. "You are cheats, and to cheat is to lie. And further, the
class has failed in drawing."

A bell rang. Recess was over.

The teacher, regarding them coldly, picked up the chalk, and turned to
write on the board, "If a man----"

Examination in "New Eclectic Practical and Mental Primary Arithmetic"
had begun.

The Third Reader Class, stunned, picked up its pencils. Miss Jenny had
feared for them in arithmetic. They had feared for themselves. They were
cheats and liars and they had failed. And the knowledge did not make
them feel confident. They were cheats, and a suspicious and cold
surveillance on the part of the teacher kept them reminded that she
looked upon them as cheats and watched them accordingly. Misery and
despair were their portion. And further, failure. In their state of mind
it was inevitable for them to get lost in the maze of conditions
surrounding "If a man----"

They did better next day in geography and reading. They passed on Friday
in spelling and penmanship.

But the terrible fact remained--the teacher had declared them cheats and
liars. If they could only see Miss Jenny. Miss Jenny would understand.
Miss Jenny would make it all right after she returned.

When the Third Reader Class assembled on Monday, a tall lady occupied
the platform. She was a Real Teacher. But at the door stood a memory of
Miss Jenny, the hair blown about her face, kissing her hand.

The Third Reader Class never saw Miss Jenny again.

THE PLAY'S THE THING

It was the day of the exhibition. At close of the half year the Third
Reader Class had suffered a change in teachers, the first having been a
Substitute, whereas her successor was a Real Teacher. And since the
coming of Miss Carrie, the Third Reader Class had lived, as it were, in
the public eye, for on Fridays books were put away and the attention
given to recitations and company.

Miss Carrie talked in deep tones, which she said were chest tones, and
described mysterious sweeps and circles with her hands when she talked.
And these she called gestures. Miss Carrie was an elocutionist and had
even recited on the stage.

She gave her class the benefit of her talent, and in teaching them said
they must suit the action to the word. The action meant gestures, and
gestures meant sweeps and circles.

Emmy Lou had to learn a piece for Friday. It was poetry, but you called
it a piece, and though Uncle Charlie had selected it for Emmy Lo