The Lamar register., 1910-04-20
The First and the
Second Isabella
ByEYELYN SHARP

Isabella the First was not. to the
ordinary observer at least, pre-
possessing in appearance. She was
lanky without being exactly tall. and
gave one therimpression of having
grown up in a great hurry and taken
her dress with her; and when I.first
saw her sitting at the bottom of her
class, the most noticeable thing about
her was the length of black stock
Ing that she managed most ingenious
ly to curl round each of the frontlegs
Of her chair. She had the kind Of hair
that suggests the rough-haired ter
rier: 1t was full of short ends. and
neither .curled nor lay,i smooth.ii but
stood straight out from her head in
little. tufts. and SO earned for its own
or her school O.. nickname. of Pen
wiper"
For more reasons than one. Isabella
made an, illuminating spot in my life.
1t the time that l happened to meet
Ter. She was the most ignorant, mem.
GER OF the first class ever, taught.
was particularly grateful to Isabella
or being ignorant; for. as luck would
nave 1t. the school that had rashly &C
,epted my untried services insisted on
ny beginning a course of arithmetic
essons. ! protested that arithmetic
vas my weakest point. and that 1 had
epeatedly been bottom Of my own
.chooli in arithmetic, while carrying
on prizes for German. botany and a
variety of ornamental Subjects But
ny principal. who was rather an un-
usual % sort Of person. said that she
never wanted people to teach, subjects
hat were. not their weakest points.
! So the end of 1t was that had to
leach Isabella's class the subject that
was mine. $50 braved the critical
Gaze of the front row Of experts. and
;egan. to- make conversation by. way
IF putting ioffi the evil moment.
1T Is highly Important that you
ihould know how to do areas" con-
tinred in an impressive tone. Every
woman should know how to do areas.
Think how useful Il would be- when
you're married and have houses of
your own. to be able to calculate how
much carpet you will want-for your
foors.''
Here the class laid down its pencil
and looked interested.
yawn from Isabella. and the slow
Eggs. reminded me sadly that arith-
netic would In the end be expected Of
me. and ! ran my finger down the
page OF sums with a horrible sensa-
lion OF incapacity. as I saw by the
clock that had filled up exactly four
minutes OF the time. and that the class
IT'LL had Sc in which to hnd me out.
lust as ! was facing that awful pos
Utility OF having to give them . sum
that had not prepared beforehand.
Isabella came to my aid.
II can't. think what's happened to
the stupid thing" she remarked. un.
curling the other leg. SO that they
now both stuck out straight in front
Of her; I've got yards and yards more
carpet in my answer than anybody
else has"
This. l felt certain. was going To
be the moment when my class would
lind me- out, had mastered my own
difficulties overnight. but had not al.
owed for private and particular din.
culties on the part, Of mere pupil
So walked down, quakins. to the bot
ION of my class. 'trippedi over lisa.
bella's, legs. and arrived at her ink
besmeared sum.
Iacould almostn have huggedl her
when I saw what she had done. II
was SO delightful, Of her to make the
an vv,A aIA - L. H.. kas \ H.
made myself. time after time. in my
own school days. / am not even quite
sure that in the watches ofnthe night
before ! had not made II over again
Anyhow. there II was. 'staring at me
rom a page Of misshapen figures that
might have been torn from my. own
notebook just FIVE years earlier. The
mere sight Of II was enough to put
me back suddenly in Isabella's place
at the bottom Of the class--long legs
inky fingers and all.
You see you have multiplied the
walls and the ceiling together. as
well as the floor" Lpointed out to her
You couldn't carpet the walls and
the ceiling. II you come to think Of 1t
now could your"
II suppose you couldn't" admitted
Isabella, though She was evidently not
4 prepared for the idea that arithme
tic carpet could possibly have any
characteristics of ordinary domestic
carpet.
Never mind, well. soon d put II
right" ! went on. encourasingly; "it's
the" mistake ! always used to make