THE DUNCE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 7 March 1925, Page 16

THE DUNCE.

“1 won’t learn!” said Annie fiercely. “L just won’t learn!” With these words she went into school, with the other girls, and throughout the morning lessons she was just as tiresome as she could be, so that the teacher'gave her some work to no, instead of i mining to play with the other girls. Annie sat and looked out of the window in ever such an ill-temper, and she decided that, come what might, she would not do that work. . _ “Suitef il old cat!” seid she. referring to the mistress. “T suppose if 1 don’t do it she will complain to ipy parents—but I don’t care.” Just to show that she did not. she wept a few tears upon her exercise book. When she looked an she found that ’■e was in a quite different schoolroom, where there were goblin pupils, and a. big black goblin as teacher. This teacher now began asking her geographical. questions. “Where are the Straits of Gihral*n.. o” demanded he.

“How should J know?” asked Annie sulkily. “Rude girl! Rude girl.” cried all the little goblins, and they pulled Annie’s hair and scratched Her until she cried. Then the goblin teacher told her to read the book as quickly as she could. Annie was so frightened that she learned as hard as she could, and when next the teacher asked questions he seemed satisfied with her replies. He warned her that unless she tried to learn ,‘T. her lessons he would bring her back to Goblin Land and keep her there for a month. Looking at the schoolroom clock, Annie was surprised to see that she had been away from the schoolroom only five minutes, .and when, at the end of the half-hour, the mistress came to see what she had done, she was agreeably surnnsed to' see that Annie was at inH. trying to learn. “Af f er n’.l.” thought the girl, “this is a, nice schoolroom and teacher compared with Hint horrid goblin, T must work verv hard, so that he will not j take me back.”