The representative., 1900-03-29
The Coat.

There Is teacner In one Oh tuo oUuyin6
schools who has kind heart. such heart
as one loves to hear OF at Christmas time.
Her pupils are, for the greater part, the
children of the poor and destitute. Some
times many of them come to school hum
gry. The teacher didn't know Of this for
a long time; that pitiful pride of poverty
kept the secret locked in the child heart.
But when she did learn Of it she bought
out of her own savings one of those little
coffee urns such as you have seen in tiny
one-room restaurants-if you ever frequent
tfny One-room restaurants. Each morning
thereafter such children as wished 1t were
given a cup of coffee and a fat, fresh fried
cake and you may be sure there were not
many who refused in that school.
Among all the pupils In this young wom-
ans room there was one who had most
her pity She was q tiny little thing. fair
as some white flower and as tender and
gentle as ever lived a child. Her parents
were very poor and often she had barely
enough clothing to cover her. Last spring
the teacher had her winter coat made over
for the child. and kept her after school
one Friday afternoon to give 1t to her.
The little girl heart was tickled almost
to death. She wore that coat and WORD
it-even into the warm days OF June. She
was far prouder Of the coat than the aver
age boy Of his first long pants" Indeed.
| she wore the coat completely out. When
| cold weather broke not long ago, the teach
| er noticed the garment was broken at the
| seams and dismally thin. She waited un-
| II, the Friday afternoon and kept the child
| after school again.
| Susie, she said, I'm going to get you
| a nice. new coat to wear to school; now
what cnlOr would YOU like?"
| ..Blue!" the answer came as an explosion.
| The ewes contributed the accompanying
| flash.
!, IAN right" said the teacher. '"rhat will
! do: you may go now" and the young
woman'e heart was glad.
At the doorway the child fingered. as
! though wishing to say something but un.
able to frame the words.
i '.What IL 1t, Susie?" the teacher called to
| her.
/ The little girl came back. The eyes did
| not flash as she said Come to fink about
! 1t, guess the coat you gave me last spring
will do all winter: my ma said she could
| nx 1t. You better give the new coat to
someone at needs It more
A big lump formed in the teachers throat
| and choked the words that made to leave
her lips.
i Inc CUllQ went uOluc auU LudI AAlCIuVOAls
| later, the teacher went down town and
bought little blue coat with an imitation
fur collar OF wool, for 81. Monday she
took the coat to school with her. Susie did
not come. The teacher is used to occa-
sional absences. 80 left the coat there that
night. Nor did Susie come the next day.
At the close Of the hour the teacher called
another little girl up to the desk and asked
IL she knew why Susie had been absent
for two days. She didn't. but at noon ON
the following day the same child volun-
teered the information that Susie had "scar-
let fever
At o'clock the teacher dismissed hea
| room. Rolling the coat In newspaper
she set out for Susie's poor home. Az she
approached she saw tall man tying q
long white ribbon to the knob Of the from,
door-she didn't 60 in.-Detroit Free Press