[Sidenote: Taking the Best]
Elizabeth Dyer seemed to be naturally selfish. When the classes were
sent to do blackboard work she invariably chose the place where the
light was the best. When the crayons were passed she took the unused
one. One of the new erasers was always in her hand. When the class was
called she always took the recitation bench nearest the teacher, etc.,
etc.
Little Susan Dillman said to a group of girls on the way home from
school one evening,
“Girls, I’m going to tell Bess Dyer what I think of her.”
“Oh, no, you don’t dare,” said the other girls.
“You’ll see,” said Susan.
That night Susan thought out her plan. She invited three of her closest
friends to her home the next evening and disclosed her plan. She had
composed this bit of rhyme:
“Just guess if you can
What girl in our class
Appropriates always the best,
Be it crayon or book,
By hook or by crook
She’ll beat to it all of the rest.”
“Now girls, here in the library is Sam’s typewriter. Let’s each write a
part of this so we can all say we didn’t write it and lay it on
Elizabeth’s desk tomorrow.” All were agreed, so one after another took a
turn at writing. After many copies were spoiled they finally wrote one
that pleased them. Each took a turn at addressing the envelope. When it
was sealed they said, “E-ne me-ne mi-ne mo,” etc., to find out who was
to place this on Elizabeth’s desk. The lot fell to Lulu Miller, but she
would do it only on condition that Sue go with her and help her place
it. The next morning the girls went to school as soon as the doors were
opened. They found nobody in the assembly room, so they opened
Elizabeth’s geometry text at that day’s lesson. Each took hold of one
corner of the envelope and placed it in the book. Then they returned the
book to the desk and went into the history room where they diligently
studied the maps until school opened.
After opening exercises the four guilty girls watched from a corner of
their eyes to see Elizabeth get her missive. Susan saw her take out the
letter, open it and blush scarlet, while she wiped away tears of
vexation. Soon Elizabeth with letter in hand walked up to Mr. Davidson’s
desk and talked to him a few minutes. When she came away again she
didn’t have the letter.
The girls had not counted upon this turn of affairs.
Before school closed Mr. Davidson asked who put the note in Elizabeth’s
geometry. Nobody answered. He then questioned everybody one at a time
and each answered “No” to the question. “Did you put it there?” Susan
and Lulu tried to think they told the truth because they neither of them
did it alone.
Mr. Davidson said, “All right, we’ll stay right here till we find out
the guilty party.” Some laughed, others pouted and a few who drove to
school from the country looked worried. Mr. Davidson said, “Somebody in
this room knows who did that. I’m sorry to think anybody is mean enough
to keep all of his schoolmates in because he will not tell the truth.”
Still nobody confessed. Mr. Davidson waited and scolded by turns until
dusk, all to no purpose. The girls’ fear of exposure, to say nothing of
confession, grew greater with every speech he made. He finally dismissed
the school, after saying that he would find the culprit and suspend him.
Daily Mr. Davidson referred publicly to the note and made threats as to
what he would do with the guilty one. These frequent references to the
affair helped Elizabeth to remember her fault and practically cured her
of it. But the guilty ones were never found out and Mr. Davidson had
four pupils whose joy and efficiency in school work were greatly
diminished.