The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-06-29
The Two Rivals or the Composition Prize.
BY B. N. II.

Less than fifty years ago, in young ladies'
school not far from the city of Boston, prize
was offered by the trustees for the best origina!
composition which should be read by the grad
uatin, class at the approaching annual exam
inatim. The class consisted of only twelve
young ladies. Not more than five of these
dared entertain any hope of the offered re-
ward and of this small number, there were
two, whose gifts in writing, seemed to render
the hopes Of the remainder quite presump.
tuous.
Between Alice Carlton and Jane Bradford,
it was generally conceded lay the prize,-an
elegant edition, in green and gold, of one of
our best standard poets. Alice and Jane were
the two best scholars In the class of nearly
equal mental powers and, of course, often
rivals for school honors. The contest between
them would have been closer, and the rivalry
more constant, had Alice possessed the exter-
nal advantages with which Jane was favored.
But their outward circumstances differed wide.
lily. Jane was blessed with excellent health,
with competence, and large circle of ap-
Ipreciating friends. Alice was the only child
of widowed mother, poor, and among strang.
ers and oh ! sevcrer trial still, was in feeble
health and hopelessly reformed. Yet the
lamp of genius burned brightly and often
beguiled her fond mother into momentary for
getfulness Of the thin, salow face, the stoop.
ing form, and painfully rounded shoulders of
her darling.
Something more and better than external
fortune gave Jane popularity among her com
panlons she had very sweet and obliging
disposition. Alice was perhaps as good-tem.
pered by nature as Jane. But her own and
her mothers struggles with misfortune, and
her bitter personal trials had made her re-.
served and unsocial and, being misunderstood
BY her schoolmates, she was often called cross
and disobiging. Yet all acknowledged her
superior talents; and when the composition
prize was offered, and Alice was known to be-
writing for it, many of James friends feared
for their favorie
Jane herself had only one strong motive
for desiring success and that was to crafty
her father. He was very proud of his daugh.
ter and having always given her the best
advantages, was naturally DESTROYS that she
should excel all others. Yet Jane was not so
fond of study for its own sake as Alice was.
The latter had always delighted in it and
looked forward to it as her chief resource I'M.
der the deprivations which she felt her infrm-
ity would always impose. But when her faith
er's sudden bankruptcy and death (about two
years previous to our history had left herself
and mother nearly destitute Alice eagerly pur-
sued her studies, as afordng the only proba
BILE means OF future support. And to excel
in composition was her special desire-her
darling hope since authorship, if it brought
her less certain and ample remuneration than
teaching, would favor that seclusion which
she felt to be so essential to her tranquility.
Alice's mother was more anxious, if posi-.
BILE, than Alice herself, that she should gain
the prize at the approaching examination.
And this arose from no excess of ambition or
maternal pride. She knew the secrets of her
daughters mental efforts, although Alice sci.
dom spoke of it and she saw that she often
suffered from dependency and morbid self
distrust. Consequently, she craved for her
child the encouragement and sef-conidence
which a successful prize essay would be sure
to give.
The important day arrived, and Derrick
Hall was crowded to the utmost capacity by
the friends and patrons Of the Derrick lnsti-
tute, to witness its annual exhibition. After
the proficiency of the pupils had been sufi
GENTLY tested IN other branches of study, the
compositions Were called for. Each of the
five writer's for the prize was to read her own
article IN turn, as arranged by the Principal
Jane and Alice coming last in order. The
uouno ladias Who nroooJol To- II