The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-11-18
A MOUNTAIN RIDE.

Alnhnaui, DuI VIC never quite made
her one of US. She was such a shy
little thing, and blushed if you spoke
to her, and acted afraid Of her own
voice, and wore print dresses all of
the time, and never was invited to our
parties.
She lived In a tumble-down old
house which had been a very grand
mansion once.
The Tinkhams had been great peo-
pie in my grandmother's day. No
thing was left of their grandeur now.
however, for there had been wine i'm
one generation, and whiskey in the
next, and delirum trcmens in tho
next. s.,...
Rays father was the third. She
had n wretched time-keeping home
for him. Her mother was dead.
1--WE" werc'the girls in Mrs. BANDS
private school.
A dozen of us were out on the front
veranda one morning. We were all
talking at once. Some one had said
the high school girls were better
scholars than we werc.
every well. So they are."
This was Kate Avery, and she was
standing by the lattice where the
mOrning-glory vines grew, and where
a hundred clusters of little bells
swung-bluc and purple and rose
pink. Ii Kate was any thing, she was
honest, though she was handsome
too.
1--WE have music and French con-
versation, and Lou has ph8 ton, and
l have two dOnkeys, and Queenio has
been to Europe, but" lowering her
voice, "it's an awful secret, though
it's the truth, the high school girls
are miles and miles beyond US i'm Lat
in and mathematics" q
'Indeed they are,s said /. "I'm
what tho madamoiselle calls All 'idgit'
in arithmetic. really suppose that
two and two make four, but if one of
those girls was to tell me that they
made tive, shouldn't dare dispute
her."
.'The fact is" said Kate, sslittle
Tinkham is the only one who is sure
Of her multiplication table. But then
,he doesn't really belong to us. She
would not bc here if it were not for
sweeping and dusting to pay her tut
ton. There size ia this minute"
a small tired looking figure In a
coarse dress came in sight around the
corner; it was Rachel with q load of
books i'm her hands.
.'She has worn that drcss every day
for three MONTHS" said Lou Stead
man Il verify believe she goes to bed
when it is done up
any dear, she can't, she has to wash
and iron it herself. Oh, there Is
Quecnie," cried Kate. 1t was a gen.
tie, graceful girl who came walking
fast to ovcriakc Ray. caught step as
she overlook her, and began ~ talk
pleasantly to her. "DOes she not
look nice in that seal brown suit?-
And isn't it just like her to carry
Rays boOks?"
Queenie's real name was Alice. You
would have known why we called her
Queenie, if you had seen her walk be-
side little Tinkham this morning,
open the gate, st md still, erect, with
that grand way of hers for the girl to
pass through. 1 believe we all rather
worshiped Queenie. t At'
Kate met them with her forehead
all tied up in hard knots, and asked
Ray, ''didn't she 'want to be an an
GEL and help her with those dreadful
Iractions.r"
So they two sat OH the doorstep,
and the rest went into the school
room. Then Lou called out to Ray
to come and dust kcr desk. She said
it "wasn't half dusted." Queenie
said:
"Ray is busy, I will do it ;" and she
silent, and looking prouder than ever,
busted LOUIS desk herself
1t was that morning, Friday, that
Mrs. Bland told us that Tomorrow
would be "Mountain Day." ras
All the schools in our town drive
to tho mountain once a year. Our
day always comes in September.
This time Mrs. Bland couldn't go,
SO she sent along her cousin to matron-
ize us. She was a fidgety person
afraid of spiders and 10 good any
way. .
1--WE are to start at nine O'clock"
Qucenie said. "Itay can you be ready
SO early?"
Queenie was a new SCHOLAR. She
didn't know that Ray never went
with us to such places. Now she
flushed and replied:
81 don't think can go to the noun
tain"
Certainly, you are going," AL
ice said in her queenlicst way. "If
you can't 90 tomorrow we will put
oh SoiHS.
Saturday is my day to clean the
schoOl-roon," Ray answered.
ave will clean it. Let's begin this
minute," and of came Queenie's cuffs
and Kate's, all the cuffs, in fact. We
went to work and had such fun sweep
ing and scrubbing. just imagine
Kate and Queenie washing the floor.
They did it we'll too.
SGNOxu vonamhor - OuaouiQ s0 III the
last thing, Everybody is to wear her
oldest dress. And, Ray, would you
be kind enough to bring hard-boiled
eggs for your luncheon? One apiece
for us all round?"
Now think it was just beautiful of
Queenic to think Of that. She knew
little Tinkham couldn't bring frosted
cake and French rolls as the rest of US
did. ,.f.stsi5s f-s.-s -
So she spoke of the eggs. We all
rauaembared that RaY had wonderful