"You have no idea how fine she is and how well worth knowing."

If a girl chances to read this page who is herself popular and who finds
it easy to meet people and join naturally in whatever her neighbors may
be doing, has in her circle of friends a shy, awkward, self-conscious
girl, may she see her opportunity and realize her mission. The pure
kindliness of heart and the thoughtfulness which prompts a happy girl,
free from the pain of self-consciousness, and always at ease with her
friends, to shelter, stand by and call out the best in a shy girl
suffering from awkwardness deserve a rich reward.

The very opposite of the girl who is misunderstood and undervalued
because of her shyness, is the girl who, because of her boldness and
independence, her carelessness of speech, hilarity and adventuresomeness
is misunderstood.

"She doesn't mean anything by it," said one girl of another whom she was
trying to defend in the presence of a critic, "she is good hearted,
generous and just fine, but she has been brought up in a large family
where they have noisy times together." The critic accepted the
explanation but strangers, new people whom she met, men and women upon
the street, constantly misunderstood the girl whose unfortunate manners
would lead one to believe she was a most undesirable friend. The girl
was conscious that she was misjudged and misunderstood and was growing
hard and beginning not to care when an older woman who loved her showed
her with real tact where the trouble lay. No one could help admiring
that girl as she struggled to overcome the things which had been the
cause of all the misunderstandings.

I met awhile ago, a girl whom her companions described as _wooden_. I