It was recess at Miss Capron's school. The girls stood together in one
large group, talking very earnestly.
"I think it was a shame," said Marcia Lewis, "for her to make me face
the corner for an hour, just because I spoke half a dozen words to
Nellie Jones."
"I think so, too," chimed in a half a dozen other voices.
"She delights in showing her authority," said Lottie Barnes.
"So she does, or she wouldn't have kept Anna Mory and me on the
recitation seat, for missing one or two questions in arithmetic."
"Don't you think she is dreadfully cross? I guess if we should try to
keep account of all her cross words and looks, we would have to be
pretty busy."
"Wouldn't that be a nice idea? Let us make a mark on our slates every
time she is cross, and see what a long string of marks we shall get."
"Oh yes! let's do it! Yes! yes!" chimed in a dozen voices in full
chorus.
Poor Miss Capron! With a sinking at her heart she saw the unloving looks
in her scholars' faces as they entered the schoolroom after this stormy
consultation. She had a severe headache that afternoon, so that,
altogether, she did not wear nearly so smiling a face as usual; and the
girls, prejudiced as they were, found ample occasion for setting down
their cross-marks.
Pretty soon Lottie Barnes held up her slate to view, displaying a long
row of marks. Anna Mory imitated her example; then Lottie Jones; and in
less than two minutes the whole school followed suit. This, of course,
called for a reprimand from Miss Capron; and then there was a terrible
clicking of pencils. Soon Marcia Lewis dropped her slate on the floor,
and the next instant every slate was on the floor.
"Girls! girls!" said Miss Capron sternly; "you seem to have banded
yourselves together to trample on the rules of order. I shall proceed no
further with recitations until you have become quiet and orderly."
But even this seemed to fail of producing the desired result. The girls
were quiet only a few minutes. Nellie Jones remembered that she had in
her pocket a bottle of snuff for her grandmother, and in ten minutes the
schoolroom was resounding with sneezes. Next, little paper balls began
to fly mysteriously from all sides, and every girl appeared intent upon
her lesson. Presently, a half-suppressed titter from Marcia Lewis
awakened an answering one from Mattie Lee, and one after another joined,
until at length there was an almost deafening peal of laughter.
"The very spirit of mischief seems to have made headquarters here this
afternoon," said Miss Capron. "It is useless to try to proceed with
recitations, while my whole attention is needed to keep you in order. I
will give you another recess of fifteen minutes, and if you do not
succeed in getting rid of your excess of fun and frolic, I shall take
very prompt and decisive measures to help you."
The girls felt some little twinges of conscience, but, after all, were
quite delighted with the success of their experiment.
"I tell you what it is," said Marcia Lewis, "Miss Capron has no business
to be so awful cross. Only think what a sight of marks we got. Let's act
just as bad when we go into school again, and she will have to dismiss
us, and then we'll all go down to the falls and have a nice time."
"Would'nt it be grand," said Nellie Jones.
"Splendid," replied Mattie Lee.
"Why! what is the matter?" said Mary Paine, who had been absent from
school during the day until then and was surprised to find her usually
pleasant companions so excited. When she had heard the whole story, she
looked very sad:--
"Poor Miss Capron! How could you treat her so!"
"It is just what she deserves for being so cross," said Lottie Barnes.
"Oh, you have been looking at the wrong side, girls. I have heard a
story of a lady who began to find faults in her son's wife. The more she
looked for them, the more she found, until she began to think her
daughter-in-law the most disagreeable person in the world. She used to
talk of her failings to a very dear friend.
"Finally, her friend said to her one day, 'No doubt Jane has her faults,
and very disagreeable ones, but suppose for awhile you try to see what
good qualities you can discover in her character. Really, I am very
curious to know.'
"The good lady was a little offended at her friend's plain suggestion;
but finally concluded to try it; and long before she had discovered half
her good traits, she began to regard Jane as a perfect treasure. Now you
have been doing just as this lady did, in looking for faults. Let us be
like her the rest of the afternoon in looking for pleasant things. Let
us see how many smiles we can get from Miss Capron."
Mary Paine was one of the oldest girls in the school. She gave the girls
subjects for their compositions and helped them out of all their
troubles. So being a favorite they consented, half reluctantly, to do as
she said.
Miss Capron dreaded to ring the bell. The fifteen minutes passed, and
she felt compelled to call her scholars. They entered in perfect order.
[Illustration: "She felt compelled to call her scholars."]
Each took her seat quietly and began studying in real earnest.
Frequently, however, a pleasant smile would seek an answering one from
the teacher, and then one would be added to the rapidly increasing row
of smile-marks. The good order and close application to study, and the
winning looks, soon caused a continual smile to lighten Miss Capron's
face, till the girls finally rubbed out the marks, saying it was of no
use to try to keep account.