The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-01-03

take her part, the girls turned on
her with the most angry and cut
ting words.
All this happened just before five
o'clock, when it was time to close
tn rooms during supper hour, so
when the younger children, who
had been listening to fairy stories
! in the back room, came out into
the general reading room they stop
ped to listen to the argument.
The assistant was trying to get
the girls out of the building and
they refused to go. Some of them
went out and began drumming on
the piano, while others hid on the
stairway leading up to the lecture
hill. The poor girl tried every
means of persuasion she knew to
get them to leave, but they stub
bornly refused until finally she
took hold of their shoulders and
began pushing them.
Don't touch me" said one Of the
girls defiantly.
Then 80 on out, of your own ac-
cord" answered the assistant as
quietly as she could.
81 won't CO." the girl insisted
dogged!y, as she stood upright and
still in the middle of the room. The
assistant took her bodily and began
pushing her out the door.
TThic n,-ouoI thu oxir1 fhof ch
called the scout leader a most in
sulting name, and the older girl
struck her in the mouth.
Open battle broke out after this.
The girls who had been hiding
rushed out doors with the others
and began throwing mud in the
hallway while they shouted the
worst names they could think of
and threatened all sorts of violen-
ce; but the girl in charge managed
to shut and lock the doors against
them.
The gymnasium teacher had left
few minutes before this, so the
assistant and a teacher who had
been telling fairy stories were left
alone in the building. Some child
rem came around in the other alley
way and beat on the side windows,
while the others pounded on the
front door; and in the meantime
the assistant was explaining to the
teacher what all the trouble was
about, and they were discussing
how best to pacify the young mob.
1t was quite simple, however.
The teacher, who was new to the
children, went out and asked what
they wanted. OF course they said
they were waiting to settle with the
scout leader, SO. the teacher said,
"All right; she'll be out in little
while" Then she began asking
about their plans for Christmas at
school.
At first the answers came sullen-
ly and slowly from boys and girls
(for boys had Joined the forces by
this time); but the teacher kept on
encouraging them to tell what
verses they were learning for
Christmas exercises until they
grew to be a little more responsive
and had come closer to her, espec-
tally when she sang two or three
little nonsense songs which made
them laugh and ask for more In
stead of nonsense, however, the
older woman told them of little
boy in the children's hospital in
Boston, who had been there for two
years and had to lie on his back in
a plaster caste all the time; boy
whose mother was very ill and
whose father was so poor that
Billy probably would not have any
thing very much for Christmas.
Jaw, the poor kid" said one girl
Immediately.
1--WE got some books at home l
can give him." one boy spoke up.
"My mother keeps a bakery and
l can get him some animal crack
ers," one volunteered, while still
said" Down at the five and
ten cent store they have Christmas
trees that fold up, and l can get
him one of them"
ooh, that's fine" exclaimed the
teacher with genuine surprise and
pleasure, "but listen. / have to
take a car down at the corner.
Can't you come with me while we
plan some more?"
And the whole crowd, utterly
their violent threats of