Tillie: A Mennonite Maid

er close proximity to the teacher-so close that she could catch the sweet, wonderful fragrance of her clo

find herself in the heaven of sitting on Miss Margaret's lap, her head against her breast and Miss Margaret's soft hand smoothing her cheek and hair. And it was in that blissful moment that Tillie had discovere

again in school; but, such is Nature'

efore her desk with a watchful eye on the troops of children crowding in from the p

aan. Indeed, she was so wholly different from any one Tillie had ever seen in her life, that to the child's adoring heart she was nothing less than a miracle. Surely no one but Cinderella had ever been so beautiful! And how different, too, were her clothes from those of the other young ladies of New Canaan, and, oh, so

alect of the neighborhood led to complication

refinger as Tillie stood at her side and thereby causing that sm

r. Tillie wondered how Miss Margaret could like HER! Wh

often whispered to herse

p says to ast you will you give me the darst

need not come back, honey-it wouldn't be

whether I have the darst to go home till half-past three. Pop he's went to Lancaster, and he'll be

s a conundrum, Tillie? How your father be in Lancaster now and yet be home until half-past three? It's uncanny. Unless," she

d Tillie apologetically, "like what you can.

ingers through Tillie's hair. "But you would rather stay in school until

to get them beds through till Saturday market a'ready, an

you can'

face as, instead of answering, she nervousl

blame YOU, honey, if I

it my fault, Miss Margaret. If I

," Miss Margaret gently said, patting the child's sho

am, Miss

writing of her composition, so fascinating was it just to revel idly in the sense of the touch of that

"Just try to write simply of what you see or feel, and

per all that she "felt" about her divinity. But s

blue sky of the October afternoon-until presently her ear was caught by the sound of Miss Margaret's voice

your composi

dren of twelve or thirteen. However, as learning was considered in New Canaan a superfluous and wholly unnecessary adjunct to the means of livin

is long-suffering teacher, "I can't think of no subjeck"; and at last Miss Margaret had

t at present. Isn't there some one thing you ca

d at her blankly

think I know one thing you have been interest

th a laugh, and Miss Margaret had smiled with

had taken her su

from the window, her contemplation of her own composition arrested by

salom. "I didn't get it thro

it this whole blessed day! Y

off som

argaret, "let us hear

sheet of paper an

IR

e to, about Girls, is that they are alw

d slowly fold

id Miss Margare

l the fu't

ly lifted the lid of her desk, evidently to search for

eading-lesson now

cher and fix it on her own work, but the gay, glad

n th

tter hour come

thy s

ecked the flo

t stanza of "The Bells" fell to him. It had transpired in the reading of "Thanatopsis" that a grave and solemn tone best s

merriment their m

," Lizzie raised her hand to offer a critic

Gesticulation in Public Speaking, and Miss Margaret found the results of his labors so

gestures," sulkil

nsoled him-which indifference on her part s

synonyms you found in these two poem

iss Margaret looked up and spoke to Tillie, reminding her gently that that comp

ught in an idleness that had to be reproved,

tion in Pennsylvania,-and with highly colored chromo portraits of Washington, Lincoln, Grant, and Garfield. Then there were a number of framed mottos:

dered to the window and gazed out into the blue sky; and after a few moments

ing crossed, the rest went smoothly eno

ENI

the sun is setting so red in the West, and the birds are singing around us, and the

f I had the dare, when the children ar

come. The thought has come to me, still, that I hope the closing of my life

A MARIA

n Tillie carried her composition to the desk, and Absalom

earnt them cinnamons. Pop he says what's the use learnin' TW

accustomed, under the rule of Miss Margaret's predecessors, t

am," she cheerfully told him. "So you may

nt away. Poor Miss Margaret did not seem to realize her own danger. Tillie felt tempted to warn her. It was only this morning that the teacher had laughed at Absalom when he said that the Declaration of Independence was "a treaty between the United States and England,"-and had asked him, "Which country, do yo

spoken his first piece. His pious Methodist grandmother had endeavored to teach him a little hymn to speak on the great occasion, while his frivolous aunt from the city of Lancaster had tried at the same time to teac

bank the Ba

ckles on

he sat, a tiny girl of five, in the audience, listening to Absalom

was not at that time a school director) that had to stay after school; and though every one knew it wasn't fair, it had been accepted without crit

ctly blind to the perils of her positi

the little girl left her desk to go home, a wonderfu

You may take it home, and when you have read it, bring

ater happiness to handle something belonging to Miss Margaret and to real

llie. Have you ev

Only li

ha

e go to the Sunday-school, and I still bring home li-bry books. P

t it when you have read it. You will find it so interesting, I'm afr

at the title,-Ivanhoe,"-and turned over

ve her!" throbbed her