All of Mrs. Ruffner's strictness was about to pay off. I never received an order with more delight. If it was one thing I knew, it was how to clean. I swept the room three times. I got a dust-cloth and dusted the room four times.

I cleaned every piece of furniture. I cleaned every closet and corner of the room thoroughly. And when I had finished I reported to the head teacher.

She was a "Yankee" woman who knew just where to look for dirt. But wherever she rubbed her handkerchief she could not find one particle of dust.

Then she quietly said to me, "I guess you will do to enter this institution."

I was the happiest soul on earth. The sweeping of that room had been my college entrance exam. And although I have passed many exams since then, I always felt the best about that one!