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Copyright, 1909, by David O.
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Cook Publishing Company.
: Vor. VIL:
y, 9, jPuBLIsHED
No. 19. iWwererr
DAVID C. COOK PUBLISHING CO., ExvGin, ILLINOIS, AND 86 WASHINGTON ST., CHICAGO. mn
May 8, 1909.
THE PRIZE CARLOTTA WON
A Schoolgirls’ Story of One Who Did Her Best
By MARY S. DANIELS
RY for the Composition Prize?”
Eisie’s eyes and tone expressed
incredulous © surprise. “Why,
“you ‘Il:neyer get it! It’s as sure to go to
‘Margaret ‘Sinclair as if her name were
‘already | engraved on it. You know how
original’ Margaret is, and how easy it is
‘ for. her. to-write. With a girl like her-in
the class, the rest of ys may as well stay
out-of the lists altogether. Really, you
an
o
inviting volumes lining the walls. ie
wondered what it must be to live among
so many books. There were rumors that
Mrs. Lindsley was a great scholar, that she
had written books herself, that she was a
contributor to several magazines and re-
views, and was a distinguished authority
on certain’ important subjects. °° Carlotta
wondered what it must be to be such’a
person. Once—she laughed softly. at the
haven't: the shadow of a chance for the childishness of the thought—she wondered
~medal, Carlotta! No one has, against’ how many prizes Mrs. Lindsley had .won
Margaret.” when she was a girl in school! -.She was
“It's worth trying for, anyway,” said! thinking of this on the very day. that Mrs.
© Carlotta, with that little steadfast look |
“of hers.
-“I£ you had said: ‘worth’ having ’—
“Elsie gave a. little shrug of her pretty,
~ slim shoulders.“ But when it comes: to
_ frying. for. a thing you know you'll never
“get, that’ s what I call a waste of time and
energy,
Lindsley called upon. Professor Sherwood.
“Tm doing some important work,” -said
that lady, in her direct way, after the first
greetings, “‘in which I need a particular
kind of help. It is such help as a girl
can give, if she is the right kind of girl,
and I have come to ask if there is anyone
among your graduates who would answer
“ Isnt anything . that’s worth having, }my requirements. ~ What I want is a sirl
worth trying for?” queried .. Carlotta, | who’ can | copy manuscripts—no,
thoughtfully... But. Elsie. had caught up|stenographer; that is not at all the kind
. her tennis racket and yanisked. of person’ I wish—or. write letters, sgell-
“I'm going*to try all the same!» Car-|ing, punctuating,. and paragtaphing .Cor-
lotta’s small chin set itself firmly. rectly ;;one who can follow slow. dictation,
And’ she did try—her very best... She jor, on occasion, take an idea and express
kept trying all the year. Sometimes. the
other girls laughed ‘at her, but“she- bore
their teasing good-naturedly. It was
“harder when they tried by coaxing to draw
_ her away from her work, to persuade her to
ive more time to the fun and sports which
she. loved as well as any of them.
“And you must know you'll. never get
the. prize, Carlotta,” they would urge at
last, half impatiently.. ‘‘ What is the use
‘of going on as if you expected it?”
“It’s worth ‘trying for,’ Carlotta. still
And she worked on, studying,
and doing her. best to
it lucidly, concisely, and harmoniously ;
one who knows how to use books, can look
up references intelligently, and make clear
notes of them, Yes, I know
IT am asking a good deal in a
young girl.” She flashed on
the professor the winning
smile that made people who
knew her think Mrs. Lindsley
the most charming of women,
notwithstanding - her learning
and habitual reserve.. “It
means that she must have a
certain literary sense and the
beginnings, at least,
ine culture.
such girls, though they are
rare. For the rest, the work
will not be heavy nor’ confin-
ing, requiring but a few hours
each day.» And [ think it will
be worth while for the right
girl. Can’you help me to find
her?”
“T know her,” said the pro-
ate “TE she were only a girl in a story:
“book !". groaned Elsie Wyant, despairingly .
a Then © something impossible would hap-
-pen, and she'd carry. off the prize as a re-
“ward of -yirtue, without any reference to
op an
“impossible” happened.
- It turned out-just as everyone had known
all along it would. Margaret Sinclair’s bril-
cliant class work.and clever essay won the
prize, and no one gave more hearty assent to! fessor, promptly. “Her name
‘the’ fairness of the award than Carlotta. She} js Carlotta Graham.”
was sincere and sweet in. her congratula- “Ah!” There was a look
tions to the successful competitor. lof. half-whimsical relief. in
vo I'm glad you got the medal, Margaret,” | Mrs. Lindsley’s face. “Iwas
she said, cordially, You deserve ito fraid you would*begin with
eit va not ores L tried. The trying | tat clever -girl who took the
elf was worth while ta ve .
