Ruby at School
Page 18
CHAPTER XVIII.
MISADVENTURES.
By the time Ruby had been at school a week she was quite happy, and hadbeen so good that Aunt Emma wrote home to her father and mother that noone could ask for a better little girl, or one who made more progressin her studies.
In fact, Ruby had begun to be quite proud of herself for being so good,and quite enjoyed comparing herself with some of the other girls, whocould not learn their lessons as quickly as she did, and who did nottry so hard to be good and not give the teacher any trouble.
If Ruby's mother had been with her she would have warned the littlegirl that this was the very time for her to be most watchful lest sheshould do wrong, for it was generally when Ruby had the highest opinionof herself that her pride had a fall.
If any one had told Ruby upon this particular morning that she shouldlaugh out loud in school, and more than that, laugh at Miss Ketchum,she would not have believed it, and yet that is just exactly what shedid. Still, I think you will hardly blame Ruby when I tell you how ithappened.
It was quite true that, as Agnes had said, Miss Ketchum was apt to beabsent-minded sometimes. She was so interested in her studies that shesometimes forgot about other things, and while she never forgotanything connected with her scholars' lessons, yet she sometimes forgotlittle matters about her dress.
She wore her hair in a rather unusual way, and when it was brushed backand arranged she would pin a little round curl upon either side of herface. This morning she had somehow forgotten to pin one of these curlson, and as soon as the girls noticed it, they were very much amused.
If Miss Chapman had noticed it when she opened the school she wouldprobably have reminded Miss Ketchum of it, but she did not see it, andnone of the girls told her; so the curl was still missing when Rubywent up with the rest of the class to the desk, to recite her grammarlesson.
She was not quite sure that she knew it, and she had been studying sohard up to the last minute that she had not noticed how the other girlshad been laughing behind their books and desk-covers, and had not evenlooked at Miss Ketchum since school began.
Ruby was at the head of the class, and so the first question came toher,--
"What is an adverb?"
Ruby looked up at her teacher, and was just about to answer, when hereyes rested upon the place where the curl ought to have been. MissKetchum's hair was very thin just there, and the contrast between theround curl on one side of her head and the empty place upon the otherwas so funny that before Ruby thought of what she was doing she hadlaughed aloud.
Miss Ketchum had not the least idea that there was anything in herappearance which could be amusing, and as she had often been tried bymischievous scholars giggling or whispering, she thought that Ruby wasdeliberately intending to be rude, and very naturally she was muchprovoked at her. One could hardly have expected her to think anythingelse, for it was not very pleasant to have one of her scholars lookstraight at her and then burst out laughing.
Poor Miss Ketchum's face grew as red as Ruby's own, and she said verysternly,--
"I am surprised at you, Ruby. I did not know that you could behave sobadly. You may carry your grammar over there in the corner, and sitthere facing the school the rest of the day. Next, what is an adverb?"
Poor Ruby was too miserable to try to explain, and she did n't like totell Miss Ketchum that she had left her curl off; so she took her bookand went over in the corner, feeling completely in disgrace.
After a while the door opened, and Aunt Emma looked in, to call one ofher pupils for her music lesson, and the look of grave surprise uponher face when she saw Ruby sitting there by herself made the littlegirl more miserable than ever. She had not meant to laugh. If she hadnoticed the missing curl before she came to the class she never wouldhave laughed; but seeing it suddenly drove the adverb quite out of herhead, and before she had known what she was about she had laughed.
It seemed a long time to recess, and it was all that Ruby could do tokeep the tears out of her eyes. It was the first time in her life thatshe had ever been in disgrace at school, and she felt it keenly. Itwould have been bad enough if it had happened in school at home, but tohave it happen here was doubly hard.
Ruby was sure she could never be happy here again, never, after havingto stay up there all the morning in disgrace before the whole school.
At last the recess-bell rang, and the other scholars went out to play,and Ruby and Miss Ketchum were left alone.
"I shall hear your grammar lesson in a few moments, Ruby," said MissKetchum, in a stern tone, and she went to her room, leaving Ruby withher grammar in her hand, trying to keep the tears out of her eyes longenough to study.
She did not know nor care just now what an adverb was, and it is veryhard to study with a great lump in one's throat, and tears in one'seyes. If she had really meant to be mischievous it would not have beenso hard to be in disgrace, but Ruby really had not intended to dowrong, and she would not have done anything to make Miss Ketchum feelbadly for anything in the world if she had had time to think. Agneshad cast a pitying glance at her as she went out, for she hadunderstood how it was, and she hoped that during recess time, when Rubyand her teacher should be alone together, Ruby would tell Miss Ketchumwhy she had laughed.
After Ruby's punishment none of the other girls had shown that theynoticed the missing curl, lest they should be sent up to the platformtoo, for speaking about it, so Miss Ketchum did not discover her lossuntil she went to her room at recess.
The first thing she saw when she entered her room was a dark curl lyingupon her bureau. She looked at it wonderingly for a moment, and thenput her hand up to her head. One curl was in its place, but there wasthe other lying upon the bureau. She had forgotten to put it on.Looking at herself in the glass, Miss Ketchum smiled, although she wasvery much mortified to think that she had been in school all themorning without knowing that she had not finished dressing. Sheunderstood Ruby's behavior then.
Going back to the school-room she sat down at her desk and called Rubyto her.
