The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-17

N-' W @@e>+ VI AVi Soit--pul II WaSn Tor me. I'm jes awful smart. Nils. Norton said so, an guess she oughte, know, cause she's the teacher"
 ls-is she nice?" asked Belinda
 des hopes she is, cause I'm nawfu
 fraid--,'
 she's awfuli" Beatrice interrupted eagerly. She jes scares you tc death An she's mean an cross an an she-she slaps you if-if you even say Jack Robinson, so she will, oh. she's awful. Of course I wasn., scared of her, cause she liked me and she knew l wasn't 'fraid of her. Bu, you'll be scared of her, Belinda. an an feel jes' awful sorry for you,,
 Poor Belinda. This seemed the last straw. She stopped short, her pretty blue eyes wide with terror and her lit. tie knees webbing under her. She turned slowly about ..Ise going home -l is.' she declared ''rse not going to school"
 Beatrice grinned. '.If you don't go. T she explained gleefully, Miss Norton will come an'-an' take you an'-keep you in-an' slap you an'-oh, Belinda, have you studied your lesson ?''
 hwh--what ?" asked the bewild cred Belinda.
 Your lesson. Oh if you haven't I feel sorry for you Miss Norton is jes' awful to little girls what haven't studied their lessons"
 Belinda felt that if the earth would only open and swallow her she'd be thankful. Her lesson? Of course she hadn't studied it, How could she, when she didn't know what it was !? Her kindergarten teacher always gave the children a lesson to study each night but-but according to what Bea- trice said this awful Miss Norton would expect her to have her lesson all studied-even without telling her what page to study. 'I'se going home." she repeated, tears coming into her eyes.
 Quickly Beatrice put an arm around her shoulder. "Oh. no, don't do that' she urged, a little fearful that she may have gone too far in her teas ing. That would be awful, Belinda. Maybe-maybe Miss Norton won't be mad today. If you go home shell think you are playing hookeyl"
 Poor Belinda was so bewildered that she didn't know what to do; so she suffered herself to be led along by Beatrice Her heart, she was cer- tain, was all the way up in her throat and she wouldn't have been a bit sur prised had 1t popped right out
 A few more steps and they were al- most at the school house door Just then Beatrice clutched Belinda tightly by the arm Look" she whispered ihoarsely. there's Miss Norton." Belinda looked. There, just about to enter the doorway she saw a pretty young lady. It was the ogre---the aw- ful, mean Miss Norton,
 And just then Miss Norton espied the two little girls. She stopped, turned and came toward them
 Poor Belinda fairly shook in her shoes. And even Beatrice seemed to be frightened.
 Good morning, Beatrice,o said a soft, kindly voice. 'Is this little Be- linda Jones with you? Oh, you dear little girl''-turning to Belinda and smiling down at her-"how glad I am that you are to be one of my pupils 'his veal IouI Mdf11Dld IS an old friend of mine and she has told me what nice little girl you are. I trust we shall love each other very. very much. Come. my dear. give me your hand, we shall walk to school together and I'll show you your cunning little desk-'
 Belinda could scarcely believe her ears. And when Miss Norton patted her affectionately on the cheek-why. 1t felt almost like her own mother's soft, comforting hand, She looked at Beatrice in a puzzled way. But Bea- trice was hanging her head and didn't dare look at her.
 Now all that, mind you, was quite B few weeks ago Today, Belinda just loves her teacher. She just knows she is the dearest. sweetest, kindest teacher in all the world And she can't imagine how she could ever have been so frightened about going to school
 She isn't quite certain, but she is beginning to understand that Beatrice. Beatrice, was teasing her She does know, however, that not a hing which Beatrice said about Miss Norton Is true.
 All of which goes to show how silly t is to dread thing which. has to be lone and to make up your mind that t is going to be "jes' nawful"--before you have found out for yourself.
 Don't you think SO?