them, standing just in front of Betsy. She drew the bow across the
strings in a big chord, and said, "NOW," and Betsy burst into song with
the others. The sun came in the windows brightly, the teacher, too, sang
as she played, and all the children, even the littlest ones, opened
their mouths wide and sang lustily.





CHAPTER V

WHAT GRADE IS BETSY?

After the singing the teacher gave Elizabeth Ann a pile of schoolbooks,
some paper, some pencils, and a pen, and told her to set her desk in
order. There were more initials carved inside, another big H. P. with a
little A. P. under it. What a lot of children must have sat there,
thought the little girl as she arranged her books and papers. As she
shut down the lid the teacher finished giving some instructions to three
or four little ones and said, "Betsy and Ralph and Ellen, bring your
reading books up here."

Betsy sighed, took out her third-grade reader, and went with the other
two up to the battered old bench near the teacher's desk. She knew all
about reading lessons and she hated them, although she loved to read.
But reading lessons ... ! You sat with your book open at some reading that
you could do with your eyes shut, it was so easy, and you waited and
waited and waited while your classmates slowly stumbled along, reading
aloud a sentence or two apiece, until your turn came to stand up and