The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1879-09-25
A MOUNTAIN RIDE.

Of course we girls all pitied Rachel
Tinkham, hut we never quite made her
one Of US.
She was such shy little thing, and
blushcd if you spoke to her, and acted
afraid of her own voice. and wore prn,
dresses ali the time, and never was Ill
vited toIour parties. .
She lived in Il tumble-down old house
which had been a very grand mansion
once.
The Tinkhams had been great people
in my grandmother's day. Nothing was
left oftheir grandeur now, however, for
there had been wine in one generation.
and whisky in the next, and delir!at'n
tre1nenS in the third.
Rays father was the third. She had
wretched time keeping house for him.
Her mother was dead.
We" were the girls of Mrs. Bland's
spriyate. school, -. ..s. g.. a.
dozen of us were out upon the cast
verandah one morning. We were ali
talking ut once. Some one, it seemed.
mad said the high school girls were bet.
ter scholars than we were.
every well. So they are"
This was Kate Avery and-sfe was
up pJ NnS l.NSSiSS
,nnrn;n S-clorv vines grow, ana where I
hnnH..n iuU, INA Clusters of little bells swung
-outsbIue and purple and rose-pink. If
Kate was anything, she was honest,
though she was handsome too.
I'VE have music and French convcr-
sation, and Lou has q phaeton, and ]
have two donkeys, and Queeny has been
to Europe; but" lowering her voice.
Its an awful. secret though it's the
truth. The high school girls are miles
and miles beyond us in Latin and mathe-
matics."
Indeed they are, said 1. I'm what
lnademoiselle calls an 'idgi!'' in arith-
metic. really suppose that two and
two make four, but if one of those girls
were to tell me that they made five, I
shouldn't dare dispute her."
The fact is" said Kate, little Tink-
ham is the only one of us who is sure of
her multiplication table. But then she
doesn't really belong to us She would
S not be here if it wasn't for sweeping and
>dusting to pay her tuition. There she is
this minute"
A small, ired-looking figure in coarse
dress came in sight round the corner. 1t
was Rachel with her load of books in
her arms.
"She las worn that dress every day
for three ronths," said Lou Stedman !;
Il verify believe she goes to bed when
il is done up"
My dear, she can't. She has to wash
and iron it herself. Oh, there is Queenym
cried Kate. 1t was such gentle, grace
full girl who came walking fast to over
take Ray. caught step as she overlook
her, and began talking pleasantly.
Doesn't she look nice in that seal brown
suit? Ard isn't it just like her to carry
Rays books for her?"
Queeny's real name was Alice You
would have known why we called her
Queeny if you had seen her walk beside
little Tinkham that morning, open the
gate. and stand still, erect, with that
grand way of hers, for the girl to pass
through. | believe we all rather wor-
SHIPPED Queeny.
Kate met them with her forehead all
tied up into hard knots, and asked Ray.
didn't she want to be an angel and
help her with those dreadful fractions?
So they two sat down on the door
atep, and the rest went into the school
room. Then Lou called out to Ray to
come and dust her desk. She said "it
wash HILL uuSlSO. QuCCuJ odlu
Ray is busy, will do it," and she,
silent and looking prouder than ever,
busted LOUIS desk herself.
1t was this morning, Friday, that
Mrs. Bland told US that tomorrow
would be Mountain day."
All the schools in our town drive to
the mouLtai once year. Our day
always comes in September.
This time Mrs. Bland couldn't 60, SO
she sent along her cousin to matronize
us. She was fdgety person, afraid Of
spiders, and no good any way.
"We are to start at nine o'clock,
Queeny said. "Ray, can you be ready
so early"
Queeny was a new scholar. Sne
didn't know that Ray never went with
us to such places. Now she flushed and
replied:
II don't think 1 can 60 to the noun.
tain"
Certainly, you are going" Alice
said it in her queeniest way. eff yor
can't go tomorrow .Fe will put Of
Saturday is my day to clean tit
school-room. Ray answered.
1--WE will clean it. Let's begin thi
rninute," and off came Queeny's cuff
and Kate's, all the cuffs. IN fact. W.
went to work, and had SUCH fun sweep