The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-05-10

the author of novel 1t called
"Annabe C!avering. \ Tale OF Love
and Adventure.' The Principal had a copy OF ii
in his pocket when he presented himself that year.
Miss Wharton had just returned from her summer
vacation.
She turned the pages with supercilious fingers
She read the opening paragraph She pondered
the name the fy-eaf: johnny Ethel Potts.
Then she held the unholy thing out TO the Princi-
pal arms length one holds a dead mouse by
the tail.
Its absolutely com-complete." she said. Take
it,"
The Principal. threw back his head with his long
deferred brief laughter. Then he sobered. 1
brought it to you" he said. Its present
Miss Wharton gave him one look. Take it,
she repeated.
What shall / do With it," asked the Principal
meekly.
Burn t--or bury it. It's all very we'll for you
to laugh she ended resentfuly. You won't
teach her
Johnny Ethel 1t turned out, had redeeming points.
Even her small, insolcnt face with its irregular
mouth, its upturned nose, its huge, brazen black
eyes not without a certain attraction for the
tolerant-minded. Mrs Meredith. indeed. dismiss
ed Johnny Ethel with damning adjective. She
was common And common Johnny Ethel
certainly was-Common alike in her faults and in
her virtues in her quick, shallow afectionateness
and her spontaneous spitefuness; in her brief allie
glance and her feeting generosties; In her frank.
feminine bIandish mcnts and her obvious wiles.
Popularity a certain sort, she had from the
beginning. The boys, of whatever social status,
yielded after their various fashions, to her sway.
They recognized the lure of the big swapping black
eyes in the small, soft face, and indulgenty sue
cumbed. They would whisper to her across the
aisles dozen times day, and take the resultant
'checks' with cheerful philosophy. She what
the teachers called a centre of disorder" Miss
Armstrong said her motto was "a mans man for
a that
Miss Wharton, however, noticed, day or two
after school began, unexpected reason for char
ity in Judging the incipient genius. She going
some preliminary work with the Principal one
evening, whom they came upon Johnny Ethel's
You ddn t tell me that the author Of "Annabel
Claverng: A Tale of Love and Adventure,
cripple, she said suddenly. Didn't know it myself
until this morning" said the Principal Il was in
vestigating of hardness and she gave
her lameness as an excuse. Since then I've
tCed that she limps slightly
Did you accept the excuse?"
'Why-no, said the Principal Il told her that
she knew that she lame beforehand. and
should have started earlier
How perfectly inhuman," remarked Miss Whar
What did she do them
The Principal hesated; under his questioner 5
teasing eyes he even Redeemed little. "Why--'
oh, do tell me that she burst into tears.'' said
Miss Wharton claspng her hands. In the name
of all the Muses. and the Artistic Temperament, do
tell me that she wept,'
"Well," admitted the Principal with sulky
grin, she did
And said"
Yes; that her Iameness had always her
apart from the rest Of the world; had 'embittered
her life =
oh, dear" sighed Miss Wharton tears of mirtt
in her eyes.
1T seems to me- said the Principal with dig
nifty, that such satiric enjoyment of other people S
msfortunes is Observation-Disclosures.
Miss Wharton grew graver. Poor infant" she
said. 1T is hard; l know I'm monster. To be
lame--and genius she added leyty again gain
ing the upper hand, like Byron
That" said the Pricpal, avoiding her eyes, is
what she said" And at that Miss Wharton threw
scruples to the winds.
Nevertheless. she was particularly kind after
that to Johnny Ethel. And Johnny Ethel repaid her
with her quick if superficial, affection; though she
continued to miss her lessons and persisted in
pering to any available boy every possible oc-
casion, and took checks' and corrections with the
worst possible grace--turning up her already tip
tilted nose when the teachers back turned and
dropping the lids over her swapping eyes with in
imitable insolenCe.
Johnny Ethels firtations indscrimnate
that it was some time before Miss Wharton be-
came aware of the which to prove in the
sequel. especially significant She had her attention
called to at the luncheon conference of the high
school teachers.
What has come over Gilbert Stauntou?" asked
Mrs Meredith day. Il can't account for the
change in his work 1t has lapsed from excellent
to unspeakable. wonder II he suffers much from
his hip? What are you smiling about Miss Arm
strong
- was thinking Of a talk had with his sister