The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-11-21
A MOUNTAIN RIDE.

Of course we girls all piticd Rachel
Iinkham, but we never quite made
her one of US. She was such shy
little thing, and blushcd if You spoke
10 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 tumble down old
house which had been q very grand
mansion once.
The Iinkhams had been great peo.
pie in my grandmother's day. No
thing was left Of their grandeur now.
however, for there had been wine in
one generation, and whiskey in the
next, and dclirum tremens in the
next.
Rays father was the third. She
had wretched time keeping home
for him. Her mother was dead.
1--WE" were 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 were.
"Very well. So they are"
This was Kate Avery, and she was
standing by the lattice where the
morning-glory vines grew. and where
R'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.
1--WE have music and French con-
vcrsation, and Lou has a phaton and
have two donkeys, and Queenie has
been to Europe, but" lowering her
voice, sits an awful secret. though
it's the truth, the high school girls
are miles and miles beyond us in Lat.
in aud mathematics"
"lndeed they arc" said /. "I'm
what the madamoiselle calls an 'idgit'
in arithmetic. lreally suppose that
two and two make four, but if one of
those girls was to tell me that they
made five, shouldn't dare dispute
her."
1.-The fact is said Kate, "littlc
Tinkham is the only one who is sure
Of her multiplication table. But then
she doesn't really belong TO us. She
would not be here if it were not for
sweeping and busting to pay her tut
ton. There she is this minute"
A small tired looking figure in n
coarse dress came in sight around the
corner it was Rachel with load Of
books in her hands.
"Shc has worn that dress every day
for three months" said Lou Stead
man; Il verify believe she goes to bed
when it is done up"
my dear, she can't, she has to wash
and iron it herself. Oh, there is
Quecnie," cried Kate 1t was gen.
tie, graceful girl who came walking
fast to overtake Ray, caught step as
le overlook her, and began to 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!"
Quecnic's real name was lice. You
would have known why we called her
Queenie, if you had seen her walk be-
side little Tinkham this morning,
open the gate, stand still, erect, with
that grand way of hers for the girl TO
pass through. believe we all rather
worshiped Queenie.
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
fractions.?'
So they two sat on the doorstep,
and the rest went into the school,
room. Then Lou called out to Ray
TO come and dust her desk. She said
1t "wasn't half busted" Queenie
said:
"Ray 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 told us that tomorrow
would be "Mountain Day."
All the schools in our town drive
70 the mountain once year. Our
day. always comes in September.
This time Mrs. Bland couldn't 60,
~ she sent along hor cousin TO mstron-
he us. She was q fidgety person
afraid Of spiders and no good any
Way.
"Wo are to start at nine O'clock"
9uecnie said. "llay can you be ready
~ early?"
Queenic was new scholar. She
&idn't know that Ray never went
with ns to such places. Now she
Pushed and replied: