The Virginia enterprise., 1906-04-20
BY MARGARET E. sANGSTER.

BY MARGARET F.. SANGSTER.
Copyright. 1905, by Joseph B. Bowies.)
Penelope came in with frown on
her brow. Her pretty face was puck
cred. Her mouth dropped at the cor
ners, and she had almost the effect of
being in very bad temper. Penelope
is one of nay greatest favorites, and l
was sorry to see that with her the
wind was in the east. what on earth
has gone wrong, my dear?" said, anx-
iously. with whom are you vexed,
and why are you out of sorts? Have
you lost your purse, or your place in
the class, or fallen out with your
chum, or are you convinced that you
never will conquer irregular verbs, or
what is the matter?"
"The NATTER" said Penelope, lis my
monthly report. I am awfully dis
turbed about it, and ashamed to show
it at home, and I am angry at Miss
-, who might have made it a great
deal better if only she had chosen, but
I am not one of her pets. I have had
good marks in French and in astron-
omy, in algebra and geometry, some
days, anyway, If not every day, and
here I am marked B and C and C
minus, and l have not a single A in
the whole month. My teacher handed
me this very reprovingly, and said that
such a report was as great a morti-
ficat1on to her as it could possibly be
to me, and she trusted I would do bet
ter another month, and not have to
take such a record home again.
"'Possibly, Penelope she said, you
are graded too high and would better
drop some of your work and fall back
into a lower class Do you wonder
stormed Penelope, that I am furious:
Who wouldn't be-"
II hardly see, dear child" an
swered, "why you should be furious,
as you call it, although I think your
unfortunate teacher has every right to
be indignant. What is the reason that
you have done SO badly? The work is
not too much for you, your health is
perfect, and you ought to be at the
head of your class, bringing home re-
ports sprinlzled all over with AS, like
stars in the sky or daisies in a meadow
in June. You must be shockingly
careless, or you would get on in school
as we'll as anyone else. Where is the
loose plank? Something is wrong In
your way of working. If We could find
out just what it is and where it is we
might mend it. Don't you think SOP"
"You are very Cross" said Penelope,
"and not a single bit sympathetic, and
/ wish l hadn't come. But maybe |
might get on, as you call it, little
better If it wasn't such hard work to
start in the morning. I am so sleepy
that cannot wake up when am
called; then I have to scramble
through dressing and breakfast and
fairly fly to reach school in time. Very
often when there I find that l have
forgotten book that need, or my
pads and pencils, and I am so upset
that it takes me almost an hour to
feel quiet and composed. My day
somehow runs off the track every
morning and does not get back until
the afternoon"
= BY this time Penelope's scowl had
vanished and she dimpled and blushed
and finally laughed, like the sweet,
>good-tempered girl she is:
"You DEAR" I said. "You have put
your finger right on the weak spot.
Your whole trouble comes from not be-
ginning the day aright."
! So many schoolgirls have exactly the
same trouble that wonuer very much
why it is that their mothers and teach
ers, do not help them out of it., and
that their own good sense does not
come to the rescue.
The truth Is that successful day
for schoolgirl begins at nine o'clock
the night before. At that hour she
should say good night to everybody
and go to bed. If she has had dinner
early and feels bit hungry, it will
do her no harm to take "a very simple
luncheon of bread and milk before she
goes to- her room. Then without un-
due delay, she should undress, say her
prayers, put out the light and go to
fo c1o jo