The Indianapolis journal., 1903-11-01

IHl / At the close Of the half year the
kA1S third reader class had suffered
EcSU9oI change in teachers. the first hav-
ing been a substitute, whereas her
successor was a real teacher. And since
the coming of Miss Carrie. the third reader
class had lived, as IL were, in the public
eye, for on Fridays books were put away
and the attention given to recitations and
company.
Miss Carrie talked in deep tones. which
she said were chest tones. and described
mysterious sweeps and circles with her
hands when she talked. And these she
called gestures. Miss Carrie was an elocu-
tionist and had even recited on the stage.
She gave her class the benefit Of her
talent, and in teaching them said they must
suit the action to the word. The action
meant gestures, and gestures meant sweeps
and circles
Emmy Lou had TO learn a piece for FRI
day. 1t was poetry. but you called IT a
piece. and though Uncle Charlie had Sc
lected il for Emmy Lou, Miss Carrie did
not seem to think much OF it.
Emmy Lou stood up. Miss Carrie was
drilling her. and though she did her best
TO suit the action 10 the word, it seemed a
complicated undertaking. The piece was
called. "a Plain Direction" Emmy Lou
came to the lines:
Straight down the Crooked Lane
And all around the Square.
Whatever difficulties her plump foreinger
had had over the first three OF these geo.
metrical propositions. it triumphed at the
end, for Emmy Lou paused. A square has
four sides. and to suit four-sided action
TO the word takes time.
Miss Carrie, whose attention had wan
dered a little. here suddenly observing.
stopped her, saying her gestures were stif
and meaningless. She said they looked like
straight lines cut in the air.
Emmy Lou. anxious TO prove her efforts
to be conscientious. explained that they
were straight lines-it was square. Miss
Carrie drew herself up. and using her cold
est tones, told Emmy Lou not to be funny
Funny Emmy Lou felt that she did
not understand.
But this was a mere episode between Fri
days. One lived but to prepare for Fridays,
end a Sunday dress was becoming a mere
everyday affair, since ones best must be
worn for Fridays.
No other class had these recitations and
the third reader was envied. It's members
were pointed out and gazed upon, until one
realized one was standing I'm the garish
light OF fame. The other readers. II
seemed, longed for fame and craved pub
licity, and so 1t came about that the school
was TO have an exhibition with Miss Car
rie's genius TO plan and engineer the whole.
For general material Miss Carrie drew from
the whole school, but the play was for her
own class alone.
And this was the day OF the exhibition.
Hattie and Sadie and Emmy Lou stood at
the gate Of the school. They had spent the
morning in rehearsing. AT noon they had
been sent home with instructions to return
at half-past 2. The exhibition would begin
ats
"Of course" Miss Carrie had said. ''you
will not fail to be on time" And Miss Car
rie had used her deepest tones
Hattie and Sadie and Emmy Lou had won
dered how she could ever dream of such a
thing.
1t was not o'clock. and the three stood
at the gate, the first to return
They were in the same piece. 1t was "The
Play" In play one did more than suit the
action TO the word; one dressed to suit the
part.
In the play Hattie and Sadie and Emmy
Lou found themselves the orphaned children
OF soldier who had failed TO return from
the war 1t was a very sad piece. Sadie had
to weep. and more than once Emmy Lou
had found tears in her own eyes, watching
her.
Miss Carrie said Sadie showed histrionic
talent Emmy Lou asked Hattie about it,
VINO said II meant tears, and Emmy Lou re-
memoered then how tears came naturally to
Sadie.
When Aunt Cordelia heard they must
dress TO suit the part she came TO see Miss
Carrie, and so did the mamma of Sadie and
the mamma of Hattie
DRESS them in a kind of mild mourn
ing.' Miss Carrie explained. mot too deep.
or u viii seem too real and. as three little
sisters. suppose we dress them alike"
And now Hattie and Sadie and Emmy
Lou stood at the gate ready for the play.
stiffiy immaculate white dresses. with belt
fngs OF black sashes. fiared jauntily out
above spotless white stockings and sober
little black slippers, while black-bound Leg
horn hats shaded three anxious little
countenances. By the exact center, each
held little handkerchief. black bordered.
1T seems almost wicked Aunt Cordelia
had ventured at this point; "it seems like
tempting Providence"
Out SADIE mamma did not it So
sadie's mamma had provided the handker-
chiefs. Tears were sadie's feature in the
play.
Hattie and Sadie and Emmy Lou wore
each an anxious seriousness of counte-
nance. but IL was variant seriousness.
Hattie's tense expression breathed a de-
termination which might have been inter-
preted do or die; 10 Hattie was bat
ting foe to be overcome and trodden be-
meath victorious heel; Hattie was an in
fdei st. George, always on the look for
the dragon. and to-day the exhibition was
the dragon.
sadie's seriousness was a complacent re-
aiization or large responsibility. Her weep
Ing was feature. Sadie remembered she
had histrionic talent.
Emmy Louis anxiety was because there
doomed ahead the awful moment OF mount
Ing the platform. II was terrible on mere
Fridays to mount the platform. and, after