Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1912-09-12
THE LITTLE RAG MUFFIN

y
lie schools at School Day" last q
spring. Another will appear next n
week written by Tom Ruffin. OF
Charles City. The Gazette viii give '
space TO all school news from any
of the Peninsula counties. when
nailed US in such shape as will make
interesting reading. The following
essay WOE first prize.-EdO
Il was in December when the Ar
holds moved into this county so little .
Nellie could not startto school until I
the middle term.
Il was q lovely morning 10 January
when she left home with her books
and lunch basket. Her mother
walked as far as the gate with her
and as she kissed her good bye told
her not 10 mind If the children laugh
ed at her shabby clothes. but 10 be
brave and not to get mad at what
ever they might say to her.
When Nellie reached school all OF
the children laughed at her because
c her dress was old and worn and her
stockings had holes il them; the
a children called her rag muffin
D AS the teacher had not come the
children had plenty of time to tease
IS poor little Nellie and Try to max
y her as miserable as possible. Blu
4 she did not get mad and only smiled
when they pointed their fingers a
Il her and called her little rag muffin
In little while the teacher came
Her name was Miss Edna Earl. Sh
was very young and pretty and a
OF the children loved her very dearly
- though they did not respect her a
- they should have done. She 70
" was inclined TO call Nellie a "a
> muffin, but she had too much polit'
< ness 10 say SO even TO the childrc
who crowded around her asking 81
what she thought OF hernew sehols
She did not answer them but We
and rang the Dell and the moi,
group took their places and went
1 studying while Miss Earl clsssific
little Nellie. She was very muC
"s surprised 10 find that Nellie was
ur Algebra aud Latin and all OF 4
other high school studies with d
c. advanced clrss. She told Nellie
stand up and she would AJAX b
some or the vocabulariss. Nj
Earl was astonished TO find that M
FAX lie knew every word. then she pick
out a real difficult sentence in Lat
zen and put it on the board for Nellie
49, read, but first she asked the rest
we the class TO read il. All of the
ne, tried but allied 10 read II correct
lso Then she called on Nellie and TO b
U.s. use surprise Nellie read it slowly .
one correctly. All OF the children Il
very much ashamed of themselv
- for letting her beat them readl
Latin.
and The next lesson vas English ht'
allure. Miss Earl had a large cls
AL. in that aud as Nellie was the small.
OF she was put at the foot. AL OF I
mes children said that she ought TO
e OF put in the primer class. But WI
her turn cane to read every one y
surprised Her sweet musical 70
. 3! rang ouI through the room and
sounded lake the sweetest music a!
. . ~ ~ rang clearer and sweeter until all
4 Is the room was filled with its swe
y ~ ness.
p ~ Miss Earl sat like one ia a DIRE
81 W md even the little children stops
Il Al scnobling on their states and
70 W ened.
- - But Nellie read on and on. nc
~ stopping until she had reached
90 90 end of the lesson. then she clio
20 ~ the book and handed it to Miss <
Reading is my favorite stud
90 II she SAID sweetly.
- -, IuSf then the SuDerintendent c,