she was ashamed {
II it and ashamed to confess it. She di
l. not want to tell even her mother tina
Is she minded so much because she wa
e tall. She crouched low down in tn
IL bushes and wept. She was almost col
% cealed by the coarse weeds and foliag
:, of late summer. Some little flowers Liz
q orange butterflies danced in her fac
A Presently she heard a quick patter {
'r bare feet on the bridge, then break
II the bushes
"Hello" called a hesitating voic
3, lame made no sound.