"Ruby, dear, you did not intend to be disorderly this morning in class,did you?" she asked.
Ruby burst into tears, and hid her face. In a moment Miss Ketchum'sarm was about her, and she was crying on her teacher's shoulder.
"Indeed I did n't," she answered, between her sobs. "I never thoughtof such a thing. I was just going to tell you what an adverb was, andwhen I looked up I saw--I saw--"
"That my hair was not arranged properly?" asked Miss Ketchum.
"Yes'm," said Ruby, "and then before I knew what I was going to do Ihad laughed. I am so sorry, and oh, I wish I could go home. I neverwas bad in school before, and I did not mean to be this time. Indeed Iam so sorry I laughed, Miss Ketchum. I could n't help it and I did n'tknow I was going to, truly I did n't."
"Ruby, dear, I feel as if it was more my fault than yours," said MissKetchum, gently wiping away the little girl's tears. "Now you may goout to play and I will hear your lesson some time after school, whenyou feel like coming up to my room to say it, and you shall have yourgood mark, if you know it, just as if you had recited it in class. Ishall not consider that you have done anything wrong this morning, forI can understand that you would not have laughed if you had had time tothink about it for a moment. But you will try after this always to bequiet, will you not?"
"Yes 'm," answered Ruby, earnestly, and returning Miss Ketchum's kiss,she wiped her eyes and ran out to play, happier than she had had anyidea that she could ever be again.
She thought to herself that she would never smile again in school, evenif such a thing should happen as that Miss Ketchum should leave both ofher curls off at once. When she went out to play she found that thegirls were disposed to make much of her for her trouble of themorning.
"It was too bad for anything, Ruby Harper, that you had to get intotrouble all on account of Miss Ketchum's curl," said one of the girls."I don't wonder you laughed. If you had seen it before you might havebeen
able to help it, but to look up and see her hair looking that waywas enough to make any one laugh, whether they meant to or not.
"Miss Ketchum knows now that I did not mean to," Ruby answered. "Itruly could not help it, but you see if I am ever in disgrace again."
"Never mind, all the girls knew how it was," answered her friend,comfortingly. "Come and play puss in the corner. I am glad she letyou out instead of keeping you in all recess."
Ruby was quite happy again now, and when she had a moment in which torun up and tell Aunt Emma that Miss Ketchum said that she had notreally done anything naughty, she felt much better.
But she was sorry that she had laughed, even if she did not intend to,and she wanted to make up to Miss Ketchum for her seeming rudeness; soshe made up her mind that that very afternoon she would gather all thecaterpillars she could find anywhere, and give them to Miss Ketchum, toshow her how sorry she was, and how happy she would like to make her.
That afternoon, as soon as she had finished practising, she took anempty cardboard box, and went down to the end of the garden. She wasquite sure that in the vegetable garden she would find ever so manycaterpillars, and there they were,--great brown ones, crawling lazilyabout in the sun, smaller green ones, that travelled about moreactively, and upon the tomato-plants Ruby found some that she was quitesure Miss Ketchum would like, because they were so remarkably large andugly.
She was a very happy little girl as she filled her box, feeling almostas delighted as if she was finding something for herself with everycaterpillar that she captured and put into her box.
After she had put as many as thirty or forty in their prison she foundit was quite hard to put one in without another coming out, and she didnot get along quite as fast. Before the bell rang for study hour,however, she had captured fifty-five, and fifty-five caterpillarslooked like a great many when Ruby carefully opened one side of the boxand peeped in. Ruby wrote upon the top of the box, in her very besthand, "For Miss Ketchum, with Ruby's love," and then she punched littleholes in the cover that her caterpillars might have some air to breathe.
She ran upstairs to Miss Ketchum's room, which was over one end of theschoolhouse, and knocked at the door, which was partly opened. No oneanswered, and Ruby knocked again. She pushed the door open a littlefarther and looked in, and found that Miss Ketchum had gone out. Shewas to have charge of the study hour that afternoon, and she hadprobably gone downstairs. Ruby laid the box on the bureau, and ranaway as the bell rang to call the scholars together, feeling quitedelighted at the thought of Miss Ketchum's happiness when she shouldfind so large an addition to her "menagerie," as the girls called it.She thought she would not tell Miss Ketchum about it, but let her havethe pleasure of a surprise when she should go up to her room. Of allthe little girls, no one studied more diligently than Ruby thatafternoon, for she wanted to make up for the morning in every way thatshe could; and the thought of the caterpillars walking about in theirprison, all ready to make Miss Ketchum happy when she should find them,made Ruby very glad; so she felt like singing a little song as shestudied her grammar, and looked out the map questions in her geography.
The day which had begun so disastrously was going to have a verypleasant ending after all, and Ruby no longer felt as if she must gohome. When the girls had come into the school-room after recess MissKetchum had said what Ruby had not in the least expected her to say,that she had found out why Ruby laughed, and if she had known soonershe would not have sent her out of the class for it, as she felt as ifit was her own fault instead of Ruby's, and that therefore, she shouldgive Ruby perfect marks for deportment, since she had not intended tomake any disorder during school-time. Ruby was so grateful to MissKetchum for thus clearing her before the school that she made up hermind that she would never, never give her teacher the least bit oftrouble, but would always be good, and learn her lessons perfectly, sothat she should never have any occasion to reprove her.