Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-12-30
AT MISS QUIGLEY'S.
A HOLIDAY STORY.

Joan Bramley said, as, with her three
companions, she sat in the schO0l-rOom
Christmas morning. Il was dreadfully
impertinent about the window, though
I'm sure l had no idea what 1 was say
ing. And that image was too bad"
ut was too funny for anything" laugh
ed Lou Tavlor. "If 1 hadn't laughed
when did, know L should lave gone
off like torpedo
But, if we apologize" suggested Sue,
sit will look as if we wanted to get rid
of our impositions."
I'm sure 1 do, for one" sighed Claire,
who was not the most brilaint scholar of
them all.
"We can do them first" said Joan,
land then go"
"In solemn procession" interrupted
Sue; "in sack-cloth and ashes. If we
tie our papers with Grape it will add to
the effect"
'Pve Grape tie you may use," said
Lou. "But,seriously,I think Joan is right.
l am ashamed that Miss Quigley saw
that image"
well, then," cried Sue, let's work like
Trojans new."
While the four are busily at work
over the books, we may take time to re-
late the transgreSsiOn for which they
were thus condemned to do tasks upon a
holiday. They were the only boarders
remaining at Miss Quigley's boarding
school through the holidays. Their
homes were in East Machias, 4 town so
far "down East" in Maine that in win
ter there was no getting to it without a
voyage, beside which a trip to the North
pole was tritie; SO they were to re-
main at school for the entire year. Lou
and Sue were sisters; Joan Branley
their cousin, and Clara Thornton an
old neighbor.
The day before Christmas Claire had
said, sadly enough, that this would be
the first Christmas of her life without a
tree.
Lets have one, then," said Sue, bold
ly.
at is impossible" said her sister.
"'And what's impossible can't be,
And never, never comes to pass"
"The great Napoleon" returned Sue,
"has the credit of remarking that i'm
possible is the adjective of very help
less sort of people. Why shouldn't we
have d tree?"
"If we had one to fixp
"Oh, dearl" sighed CLAIRE; "and there's
woods and woods of them over there"
III tell your cried Sue, jumping up
and sending the contents of the work
/. Ill IN. 3
Tommy Twink"
II wish, Sue,' remarked Lou, with an
air of pathetic resignation, that you
wouldn't box the compass so often with
the things in our basket. What has
Tommy Twink to do with the tree?"
"We'u have him to get itI'
"Goodp said Joan, grimly Miss
Quigley has never seen me speak to
Sammy Twink but once, and, to pay for
it, L had to add perfect ocean of fig
uresp
II remember" added Lou, "How aw-
fully shocked the Griffiness was when
she heard him say, 'Thers's millions in
itp Slang, Miss Taylorp she said, 'Yeu
may add the same figures, and will re-
ceive two demerits.'
"Ill see to Tommy" said Sue, when
they had done laughing at her sisters
imitation of Miss Quigley. "But how
will you get the tree into the hOuse?"
"Have him leave it under the window
behind the fence, and we'll put it into
the ROOM"
OF course, the girls were delighted
with the boldness of the plan, and en-
tered into it with all zest. Tommy Twink
was the son of widow who lived next
door to the school, and who did wash
ing for the pupils. Tommy's clothes, as
Lou said, were miracle of patches"
but both they and he were always clean
and tidy. He was regarded as an ally
of the girls, and did various errands,
which, although not very harmful, were
to be kept from The Gritfiness,' as Miss
Quigley was called.
And that brings us to Miss Quigley
herself, who, as head of the school, GER
tainly deserves to be honored with some
particular notice. She was tall, dried
up lady, with erect figure, nose like a
hawks beak, and piercing black eyes.
Her thin hair was brushed bach from