Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1910-03-24
The P roblen
of Gloriianna

cNSsSAASA
her desk.
why" she asked the small colored
girl, didn't you enter with the rest of
the class at the beginning of the
term?"
"Ah'm very delicate-like, teachah,"
explained the child. "My nav, she
don't nevah expect to raise me, no
ma'am." She rolled her great eyes af-
fectedly. so All amt nevah ben to
school much. De teachahs all has took
mighty good care of me in the schools
Alive ben at; Alive ben to five al
ready. De las teacnah she always
called me angel-chile' She suah wuz
nice lady, she wuz!"
What is your name?" asked the
teacher.
"Gloryannah Annabel Snow. Yes.
ma'am. All was named for NAH two
aunts. Dey wuz very beautiful ladies'
Nah Aunt Gloryannah he'd the mos
! beautifulles' long yellah hair an wife
skin an blue eyes. Nah muthah says
All take after nah Aunt Gloryannah
terrible close"
The teached looked at her round
chocolate face and kinky little braids
and could not conceal a smile.
AN nah oddah aunt-Aunt Anna
bel, that wuz-hed the mos beautiful.
les red hair, long an straight"
The teacher felt called upon to in.
terrupt this romance.
what is your fathers name?"
"Ah amt got no fathah Nah muth.
abs widow lady. Hits awful stylish
to be widow ladies an weah long black
wells. All don't nevah remembah nah
fathah, but NAH muthah she got heb.
self long veil las wintah an she
suah does look fine. When Ah'm
growed up Aim goin' to be a widow
lady, too"
What is your mothers name?" in.
quired the teacher.
Nah muthah? Oh, she's awful styl-
ish with front names. She mos always
keeps heb end name, but she changes
heb front names real often. JUS now
hits Arabella Vivienne."
What is your mothers occupa-
tion?" The teacher glanced at the
clock uneasily, regretting the waste of
time.
"Oh, nah muthah, she used to wash
fob few ladies. She say if you want
any washin' done she'll do hit right
reasonable. But now she say that no
ladies goes washin' no noah. Dey all
cahries liz bags an go manicurin an
haihdressin' So when they asks nah
muthah wheah she goin' she say she
goin' to board meetin'!"
Very wei, Glorianna. Now take
that front seat and work the arith.
metic lesson on the board"
Glorianna took the seat When the
half hour was up the monitors collect.
ed the children's papers aud reported
that the new pupil had none
"Glorianna," said the teacher, Sc,
verely, where is your arithmetic pa.
peri"
"Ah amt got none, teachah," ex.
planned the child. "Ah nevah does nc
numbahs. All don't like numbahs-
nevah did. So when the oddahs does
their numbahs All composes poetry
Ah'll recite you the po'try All com
posed when the children wuz dom
theih numbahs. Hits bout you-ali's
eyes, beguilingly to the teacher.
No. thank you. Glorianna. Here
after you will do your numbers as the
rest do If you intend to stay in this
room. All children must be industrious
here. What would you do If you grew
| n no q h ir1
numbers? Wouldn't you be ashamed?'
No, ma'am. All amt nevah gon' to
be big girl. Aim goin' TO be re-
fined an delicate when All grows up
yes, ma'am. An nah muthah says ez
long ez Ah'm aristocratic an artistic
an hez 'complishments All don need
no 'rathmetic an sech things. All kin
sing, too. Alive sung a. the nickel
theatah lots NV times. Once All got
so cents. Now I'll sing TO- you-a,l."
Fortunately the dismissal bell rams
before Glorianna had time to mention
any more accomplishments for ths
other pupils were spellbound by he,
eloQuence.
However, in the following week the
budding poetess was compelled to dc
her numbers" three times, mucn &c
her disgust. She coaxed. pleaded
scolded, tiattered and sulked to nc
avail. The teacher was callous to he,
wiles Still that capable young person
found she could not curb Glorianna's
flow Of speech. G!orianIa talked al
mos. increasingly. Her leadership
stirred the gentle little ones to disohe
dience more than once. They all de
clde.l that numbers" was unnecessary
and their once idolized teacher was
nearly distracted by their disobedi
ence.
Glorianna came to school one day
WITH an added air of Importance. She
handed her teacher a note written on
higkly scented pink paper. 1t an.
nounced that her mother was about to
move to more refined" neighbour
hood and that Glorianna consequently
could go to school where the teacher
/ WOuI0 he moro