The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-11-23
THE CHILDREN'S @ U
THE GIRL THAT NOBODY LIKED.

irene thompson was very sure that
nobody liked her. She had told her
self so again and again, with a queer
Tightening about her heart that was
like a real pain. And then she had
tossed her head and set her lips in a
defiant little smile. Nobody should
know that she cared. Never!
1t was on her eighteenth birthday
tnat Aunt Elizabeth made a suggestion
which caused the girl to open her ewes
and then to laugh a little. 1t was such
an q idea, SO like Aunt Elizabeth!
Then I'm to hold up everybody I
meet till I've said something bril-
liant?" she observed.
Not exactly" Aunt Elizabeth smiled
unruffled. "But I've noticed that you
pass your acquaintances with a mere
nod or a curt Good morning. l wish
you would try the experiment of say
ing something pleasant to each one,
unless there is some good reason
against it."
1T will grow rather tiresome," said
the girl, and she shrugged her Shout
ders.
TRY it for a week." suggested Aunt
Elizabeth; and, rather to her W
surprise, the girl found herself prom
Using.
She came very near forgetting her
pledge when she met Mrs. Anderson
on the street next morning. In fact,
she had passed with her usual uncom-
promising nod, when the recollection
OF her promise flashed into her mind.
She prided herself on being a girl of
her word, and she turned quickly.
How is Jimmy today?" she said,
speaking out the first thing that came
into her head.
Ihere was a good deal of detail in
Mrs. Anderson's answer. Jimmy had
e e sick with measles and then had
caught cold and been worse. Mrs.
Anderson poured out her story as if
it were a relief to find a listener, and
as she talked on, that particular listen
er found herself more interested than
she would have believed possible in
Jimmy and his mother. She said that
she had some old scrapbooks which
Jimmy might enjoy looking over, and
MRS. Anderson flushed and thanked
her with more gratitude than the
slight favor seemed to warrant.
AT the next corner was Cissy Baily.
and the girl wondered if her promise
covered the washerwoman's daughter
and people of that sort. But she did
not let herself wonder very long.
1t was very kind of you to bring
the clothes so early last week, Cissv.
l was in a hurry for that shirt-waist."
C1ssy Baily did not know what to
answer. She smiled in an embarrassed
way, and looked up and then down.
But the girl whom nobody liked had
seen something in the uplifted ewes
which warmed her heart and made
that one-sided conversation one to re-
member.
The day went by and she did not
ind opportunity to say anything very
brilliant. She stopped Mrs. White to
ask II n would like to read the book
she a just finished, and she patted
little Barbara Smiths soft cheek as
she inquired if the new baby sister
had grown at all. When she could
think of nothing else she said: Hasn't
this been a beautiful day." And her
earnestness rather surprised some peo-
pie who had not had opportunity for
realizing that there was anything UNI
usual about the day.
By the time the week was over he
girl who nobody liked had learned a
valuable lesson. She had found out
that hearts respond to cordially and
kindness, just as the strings of one
musical instrument vibrate in unison
with the chord in another. It was not
a new discovery. Yet this is n of
the truths that each person must re-
discover on his or her own account.
And the girl who was learning to love
every one and was tasting the Joy of
being loved, thanked God that she had
not waited any longer before finding
out the wonderful secret for herself.