Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-10-15
The New Scholar.

It was the first day of school, sun
shiny and beautiful, and the girls and
boys that attended Miss Capen's pri-
vate school were focking toward her
house with eager, happy faces.
When Milly Barnes and May Wander
opened the door of the schoolroom, they
stepped talking to start at three little
girls whom they had neven seen be-.
fore.
The new scholars sat in chairs near
the teachers desk, and they looked very
stiff and conscious and uncomforta-
ble..
Nobody spoke to them until some chill
dren came in who knew two of the
strangers. They began talking at once,
and that made the third little girl feel
more forlorn than ever.
Finally May Wander turned to her
with the abrupt question:
What's your name?"
A flush overspread the new scholars
face, but she looked down and did not
answer.
May and her companions laughed,
which attracted the attention of 9TH
ers, and the cause of their merriment
looked as if she wanted to run away
and cry.
.'Why don't you tell us what your
name is?' persisted May.
There was still no answer, and with
smiles and whispering the children
drew little apart.
Presently another girl entered, and
there was general rush toward her.
She was loud-voiced and talkative, and
the shy new scholar heard her say, in
reply to somebody's question:
'Why, it's Mr.. Disbrow's little girl,
Jessie Disbrow! She lives up on Maple
street. Their servant told ours that she
was 10 years old and had never been
to school; SO guess she don't know
much, anyway
Jessie Disbrow listened with redden-
ing cheeks, and then in a moment she
heard May Wander whisper loudly TO
a late-comer, ssThe new scholar over
there don't know much-Hattie Bangs
says SO! asked her what her name
was, and she couldn't tellp'
This was more than bashful, sensitive
| little Jessie could bear, and slipping
into the dressing-room, she hurried to
put on her jacket. If this was the
llonged-for school, she thought she want
ed no more of it.
start for home when the teacher found
| her.
Miss Capen understood little girls,
and she let Jessie have good cry on
her shoulder before she attempted to
remove the wraps. When she discov-
have known just how to smooth away
the trouble, for a few minutes later
Jessie reappeared in the school-room,
able to meet the gaze of the pupils with
little discontinue.
Jessie was placed in the second class
in reading. along with May Wander
and Hattie Bangs; but when it was the
new scholars turn to read she did not
stumble over the long words as Hattie
and May had stumbled, but she read
the paragraph assigned her almost as
well as Miss Capen could have read
/ it.
The children looked their astonish
1nent, and the teacher said at once that
Jessie must go into the first class
which brought tiny smile of grateful
ness to the shy face.
I When the third class in arithmetic
was called there was a new surprise
for it was learned that Jessie DisbroN
had studied nearly to fractions; ani
when Hattie Bangs could not tell how
much seven times nine was. and Mis-.
Capen asked Jessie, she not only gave
the correct answer, but at the teacher
request repeated the sevens and eight
of the multiplication table without /.
break
Chances of approval ran around th,
class, and enough smiles of cordialit,
and admiration were given the new
scholar to raise hope in her heart tina
friends would not be lacking.