The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1879-04-11

"S'V' iVitoihutu NndI HeT HOtner Sal0 10 he
on this subject, and she pursued her owl
course, becoming a leader in school. as h,
was in society. Thus it happened that wher
Lulu Allen first entered the school she ha,
incurred her displeasure first, because sh,
was poor-an ofiense which might possibl,
have been overlooked had she not proved
herself to be a fine scholar, and by her gen
tleness bid fair to become formidable riva1
hlso in the affections of both teacher and
scholars. For all Of these reasons Hortense
mated her, and now, when school freak had
been discovered by their teacher, as Lulu
had been the only one not engaged in it,
suspicion naturally rested upon her as hav.
ing been the inlormer, and Hortense gladly
avaled herself of this to thrust down the
usurper into what she considered her prop
er place. And from this time poor Lulu
was subjected to all the petty annoyances
which a naughty girl could devise and a
sensitive mind could feel.
The girl grew thinner and paler than ever
for she was loving child, and to feel her
self looked upon with suspicion and hatred
where she had before experienced only kind
ness, was indeed a sad blow to her. AT home
she had never met with anything but indif-
ference, for her mother was dead, her faith
er, a poor, spiritless Grone, and her step
mother, coarse woman, who meant well, /,
but understood nothing of the sensitive
child's nature, had made no secret of sthe
fact that she considered Lulu dead weight
on her hands.
When Miss Chandler had offered to take
her into school and teach her for some slight
services, Lulu's heart leaped for joy. Her
teacher told her that in time she, too, might
obtain her livelihood by teaching, and this
had stimulated the child to almost superhu
man exertions, which had soon, by making
her rival, gained her an enemy in Hortense
The kindness and affection of her school
mates had made her young life full of sun
shine, and now the sudden change plunged
her into tenfold deeper gloom than before.
The light of happiness faded from her blue
eyes; she dropped visibly, and one could
hardly have recognized the gentle, smiling
Lulu Allen in the now pale and thoughtful
child.
She brooded over her troubles in secret.
but her teacher noted nothing of the change.
1t is needless to say that sac was guitless of
the charge, and had Miss Chandler been
aware of it she would have cleared her at
once. But she was not an observant woman
and saw none of the mental troubles of her
pupil /; and Lulu, who longed sometimes to
speak to her teacher on the subject, shrauk
nervously from doing so, from dread of de-
serving in reality that dreadful appelation,
"tattler," that seemed ever sounding in her
ears, a character so abhorred by school chill
dren. She would have been utterly wretch
ed had it not been for the little Maud,
fairy-like child, and sister of Hortense, who
now came to school, and who had at once
taken great fancy to Lulu, and on whom,
in return, Lulu lavished all the repressed
affection of her loving heart. Hortense
looked upon this with the deepest annoy.
ance. Maud was her darling, and she could
not bear to have any rival in the child
heart -eleast of all was it to be borne when
that rival was washerwoman's daugh-
ter.
Hortense had gained her point in making
Lulu Stunned by her schoolmates, but all
this was nothing so long as her darling sis
IpVpl her and rrnul To
notice that she had rival, she could not
deprive Lulu OF this. 1t was agony to her
to have the child spring from her side as
she did in the morning, to meet Lulu, to
see her white arms tgiued round the girls
nec!; and her sweet lips pressed to hers, but
there was no remedy for it
Thank God there are no aristocrats among
So time passed on, aud finally Lulu was
missing from school. She had been absent
tor day or two. When little Maud, too,
stayed at home she begged her mother to
let her go to see her favorite, and Mrs Lee
The servant took her to the
washerwoman's house, where Lulu lay sick.
The child clung to her, and, alas, bore home
with her the Sc eds of the contagious disease,
the scarlet fever, which Lulu was herself I'M
conscious of having, for she had not been
attended By any physician.
Poor Maud was stricken down, and, after
a short and severe illness, died, while Lulu
to mourn over the sad loss of her
child friend, and to look hopelessly forward
to her own future.
1t was the morning after the funeral OF
Maud that Lulu, a mere shadow, entered the
school room. Hortense was there, pale and
naughty in her mourning dress. None of
the girls dared address her, as she sat there
fearless aud still, though some whispered
that they Thought she showed very little
grief, since she seemed to love Maud so :"
and one little girl said that "she never cried
a bit at the funeral, when her mother sobbed
as if her heart would break"
Lulu heard all these whispers, but she
knew better than they what was fearless
agony. Her heart bled Tor Hortense, and
she drew closer to her side and passing her
arm around her waist, whispered, 81 know
how to pity you, dear Hortense. She loved
me dearly, too"
Hortense started as if an adder had stung
her she flung off Lulu's encircling arm as
she exclaimed bitterly, "She did love you
and how did you repay her? You kissed
her with poison on your lips-you killed
her r'
Poor Lulu was shocked. She tottered
feebly 10 her seat, laid her head en- her desk
and wept silently. The next day she did
not come to school. She was worse again,
the scholars said. She had come out too
soon, the doctor said, and a relapse was the
Hortense cared not. She felt in her heart
that Luln had murdered her sister, and hated
her worse than ever.
1t was twilight, and Hortense had been