| Show TALL JANE yon dont mean janas mrs ward yes I 1 do why its larger than jonm 1 I know it ashes taller than I 1 be ashes grown all out of everything lately ive let down tucks an hems an pieced at the top an now her pink gingham is most up to her knees I 1 had to buy her this new BO shed look decent to go to school jane come here a minute then jane came in hesitatingly her small head with its mat of fair braids drooped forlornly her slender shoulders were bent she pulled down her pink skirt nervously trying to make it longer stand up here side of me ordered her mother 1 I want mrs mason to see how much taller you be janes prel young face flushed pink she stood beside her mother and the tears started in her eyes although she tried to smile yon cant get through the door if you dont stop pretty soon jane laughed mrs mason who was visiting the wards 1 I never see such a sight an she aint over fourteen she aint fifteen till next month replied mrs ward au if she dont git her growth till ashes eighteen I 1 dont know where she 11 ll be her father tells her hea goin to hire her out by an by for a telegraph pole jane laughed feebly when her mother and mrs ward did then she stole back to the nd the tears rolled down it was nearly time for her to start to school presently her mother came with her dinner pail heres dinner said she better start before long so as not to hurry its it pretty warm domn desm said jane she kept her faco turned away from her mother so her tear stained eyes should not be noticed yon shall have your new dress to wear tomorrow said her mother as she finally started with her school books under her arm and the dinner pail swinging you shan t wear that short thins jane tugged at her as she went out of the yard she even stooped a little to make it look longer nobody knew how sore janes heart was over her li eight she had a mile to walk to school and she never thought of any thing else all the way presently she came to a large white house with a crabapple cra happle tree in the front yard mary etta and maria stair lived there and she saw the flutter of their blue dresses at the gate they were waiting for her hullom Hul lol said mary etta as jane drew near hullom Hul lol responded jane trying to make her voice cheerful maria was eating a crabapple and did not say hullom hul lol but presently both she and her sister stared wonderingly at jane the matter asked mary etta finally nothings tho matter yes there is too youve been bryin jane aard nothing ashes mad said maria mary etta lingered the matter she asked again quite lovingly No thins the matter I 1 wish let me alone cried jane a of tears Tha enough mary etta and maria hurried up the road with curl bewitches bw itches of their blue starched skirts and jane plodded miserably ou behind poor jane was the tallest girl in school and not only that but the tallest scholar not one of the boys was as tall as she and not only that but she was callei than the teacher it did seem to jam that the committee ought to have chosen a teacher who was taller out of regard to the becoming and suitable appearance pe arance of the school A stranger might almost have taken her for the teacher especially since her hair was done up when the runs her desk her pink shoulders and her pretty pink face above all the others she looked like a tall pink hollyhock in a bed of daisies this was a trying mo dat for her the committee cams to visit the school and a strange gentleman and his wife came with jane distinctly saw this strange lady turn her white plumed head toward her then whisper to her husband then she saw him look at her and ask one of the committeemen who that tall girl was she could tell what he said by the mo tion of hia lips then he told and a little smile stole over her serene face between its soft curls of blade hair jane thought she was laughing at her she did not dream that the lady had noticed her because her face was so pretty and not because she was so tall the geography class came anu were still there jane filed out with the rest she thought she had her lesson perfectly but she missed in bounding uruguay and had to go down A little bit of a girl in a long sleeved apron went above her she had a conviction that the visitors were baying that great with her hair done girl tall grown up miss up brought her next however the change ahei shuffled bis bare to robert Came uneasily on the line as he bounded toes venezuela in a high sweet voice then but wholly he cast a quick she glance at jane which sympathetic but it comforted felt rather than saw she and robert were nasr neigh her bora and when children had played together a great abai but the came when one of tha committeemen addressed addi essed the school and in the course of his remarks said distinctly that intellect was not to bs measured by size and he often noticed that the smallest scholars had their lessons much better than those who were taller and older jane felt that he referred to her and little hattie baker and the bounding of uruguay Urr guay her cheeks burned hotter and hotter maria starr who was three desks off in the same row leaned forward until she could see her and tittered mary etta in alie seat behind pulled her sisters arm to make lier stop but she did not heed jane saw the committee and the strange lady and gentleman go out while the teacher stood courtes ying at the door and all through a nearing cloud of tears when the door closed after the company she her arms around her face aud laid it down on the desk the teacher came and stood beside her and asked her what the matter was jane only shook her head and wept are you bick asked the teacher bending low over her no miam m iam sobbed jane she would not say another word and the teacher went back to her desk and called a class jane she said presently in a clear authoritative voice you may go out and get a pail of water the ment it very kindly it was consi derel quite a privilege to get a pail of welter and then pass it around in a tin dipper she thought it would serve to distract janes mind from her grief whatever it might be but it was dreadful for poor jane to pull herself up to her full height and crawl slowly down the aisle with her arms crooked in a pink ring around her face and all the looking she stumbled over a protruding nail and everybody tittered and the teacher called out dushl sharply jane went out with the water pail but instead of filling it from the pump near the school house ehe sat it down on the platform and fled desperately down the road to a little bridge over a brook her mind was made up she would not go back to school she had na been so miserable in her life and the cibery was all the greater because she was ashamed of it and ashamed to confess it she did not want to tell even her mother that she minded so much because she was tall she crouched low down in the bushes and wept presently she heard a quick patter of bare feet on the bridge then a break in the bushes callol Hal lol called a hesitating voice jane made no sound ho you play yon aint there said the voice 1 see yon come in here I 1 waa looking out of the window I 1 raised my hand when teacher asked where you was and she pent me out here to fetch the water and to tell yon to come in jane looked up and saw a boys face peering down at her from the top of the bank his brown cheeks flushing his red lips parting in a bashful laugh 1 I aint ever going back to school robbie 7 said jane with a sob all the old childish comradeship seemed to come back to her she had not seen much of him for a year or two she hr d played more with girl 1 I dont care youre the prettiest girl in school anyhow said robert in a shamefaced way why robert games I 1 aint yes yon are oh robbie maybe I 1 shall be taller than I 1 am now 1 I dont care if you are always be the prettiest come along 1 I aint going back to school teacher wont like it 1 I cant help it oh come along 1 I wont the girls pink face turned tip toward him like a pink flower from the bushes there was a look in it that the boy knew well he knew that when his old playmate said 1 I wont in that tone ehe robert seated himself antha bank and began to whistle jane looked at him she could see his slender shoulders in his little homemade blue and white chirt and hia handsome face gazing ahead abstractedly edly as he whistled why dont yon go back to school she asked oh I 1 aint going back if yon aint why not id like to know cause I 1 aint say mary etta has got her head down on her desk crying cause yon dont come in and I 1 seen maria passing along some crab apples to put iu conr desk jane said nothing robert whistled again jane waited a minute well come said she you go ahead and get the water there was a leap of hare feet over the bridge and jany came out from the oe flower butterflies with undefined conviction that brought comfort in her childish heart that however tall she grew although she might outgrow all her dreb pes she would never outgrow love marv E willgus in boston globe |
