The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-05-27
A Mountain Ride.

OF course we girls all piiied Rscht
I Tinkham, but we never quite mad
her one of us. She was such sh
little iling aud blusheti if you spOk
\ to her and acted as if afraid OF he
own voice, and wore print dresses a.
the time and was never invited to ou
7 She lived In q tumble-down oil
house. which had been a grand man
sion once.
The Tinkhams had been the grea
people of my grandmother's day
Nothing was left of their grandeu
now, however, ,forthere had been win
in one generation, whisky in the next
and delirium tremens in the next.
Rays father was the third. She ha,
wretched time keeping house TO
him. Her mother was dead.
eve" were the girls at Mrs. Bland
private school. Go 80.
A-dozen of us were out on the from
veranda one morning. We were al
talking at once. Some one, it seems
had said the high school girls were
better scholars than we were.
"Very well. So they are."
This was Kate Avery, and she was
standing by the lattice where the
morning glory vines grow and where
a hundred clusters of little bells
swung-blue and purple, and rose
pink. If Kate was anything, she was
honest, though she was handsome too
"We have music aud French con-
versation, and Lou has a phaeton and
1 have too donkeys, and QueenIe has
been TO Europe, but lowering her
voice. it's an awful secret, though it
is true, the'high school girls are miles
and miles beyond us in Latin and
mathematics" -.
Indeed they are,' said Il Pm
what the madamoiselle calls an idgit'
in arithmetic. 1 really suppose that
two and Two make four, but if one of
these girls was to tell me that they
made FIVE, I shouldn't dare dispute
her" - r., - ~.
The fact is" said Kate, little
is the only one that is sure
of her multiplication table. But then
she really doesn't belong to us. She
wouldnt be here if it were not for
sweeping and dusting to pay her tut
ton. There she is this minute"
A small, tired looking figure, in a
coarse dress, came in sight around the
corner it was Rachel with her load of
books in her arms.
She has worn that dress every day
for three months" said Lou Stedham !;
"I verify believe she goes to bed
when it is done up"
"My dear, che can't, she has to wash
and iron 1t herself. Oh, there is
Queenie," cried Kate. 1t was a gentle,
graceful girl, who. was walking fast
to oyertake Ray, caught step as she
overlook her and began to walk and
talk pleasantly to her. Docs she not
look nice i'm that seal brown suit ?
And isn'tit just like her to carry Ray g
books2" Gs'
Queenie's real name was Alice. You
would have known why we called her
Queenie If you had seen her walk be-
eide little Tinkhsm this morning, open
the gate and stand still, erect, with
that grand way of hers for the girl to
pass through. 1 believe we all rather
worshipped Queenie.
Kate met them with her forehead
all tied up in knots and asked Ray,
" didn't she want to be an angel and
help her with those dreadful frac-
tions?"
So they two sat down on the door
step and the rest went into the school
room. Then Lou called out to Ray
to come and dust her desk. She said
it " wasn't half busted"
Queenie said: "Rsy is busy, will
do IT, and she, silent and looking
prouder than ever, busted LOUIS desk
herself.
1t was that morning, Friday, that
Mrs Bland had told us that to- morrow
would be I" Mountain Day.
All the schools in our town drive to
the mountain once a year. Our day
always came in September.
This time Mrs. Bland couldn't 60, so
she sent along her cousin to matron-
ize us. She was fidgety person,
afraid of spiders and no good any way.
g We are to start at 8 o'clock"
Queenie said. Ray, can you be ready
so early? y?''
Queenie was a new scholar. She
didn't know that Ray never went with
US to such places. Now she flushed
and replied:
IL don't think can 60 to the noun.
tain"
Certainly you are going," Alice
said in her queenliest way. elf you
can't go tomorrow we will put OIL
going" ...s..
u g. Saturday is my dsy to clean the
school room" Ray answered.
"We will clean it. Let's begin this
minute" and off 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 well, too.
"Now, remember" Queenie said