The Freckle-Faced Kid

By Grace Ingles Frost

He was called by his schoolmates “The Freckle-Faced Kid,”
Undowered by nature or wealth,
So the boy dwelt apart,
With a sting at his heart,
And plodded along by himself.

Determined he struggled against unkind fate,
‘Till one day his fellows, amazed,
Beheld him attain,
Despite their disdain,
A goal at which each long had gazed.

They pondered yet never could they comprehend
Why one so unfavored as he,
Should thus upward mount,
And them all discount.
“How could such a thing ever be?”

But the cause was apparent to all but themselves.
This boy they called “Freckle-Faced-kid,”
While they frolicked, worked,
Nor ever once shirked,
A task unto which he was bid.

(1921)