Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1900-09-20
The Girl Nobody Liked.

her heart that was like real pain.
And then she had tossed her head and
set her lips in a defiant little smile.
Nobody should know that she cared.
Never
1t was on her eighteenth birthday
that Aunt Elizabeth made a sugges.
ton which caused the girl to open her
eyes, and then to laugh little. 1t
was such an odd idea-so like Aunt
Elizabeth
Then I'm to hold np' everybody
meet until I've said something bril-
liant?" she observed
Not exactly; and Aunt Eliza
beth smiled, unrufled. But I've
noticed that you pass your acquain-
tances with mere nod or curt good
morning. l wish you would try the
experiment of saying something pleas
ant to each one, unless there is some
good reason against it.
1T will grow rather tiresOme, said
the girl, and she shrugged her should
els.
Try it for a week, suggested
Aunt Elizabeth and, rather to her
own surprise, the girl found herself
promising.
She came very near forgetting her
pledge when she met Mrs. Anderson
on the street the next morning. In
fact, she had passed with her usual
uncompromising nod, when the recol-
lection of her promise flashed into her
mind. She prided herself on being a
girl of her word, and she turned quick
ly.
How is Jimmy today? she said,
speaking out the first thing that came
into her head.
There was a good deal of detail in
Mrs. Anderson answer. Jimmy had
been sick with the measles, and then
had caught cold and been worse. Mrs.
Anderson poured out her story as If
it was relief to find listener, and
as she talked on, that particular lis
tener found herself more interested
than she would have believed possl-
bic in Jimmy and his mother. She
said that she had some old scrap
books which Jimmy might enjoy look
ing over; and Mrs. Anderson flushed
and thanked her with more gratitude
than the slight favor seemed to war
rant
At the very next corner was Clssy
Baily, and the girl wondered if her
promise covered the washer-womans
daughter and people Of that sort. But
she did not let herself wonder very
long.
at was very kind of you to bring
home the clothes so early last week,
Cissy. l was in hurry for that
shirtwaist.
Cissy Baily did not know what to
answer. She smiled in an embar-
raised way, and looked up and then
down. But the girl whom nobody
liked had seen something in the up
lifted eyes which warmed her heart,
and made that one-slded conversation
something to remember.
The day went by, and she did not
find opportunity to say anything very
brilliant. She stopped Mrs. White to
ask her if she would like TO read the
book she had just finished, and she
patted little Barbara Smiths soft
cheek as she inquired III the new baby
sister had grown at all. When she
could think Of nothing else, she said
Hasn't this been beautiful dayF
And her earnestness rather surprised
some people, who had not had her op-
portunities for realizing that there
was anything unusual about the day.
By the time the week was over the
girl whom nobody liked had learned
a valuable lesson. She had found out
that hearts respond to cordiality and
kindness, just as the strings Of one
musical instrument yibrate in unison
with the chord struck in another. It
is not a new discovery, since long ago
it was written in certain wise book /:
"a man that hath friends must show
himself friendly yet this is one Of
the truths that each person must re-
discover on his own account. And
the girl who was learning to love ey-
cry one, and was tasting the JOY OF
being loved, thanked God that she
had not waited any longer before
finding out the wonderful secret for
herself. = Young Peoples Weekly.
~ I'll IL CHI