The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-02-08


eyes, whom she dragged to the front
of the room. For Nora was beginning
to realize dimly what was in store for
her.
Boys" said Miss Diker, in her cold,
cruel voice. here is a little boy |
found in the hall whistling and beat
ing time with his feet. He must be-
long here" Without another word, she
left the helpless. terror-stricken child
in the middle of the floor, and stalked
from the room.
No one who has not been in similar
position can appreciate what cat
astrophe like this means to a sensi-
door closed on the lady principal, No
ra stood where she had been placed
in blank despair--shocked almost into
unfeelingness. Then came the con-
seriousness OF fifty pairs of eyes, filled
with wonder, mischief and scorn, fixed
upon her. Tears swept into her eyes
and burned there. Yet she did not
cry. Something in the last remnant
of her reasoning power told her that
that would only add doubly to her
misery, and she struggled to keep
| down the rising sobs. Her little heart
was beating almost to suffocation;
her little freckled face was now scar.
let with shame. Each minute grew
harder to bear than the last. Oh. if
her little heart would only stop beat
ing so!
After a time the boys mercifully fol-
got her a little and turned their eyes
to the side blackboard where their
impatient teacher was trying to ex-
plain a problem.
She tried to forget the boys. She
tried to think of the late admired Cas-
abianca and to imagine what he would
do under such an affection, but Nora,
who an hour before listened to the
tale of the boys heroism with glow
ing admiration found her enthusiasm
dimmed by contrast. What was a
burning deck, she asked herself mis-
erably, compared to this?
When she had been standing there
about ten minutes, and was fast reach
ing a state where her child's enGuf-
ance could bear no more, the door
opened. Nora turned with the rest,
praying with all her strength that it
might be her dear, sweet Miss Spar
row coming to save her
But alas! it was only another boy
of the class who had not been in
the room at the time of her arrival.
The unusual sight OF a curly-haired
girl standing in front of boys room,
made the newcomers eyes pop wide
with unbounded amazement. The
utter establishment and wonder in his
face sent a suppressed litter around
the room that gradually rose into
roar of laughter. Despite all Mr..
Marsh could do to distract them. the
boys once more insisted upon consld-
ering Nora the centre Of attraction.
They stared and Uttered and pointed
and whispered, and behaved generally
like a pack of especially ill-mannered
imps.
If Nora had been frightened before,
when the boys had merely stared at
her, almost awed themselves at her
calamity this new phase of boy ma
ture almost paralyzed her. She shut
her teeth tight and clenched her
hands at her side The scarlet flush
died from her face, leaving it very
white under it's countless freckles.
Then a great black veil swan across
her eyes and hid the mass of Sinking,
mischievous, impish faces from her
sight. Her slender little body swayed
slightly, like a broken flower in the
wind. One little hand CROPPED out
blindly and caught at the desk beside
her
Mr.. Marsh who was watching her,
started across the room to her. But
before he could reach her the door
opened again, and Miss Sparrow
paused in the doorway for a single
second, taking in the situation She
saw the dropping little figure in the
midst of that swarm of boys, for all
the world like a hunted white rabbit
at bay before a pack of hounds, and
she started across the room toward 1t,
with an expression in her gentle eyes
that none of them had ever seen there
before. She caught the child up in
her arms and sat down at Mr. Marsh's
desk pressing Noras white face
against her shoulder and trying to
quiet her trembling body.
The touch of kind hand and the
sound of a comforting voice after
the last fifteen minutes of lonely an
guish brought the child out Of her
despair and saved her from physical
collapse. She rested her head against
Miss Sparrow's shoulder, and burst