And so it proved, though in a way that | Composition Prize — at your
» Carlotta- had not’ thought of. ; Commencement. I didn’t want
“Tt.was several weeks after school closcd | her. Now tell me about Car-
hat Mrs. Lindsley calléd one day on Pro- | lotta G draham.” ,
Ai fessor ‘Sherwood. Mrs. Lindsley was aj} “Carlotta is not —so bril-
“' comparative stranger in Caldwell. She } liant Margaret. Sinclair,
had: recently: bought and. remodeled the | said the professor ; “but, ob-
- old. Westleigh house, and the townsfolk | serving her work through the
+were still’ talking of the beauty and ele- | past year, I have come to ex-
“:gance. of her furnishings and decorations, | pect more of her in the long
“especially of. her remarkable ‘library, the | run than of Margaret. She
like-of which, for. size and richness, few, | has good native taste, is deyel-
if any, of them had ever seen. oping a sound critical sense
"M9 Carlotta’ Graham this library was an| without self-consciousness, has learned to
enchanted land, to be dreamed of but never | read discriminatingly, to think definitely,
, entered. Now and then, when passing the and to express a oust Gat n fac
house, shi ught glimpses of the great | simple, ‘accurate, orderly 1)
com rhe ia sich bang ings and rows of than this, she has the habit -of unswery-
More .
ing fidelity to a purpose.
who always does her best.
gain her parents’ consent—”
“T will try Carlotta,” said Mrs, Linds-
She is a girl
If you can
ey
That was a year ago, -For many months
now Carlotta has been happily at home in
Mrs. Lindsley’s rare library. There is
scarcely a book in it which she has not
had at some time in her hands. More than
one elusive topic she has tracked from
volume to volume, over shelf after, shelf.
She has learned to make jottings, outlines
and drafts under Mrs. Lindsley’s direction,
has. copied pages-upon pages of manuscript,
and through it all has felt her own mind
continually expanding and clarifying. Mrs.
Lindsley is not .a woman who expends
maby words in-mere praises; but she and
Carlotta understand each other, and- the
relation. between them has grown into an
intimacy inspiring to the girl and refresb-
ing as well as helpful to the older woman.
Last month something more happened.
“Ilere is-a ‘letter. from the ——~
Magazine, Carlotta,” said Mrs.. Lindsley,
one morning, “ asking for a special article
for immediate use. The subject is one in
which we have made some research, but I
ean give very little, if any, time to ‘it just
now... Still, one does not like to refuse
the Magazine anything... Will you
see what you.can do with it by your-
if—for ‘the first draft, at least? .. Write
it ott as if | it were your own article, and
do your best with it.
me.”
“on”
Carlotta’s “breath came .a_ little quickly,
and a delicate color mounted in her cheeks.
Then bring. it. to
She had-n cnever been “entrusted ‘with so , much
responsibility before. _ Then’ ae went to
ork.
Tn three days she laid the paper on Mrs.
Lindsley’s . desk.
anxiety. It was the best—the very best—
she could do.» Was it good ‘enough, even
as raw material? Would Mrs. Lindsley
be able to so modify and amend it, in the
time she had, that she could send it to the
magazine?
Mrs.. Lindsley was too much occupied at
the moment. to do more than glance-at it.
ut when two—three—five days = passed
and still the subject was not mentioned,
Carlotta’s heart began to sink. So she had>
failed again in the thing she had tried ~
hardest for! . Well, she could go on doing”
er best in her daily work, at least... And
she did.
A fortnight went by. “Then one day Mrs.-.:-
Lindsley handed her a bunch of paper.
Will you look over this, Carlotia?”
Carlotta took the paper.’ It was print-
er’s proof.
sight. _ But—what was: this? © Here: was.
her own name—Carlotta Graham—in plain
letters under the title of the article! And—
yes, this was her own paper, just. as she
had written it, without alteration~ or .cor-
rection!
She lifted her flushed face “and glowing
eyes to see Mrs. Lindsley: smiling kindly
at her.
“Yes, it is yours, carletta. You did
very well. with it. ‘his is yours, too,”
And: she handed . the inl a crisp: slip of
paper.
er’s. check, and -a™ generous one—for* her
modest work! - .
On the day that she took” her cheek ‘to
the bank, Carlotta saw Margaret Sinclair .
crossing the street. The sight. of Margaret
brought back . the remembrance . of « the
Tler heart beat » with
- Reh at Pos
medal—the prize she had failed to win,
“But if I had not’ tried.
sreceived this,” she said -to
herself, _ tightening= her fin-
gers girlishly on. the paper
her hand, “nor — those
encouragin ‘words from:
_Lindsley. and the edi-.
It was worth trying
Oh,- it. was worth it!’.
. ~
SHE DESERVED BEAUTIFUL
>... CLOTHES, =
We hardly realize how we
show what we are at heart, as
those who are walking ewith
us.
ing behind a very handsomely
. dressed girl, and thought: “I
wonder if she takes half as
.tmuch pains. with her heart as
she does with her clothes.”
A poor old man was coming
up the road with a loaded
wheelbarrow, and just’ before
he reached this girl he made
two attempts’ to go into a
yard, but the. gate. was heavy
him _.b e he uld.. get
through.
“Wait”. said’ the . young
girl, springing lightly forward,
“Tu hold the gate open.’’. She
~ did - and — received his
thanks “ith a pleasant smile,
“She deserves to have beau- .
tiful. clothes,” thought the
“gentleman, ‘for she has a
beautiful spirit.” .
— >
“The thing we like best to remember, that
which gives us thé most lasting happiness, is
what we haye‘done for others.’ Selfish. en-
deavors leave no sweet memories nor lasting |
Joss
She knew the kind. well. by ©’
A check—yes, actually a publish- fy
. for that, I should never. have ~~~
. We pass along through life, to ~
A “gentleman was once walk” -
‘
