The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-24

neighbours touch she springs up, I
blushing. - -~+r
But, Somehow, she did not. take the
reproach in Miss Amanda's voice to
heart; Miss Amanda was given to say
ing reproachfully, please, p-ple-e-ase
young ladies'" many times a day, |
but after a brief pause one returned
to pleasant converse with a neighbour.
Jokes were told about Miss Amanda
among the girls, and, gathering at re-
cess about her desk, her pupils would
banter Miss Amanda as to who. was
her favorite, whereupon she, pleased
and fattered, would make long and
neutrality-suspicious. of any show Of par
TALLY.
Miss Amanda pinned a bow in her
hair, and wore a chain and rings, and
was given to frequent patting and
pushing of ~ hair into shape; was it
possible pen,!e+ n \ Amanda felt herself to
Ordinarily. however, Emily Louise
did not think much about her one way
or another, except at those times when
Miss Amanda tried to be funny; then
she quite hated her with unreasoning
fierceness.
Right now Miss Amanda was desir-
ing Emily Louise MacLauren to give
attention.
Once a week there was public reci-
| tation in the chapel. Mr.. Page con-
| sidered it good for boys and girls to
work together, which was a new way
| of regarding it, peculiar to grammar
school, for hitherto boys, like the skull
and cross bones bottles in Aunt Cor
| delia's closet, had been things to be
avoided.
Tomorrow" Miss Amanda was
explaining, "the chapel recitation will
be in grammar; you will conjugate,"
Miss Amanda simpered, "the verb
to love-" with playful meaning in her
| n a 1c "h31t y
young ladies'" archly, 'that you will
let yourself be beaten at this lesson
Miss Amanda meant to be funny.
| Emily Louise, for one, looked stonily
ahead; not for anything would she
smile.
But the weekly recitation varied,
and there came a week when the
classes were assembled for lesson in
composition.
Mr.. Page laughed at what he called
fowery effusions. use the matter
and life about you," he said.
There is one boy" he went on to
state, whose compositions are gen
orally good for that reason William,
step up, sir, and let us hear what
you have made of this"
| William arose. He was still square,
but he was no longer short; there was
a straight and handsome bridge build
| ing to his nose, and he had taken to
tall collars. Williams face was some
what suffused at this summons to pub
licity, but his smile was cheerful and
unabashed. His composition was on
| "Conscience." So were the compost
tons of the others; but his was diff
ferent.
"A boy has one kind of a con-
SCIENCE" read William, land girl has
another kind. Two girls met a COW.
! Look her right in the face and pre-
| tend like we aren't afraid said the
a conscience. Wont it be deceiving
the cow?' she wanted to know"
Emily Louise blushed; how could
! William! For Emily Louise was "the
littlest girl''; Matte was the other, and
William had come along and driven
the COW away.
William was still reading: There
was a girl found a quarter in the snow
She thought how it would buy five
pies, or ten doughnuts, or fifteen
pickles, and then she thought about
the person who would come back and
find the place in the snow and no
quarter, and so she went and put the
quarter back"
How could William! Mr.. Page, his
hair wildly rumpled, was clapping
hand to knee; even the teachers were
trying not to smile. Emily Louise
blushed hotter for Emily Louise, TAX
ing the quarter back, had met William.
|.
liams composition. There was boy
went to the office to be whipped. The
strap hit a stone in his pocket. So the
; principal, who went around on Sat-
urdays with a hammer tapping rocks,
) let the boy off. He didn't know the
boy got the rock out Of the alley on
purpose. But I reckon boys have
some kind of conscience That boy
: felt sort of mean"
It was the teachers who were laugh
: ing now, while Mr.. Page, running his
, fingers thru his hair, wore smile
arrested reflective, considering. But
!, it broadened; there are principals here
7 and there who can appreciate Will
liam.
l The cheek of Emily Louise might
l be hot, but in her heart was a newer
feeling; was it pleasure? Something
r somewhere was telling Emily Louise
E that William liked her the better for
a these things he was laughing at. Was