The Springfield herald., 1913-03-21

her two hundred girls. for
three years; and, sometimes.
she suspected that Florence knew 1t.
Miss Wing sat at her desk. 1t was
large desk of oak, always kept In
blameless order. No one could recall
seeing more than one letter at time
lying on the blotter. Any others. yet
unread. lay in the wicker tray to the
left; the letters read but not answered
were in the wicker tray to the right;
the answered letters were In appropri'
ate pigeonholes or in ashes. Miss Wing
being firm believer in fire as conf
iential agent About the desk hung
the most interesting object in the
room, to the schoolgirls: in fact II
would be hard to gauge justly the In
fuence this one, mute and motionless,
had over their young imaginations;
or how far 1t was responsible for the
rose-tinted halo that beyond doubt,
glorified the principal for them. The
object was a picture, the picture of
young man in the uniform of a captain
in the German cuirassiers. His thick
light hair was brushed back from a
fine and candid forehead. A smile
creased his cheek under the warlike
curl of his mustache. II was smile
so happy and so friendly in its hap
piness, that 1t won the behplder. The
eyes were not large, but even in the
black and white of photograph tthe
portrait was an ordinary cabinet
carte) they seemed to sparkle. The
young fellows figure was superb, and
held with a military precision and
jauntiness. One said. looking at the
whole presence This man is good
fellow" Viewing him more closely,
one might add. And he Is in love"
The picture was framed handsomely
In gilded frame. On the desk below,
an exquisite vase of Venice lifted a
single, perfect rose. For 10 years
flower had always bloomed thus. Miss
Wing had hung the picture herself, Is
years ago Then. she was the new
principal, and the school was but half
Its size; and the village people ex-
claimed at trusting such a girl with
so much responsibility. During those
Is years the new building had been
built. the school had grown and flour
ished; and the gray had crept into
Margaret Wings bright hair. She had
SO often put on mourning for her near
kindred that she had assumed 1t as
her permanent garb. To the certain
tand ecstatic) knowledge of the school.
she had refused divers offers OF mar
riage from citizens of good repute
and substance But during all the
changing years, the picture had kept
its place and the fresh flowers had
bloomed below. No girl could remem-
ber the desk without the picture: and
when the old girls visited the school.
their eyes would instinctlvely seek 1t
in its old place; always with a little
moving Of the heart. Yet no one
ever alluded to 1t to the principal;
and no one. not her most trusted
teacher. nor her best loved pupil. had
ever heard the principal speak of It.
The name of the pictured soldier, his
story, his relation to Miss Wing; Miss
Wings nearest kindred and friends
knew as much about all these as the
school-and that was nothing. Never
theless. the school tradition reported
part of name on the authority of a
single incident. Years ago an acci-
dent happened to the picture. 1t was
the principals custom to carry 1t with
her on her journeys. however brief;
always taking 1t down and putting it
back in its place herself On this oc-
= casion the floor had been newly pol
ished. and in hanging the picture her
chair on which she stood slipped and
she fell, while the picture dropped out
of her grasp. One of the girls. who
was passing. ran to her aid; but she
had crawled toward the picture and
would have 1t in her hands before she
allowed the girl to aid her to rise-a
circumstance. you may be sure. not
likely to escape the sharp young eyes.
Neither did these same eyes miss the
further circumstance that the jar had
shifted the carte in the frame and a
line OF writing hitherto hidden. was
staring out at the world. The hand
was the sharp, minute German hand,
but the words were English; the girl
took them in at an eyeblink, as she
handed the picture to Miss Wing;
Thine for ever. Max Miss Wing
made no comment; perhaps she. sup
posed that the girl had not seen, per
haps-in any case she was silent.
OF course. the new light flooded the
school gossip Immediately. But there
never came any more; every new girl
was free to work her own will on Miss
Wings romance. Was Max" dead
Had they parted because OF any act on
the woman's part? Surely he could
not have been false, to receive that
daily oblation OF flowers. 1t was more
likely that she thus expressed an I'm
perishable regret. Youth, ever fanci
full, played with all manner OF dainty
and plaintive variations on the theme
Its very mystery was Its poignant
charm; since each tender young soul
created new romance and a new ap-
peal. Elusive and pathetic, 1t hovered
on the edge OF these young lives. like
the perfume Of flower. And its in
fiuence was the more potent that 1t
asked for nothing. 1t is not too much
to say that the spectacle of that gen
tie and reticent faithfulness was the
strongest element In the school at
mosphere. Certainly. because of It.
Miss Wing had greater power over
her scholars. She was a woman OF
ability and gentle force; by nature q
little aloof. little precise. able to
feel deeply. but not able to express
1T Z,