The Indianapolis journal., 1903-11-02

RK-AT was the day or the exhlpilion
IGl At the close Of the half year the
lAk0 third reader class had suffered
IoenpI 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 It 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-
ZIONIST 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 1t a
piece. and though Uncle Charlie had Sc
lected 1t 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
complicated undertaking. The piece was
came to the lines:
Straight down the Crooked Lane
And all around the Square
Whatever difficulties her plump forefnger
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 a 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 stiff
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.
and 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. Its members
were pointed out and gazed upon, until one
realized was standing IN the garish
light Of fame. The other readers, II
seemed. longed for fame and craved pub
hcity, and 1t came about that the school
was 10 have an exhibition with Miss Car
ries 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
ata
"Of course" Miss Carrie had said. you
will not fail to be on time" And Miss Car
RE he'd used her deepest tones.
Hattie and Sadie and Emmy Lou had won
dered how she could ever dream Of such. a
thing.
II was not 2 o'clock, and the three stood
ut the gate. the first to return.
They were in the same piece. 1t was The
Play" In a 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
her.
Miss Carrie said Sadie showed histrionic
talent. Emmy Lou asked Hattie about it,
xut.r sofH n n
membered 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 1t win 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
ings OF black sashes, fared 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 a little handkerchief, black bordered.
1T seems almost wicked" Aunt Cordelia
had ventured at this point; 1T seems like
tempting Providence
But Sadie's mamma did not see II 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 II was variant seriousness
Hattie's tense expression breathed a de-
termination which might have been inter-
rreted do die; to Hattie was a bat
tling foe TO be overcome and trodden be-
meath victorious heel; Hattie was an In
hdel St. George. always on the look for
the dragon. and to-day the exhibition was
the dragon.
Sadie's seriousness was a complacent re-
alization of large responsibility. Her weep
ing was a feature. Sadie remembered she
had histrionic talent.
Emmy Lou'A 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