THE NEW SCHOLAR.
IN a house near the one where Miss Grant boarded was a little girl whose
name was Hitty Moran. Her real name was Mehitable, but her mother and
all her companions called her Hitty. She belonged to a very poor family,
and as she was the eldest of a number of children, her mother thought
she could not spare her to attend school.
From the windows of her chamber, Miss Grant often saw Hitty sitting on
the doorstep, holding a large baby in her arms. She noticed that Hitty
was always kind to her baby brother; that she sung to him, let him pull
her long hair, and never became impatient or fretful with him. All this
interested the kind teacher in the child, and she longed to be of some
use to her.
One day, when she was returning from her school, she overtook Hitty, who
was carrying a heavy basket of potatoes. "Let me help you," said the
teacher, taking hold of the handle.
As they walked along, Miss Grant asked, "Did you ever go to school?"
"No, ma'am," said Hitty; "though I staid in a house once where the
lady's son taught me my letters."
"Should you like to learn?" asked the teacher.
"O, yes, ma'am; sure I should be proud if I could read; but mother has
so much work, and Bobby takes kindly to me, so that she can't spare me
to go to school."
"I should think it could be planned somehow for you to learn," said
Miss Grant, kindly. "I will go in and see your mother this evening."
She did so, and talked with Mrs. Moran of the advantage it would be to
Hitty, if she could learn to read and write.
"Only think," said the lady, "she could teach her brothers their
letters, and read them pretty stories to keep them quiet while you are
busy at work."
"Feth, ma'am, sure, and I've sinse enough to see the truth of what
you're saying," said the poor mother. "Her father often gets a paper
from the ould country; but it's little use to us, you see, because the
spelling and the pronouncing are quite beyont him. I've often enough
wished we could have the luck to give one of the childer an education."
"Can't you spare her to go to school a part of the time?"
"Sure, ma'am, and that's the trouble intirely. The teachers complain
when the childer don't be regular."
Just at this moment one of the children fell down, and began to cry so
loud, that Miss Grant took her leave. She was in earnest about doing
something for Hitty; and she walked as far as Mrs. Gray's, to ask her
advice about it.
"Why don't you allow her to attend your school?" inquired the lady.
"One hour in the day would be better than nothing."
"I should be glad to do so, if I thought the parents would not object,"
answered the teacher. "I think with a little trouble she could be made
to look tidy."
Miss Grant was not at all rich, but when a lady is resolved to do a
kindness, she always finds out a way. She knew that Hitty had no dress
suitable to wear to school. She opened her purse after she had reached
home, and taking out some money she had laid by to purchase a new book,
she walked to the store, and bought some calico to make a child's dress.
On her way back she called at Mrs. Moran's, and told her Hitty might
come to her school every afternoon if her mother could not spare her in
the morning, and that if her mother would try to send her, she would
provide a new gown.
Mrs. Moran was very grateful for this kindness, and promised to get
along without Hitty whenever she could. In three days, the little girl
called for her teacher, her face and hands so bright, and clean, and
rosy, that you would scarcely know her. The dress fitted charmingly, and
the grateful smile and look of delight with which, she regarded herself
when Miss Grant tied on a neat apron with pockets in it, quite repaid
the lady for all her expense and trouble.
Most of the scholars were kind to Hitty, and willingly lent her a slate,
pencil, or book, when their teacher requested it. But one little girl,
whose name I am sorry to say was Nelly, did not like to play with Hitty,
because she lived in such a poor house.
She was ashamed to refuse when her teacher asked her to show the new
scholar how to make the figures on her slate; but she had a pout on her
lips, which Miss Grant had never seen there before, and her voice did
not sound sweet and kind.
When the lady saw these marks of pride in her beloved pupil, it made her
heart ache. She had been so full of love to the poor, ignorant child,
and so anxious to do her good, that she could not bear the thought of
any one in her school treating Hitty unkindly. For a moment she gazed
sorrowfully in Nelly's flushed face, saw her move away from her new
schoolmate as far on the seat as she could, and then she called, "Hitty,
come and sit by me."
Presently Frankie raised his little fat hand, and when she nodded to him
that he had permission to speak, he asked, "May the new girl see me
make pictures on the blackboard?"
"Yes, darling," answered the lady, rising and patting him on his curly
head. "Perhaps you can teach her to make a picture too."
"See, Hitty," said Frankie; "this is the way to do it;" and the dear boy
stood very erect and proud of the confidence of his teacher.
When Miss Grant glanced toward Nelly, she was sorry to see that the
little girl looked angry, that her cousin was taking so much pains with
the new girl, and that he seemed so happy in doing it.
Shall I tell you what I think the bad spirit was whispering in her ear?
It was this: "Nelly, your father is rich; you live in a fine house and
wear nice clothes; you are right not to like to sit by Hitty, who is
very poor and ignorant."
Ah, my little girl, do you remember who has given you so many blessings?
It is God; but if you are not grateful to him, and kind to those who are
less favored, he may take away your father and mother, and leave you
without home or friends.