The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-10-22
PROBLEM OF PICKLES
How Careful Teaching Brought
Student to Front.
By G. A. BURLINGTON.

BY G. n. IOHNINOiO N.
1t was the first day of the fall term
and Bethel's village high school was
filled even to the front row. The
chairman of the school committee en-
tered for a moment after the opening
exercises. surveyed the scholars hur.
riedly, and a. he left remarked In an
undertone to the new teacher that she
must not be bothered by that boy In
the corner front seat
He cant learn. you know We put
him in this room just because he
seemed to fit these seats better than
those in the lower grades. He comes
from good.for-nothing family about
t'|e miles out. He isn't really bright,
or he would have learned something
by this time and he tapped his fore
head significantly. Just give him
hooks and let him alone Guess that
will be the best way And the chair.
man smiled himself out Of the room.
Pickles attention was divided that
first morning between gazing dreamily
at United States history lying open
before him. and at Miss Stone. who to
him vas person from another world.
Indeed, Bethel itself had not had so
trim aud dainty high school teach
er for many years as was this girl just
out of college. When she became
aware that two large brown eyes were
studying her intently she turned upon
Pickles smiling look of interest
She wondered that such thoughtful
eyes should belong to boy who was
mentally deficient
Pickles was conscious of the smile.
but looked around to see for whom 1t
was intended. When he realized that
the pretty teacher had smiled at him,
as she had at the other boys and girls,
ne met her eyes in surprise. while
deep red flush crept slowly to his
cheeks. And as the late afternoon sun
fell across the schoolroom and played
upon his desk a warm glow stole into
his heart.
That afternoon on his way home
from school. after the first mile, he
left the road and walked along by the
brook, for its babbling and gurgling
kept him company. He often followed
this brook for miles on hot summer
days and again in the spring when 1t
was loud and noisy with the melted
SHOWS. He had never had playfellow
and scarcely ever talked to any one.
His blind old grandfather. whose
mind and body failed little week by
week, only occasionally talked to him
now OF the "baars" that used to come
in the pasture.
1t was familiar sight to the neigh.
mors, as they rode to the village, to see
Pickles, ragged and dirty. seated on =
messy stone gazing intently at the
water as It gurglcd and sparkled past
him to the valley below
At the end Of the first month of the
fall term Bethel had awakened to the
TACT that pretty Miss Stone was al un-
usual person She ruled her little
school with a smiling flrlnuess that
had surprised pupils and parents alike,
and she had seemingly disregarded
the committeemans injunction to let
Pickles alone On the second day she
had called on him to recite his his
tory, and as the room Uttered hyster-
ically, she had turned upon them with
blazing eyes and so stern rebuke
that they were shamed into silence
She had observed that Pickles never
brought dinner pail, SO she decided to
eat her lunch at the school room and
send Pickles to her boarding place for
H. This gave her the excuse she wish
ed to repay him with a share Of her
ample warm lunch, and to talk with
him aboat his lessons She had made
up her mind that Pickles was her mis-
sion in Bethel, and that nothing should
prevent her from proving that the boy
was not really stupid only neglected
and underfed
Pickles had days when neither his
mother nor Miss Stone could hold him
to his school work days when he
would leave everything and ramble
off to follow the brooks Neverthe-
less, task after task ne mastered, so
that Miss Stone finally ceased to be
surprised when he knew his geogra-
ply or history lesson. She refrained
from calling on him to recite often,
for at those times he seemed wholly
overcome with embarrassment. Rut
his papers became more nearly cor
rect and neat 1t was evident that In
preceding years. when he had seemed
to be gazing emptily at his books. he
had actually learned much of their
contents
u was customary in Bethel at the
end of the spring term To hold general
school exercises. which included the
graduation of the senior class and the
promotion Of the pupils in the other
classes When II became certain that
Pickles had mind and was trying to