Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-22


finished and begin capstaning things
with 1t. and SO l wouldn't he home
when they got it done. l wanted to
be there when they started to use it.
80 that made me feel mean one way
and teacher made me feel meancr.
another way.
MISS Millet was my teacher and
guess I like her all right. ! like her
better than any teacher l ever had.
So all l did was not know my geog-
raphy lesson. or my arithmetic lesson.
or my grammar lesson. or my history,
and missed in spelling.
So she kept me in to study and it
was a o'clock pretty soon AID she
put her papers in her de,,t ard shut
down the lid and came back to my
seat. Everybody else had gone home,
l was sort of scared. I thought she
was going to say her patience was
exhausted and then whale me with the
raWhide she kept in the closet.
But she didn't. She came back to
where l was and when she got to my
seat she sat down in 1t beside me and
] had to move over so she would have
hands In my pockets but Of course I
dldnt know what she was going to
do. and tho first thing she dil was to
put her left hand on top. of my hand
and hold it like that. on top of my
desk: So l tried to pull it away. but
her right arm-along the desk back
OF me and ! felt mighty mean. A boy
don't like to be armedaround that
way. or his hand held like that.
George" she said. "What is it,
Why are You acting the way YOU are:
me?"
Well I couldn't say anything to
that. could 1? just looked at the top
OF the desk and kind of moved my
feet around.
Tell mel" she said. as if she wasn't
mad m at all, but as if she was sorry;
Il can't understand. 1t is no use for
you to pretend you can't learn your
lessons, for ! have seen that it is no
trouble at all for you, when you want
TO. Ana you are such naturally
good, well behaved boy at heart-why
not" Are you doing it to distress me?'
! guess l said NO" / guess l sort
OF said it. I don't know what I said
! felt pretty bad; with my hand held
like that and her arm right there and
liable to get around my shoulders the
fond OF them and they tisappoint her
and she has to talk with them and
makes them cry.
asked.
Well you can't blat right out and
say nothing was the matter only you
didn't feel like learning any old les
sons or anything, can YOU: There
wasn't anything the matter. ] didn't
have it IN for teacher or anything.
just didn't feel like learning any les
sons about then and it WAS mean of
because I didn't like her or some
thing. So didn't say anything. | sort
or Scfooged down so she couldn't put
her arm around me any more than it
was. -
rs it Mamie Little?" she asked then.
say and l guess she knew it was. be-
cause Mamie Little is my girl and
when fellow has girl HON fight
any fellow that says she is his girl,
put ne cant fight his teacher when
she says it.
II think it must be Mamie Little,
GEORGE she said next. "because /
nave noticed you seem to keen your
Eyes a on her more than you do on your
That did make me souirm. I guess.
anybody coming along RIGHT OUT ana
talkinG to a fellow about his girl like
mat! But that wasn't the worst. She
wasn't hardly started,
uoh D anne you for liking Ma
ME George" she said. she is n
sweet child and | love her too. and
S Sn, s lag TO , see that YOU are fond OF
IKE you better IL You learned yo,lr
lessons and behaved in a manner shr
touiu admire instead of trying to al
tiact her attention by smarty tricks"
ION, You think boy with your abil-
ny SHOULD try to impress her by his
tMcsllemcc rather than by his sn.arty
Gee, | felt mean! Running fell
lows girl in on him like that, / WAS
SO ashamed all over that ! coulIn.,
move. / didn't dare to move cyan n
niger. l couldn't do anything bnt
swallow. '''''s "'''
Now. wo won't say any;clu : more
I ~, she said, and she patted my
mana. Patted my hand. you know
how much l like you. George. and
now proud | usually am Of you. AMI
! KNOW Mamie is fond of you, TOO. |
dont think you need to be a smartv
10 attract her. If you won't do il for
me, tell me YOU will try t. lear,
your lessons and behave b. tsr. on
you? Say you will"
guess maybe l tried to "a, I
would but l couldn't oven swallow.
l dldnt know how I'd ever get aWnv
from there. because Miss Millet miuLt
stay until | said Eyes" or something.
and ! couldn't work my voice; it had
dfieu up, | guess Rut I didn'i have
hand on my head and left Ii tre,r !,
minute. and then she smiled aud
then jumped up as IL cvcrythin. was
hNrd and ] had said ! would, a,i,, she