Morris tribune., 1882-10-05


just found his favorite jessamins plant lying
uprooted on the ground 1t had been my IA
vorite, too, but Will took it from my garden
and planted 1t in his own, where watched
it auxiously, for I was afraid it would de-"
"'You did it on purpose Will persisted, 'or
if not out of revenge out of pure Stiffness.
Girls are always 80 silly. Didn't you propose
yesterday TO dig it up to SEQ it it had got
root?'
(which was quite true. was very SILLY
little girl, bot meant no harm. | wouldn't
for the world have harmed either Will or his
lessamine. l told him so, but he refused TO
believe me-. So did they all They stood ronnd
! me and declared must have done it Nobody
| else had been in the garden. except, indeed,
dog, who was in tho habit of burying his bones
there But they never thought of him as the,
| sinner: it was only of me- And when denied
doing the thing they were only the more angry.
"You know You are telling a lie. And
| where do little girls go that tell lies?' cried
Will, who sometimes told them himself; but
| then he was boy, and it was rule in that
| family, terribly mistaken one, that the boys
might do anything, and that the girls must
| always give in to the boys So when Will
looked tiercely at me, repeating, You know
| you did it, almost felt as if really had done
it Unable to find another word l began to
cry.
'"Look here, children he called to all the
rest of the children. 'Evah has gone and pulled
up my jesssmine, out of spite, or mischief, or
| care. I'd forgive her if she would only con-
| TESS, but she won't She keeps on telling he
| after lie, and We won't stand children that tell
lies. Ii we punish her, she'll howl, so pro-
| pose that until she coufesses, We all send her
| 10 Coventry
Its very nice town, but don't want to so
| there, SAID l, at which l remember, they all
| burst out laughing, and cried only the more
81 had no idea OF what sending TO Coventry
| meant unless 1t was like sending to Siberia,
I hal taix- haa -
| quicksilver mines, where condemned convicts
were taken, aud where nobody ever lived more
| than two years. Perhaps there were quick
| silver mines at Coventry. A cold shudoer of
| fear ran through ME, but was utterly power
| less. l could but de-
| ''Soun discovered what my punishment
was; and though not death, it was hard enough.
| Fancy. children, being treated day after day,
and all day long, just as if you were chair or
| table-never taken the least notice OF, never
| answered if you spoke, never spoken to on any
account, never played with, petted or scolded;
| completely and absolutely ignored. This Was
being sent to Coventry and it was as cruel a
punishment as could have been inflicted upon
any little girl who. liked her playfellows,
rough as they were. and was very fond of one
| of them, who was never rough, but always
kind and good.
"Tnis was little boy who lived next door.
His parents, like mine, were out in Iudia-nor
had he any brothers or sisters. He was just
my aye, auu younger tudu any OF my COuSluS
So were the best of friends, Tommy aud l.
His surname have forgotten. but l know we
| always called him Tommy, and that loved
him dearly. The bitterest pang of all this bit
ter time was that even Tommy went over to the
| enemy.
'At first he had been very sorry for ms
had tried, all through that holiday SATURDAY.
when my punishment began, to persuade
me to confess, and escape it; and when
he failed-for how could l confess to what
1 had never done? to an action mean
that / would have been ashamed even to
have thought of doing?-then Tommy also
sent me to Coventry On the Sunday all
us children'-we didn't mind grammar
much in those days walked to church to-
gether across the fields, and Tommy ALWAYS
walked with me, chattering the whole way.
Now we walked in total silence, for Wills
eyes were upon him, and even Tommy was
afraid Whatever l said, he never answered a
single word.
Then 1 felt as if the whole world were
against meas If it was no use trying to be
good. or telling the truth, since even the truth
was regarded as a lie. In short, in my childish
way, l suffered much poor Jeanne dare
must have suffered when she was shut up in
her prison at Rouen, called witch, deceiver
-forsaken of all, and yet promised pardon if
she would only confess and own she was
wicked woman, which she knew she was not.
II was quite innocent, but, after three days
of being supposed guilty, 1 ceased to care
whether was guilty or not seemed not to
care for anything. Since they supposed was
capable of pulling up harmless jessamine
root out of spite, what did it matter whether
they thought had told lie or not9 Indeed,
if tell one it would be much easier than tell
ing the truth; and every day my sticking it
out and persisting in the truth became more
difficult.
, ''This state of things continued till Wednes
day, which was our half holiday, when m,
) cousins usually went for long walk or played
cricket, and 1 was sent in to spend the after
l noon with Tommy. They were the delight Of
my life, those quiet Wednesdays, when Tomm,
and went incoming about dug in our gar
den, watched our tadpoles-we had hant
basin full of them, which we kept in the arbo
till they developed into myriads Of frogs, ant
went hopping about everywhere But eve
, | tadpoles could not charm me now, and
dreaded, rather than longed for, my half holi
day.
: ''School had been difficult enough. 70
y Tommy and had the same daily govern-ss
: but it, when we PLAYED together, he was neve
to speak to me, what should l do. Besides
his grandmother would be sure to find it out
e and she was prim and rather strict old lady
. to whom child who had been sent to Coventr
!, for telling lie would be a perfect abhorren &C
~ What could I do? Would it not be better t
= hide away somewhere, so as to escape goin
u into Tommy's house at all? Indeed, I almos
. think some vague thought of running away an
hiding myself forever, crossed my mind, whe
l heard Will calling me.
HE and two of the others were standing a
y the front door, terrible council Of three, lik
that which used to sentence to death the vic
Tins in the Prigonl which we saw last mont
at Venice. l felt not unlike condemned pris
9 oner-one who had been shut up SO long tina
death came almost relief, which it mus
often have been to these poor souls. Tn
three big boys stood over ne like judges owe
Il criminal, and Tommy stood beside then
d looking very sad
1 "Little girl said Willie. in quite judici,
i tone, we think you have been punished enous
d to make you thoroughly ashamed of yourself
1t We wish you to go and play with Tommy, q
10 Usual; but Tommy could hot possibly have 20
y unless you were out of Coventry. We will Civ
a you one chance more Confess that you pulle
}, up the jessamiue and we will forgive you, an
10 tell nobody about you, and you shall go an
e have tea with Tommy. just If nothing ha
9 happened Think-you have only to say on
word
If "'And if don't say itg 6}a
10 Then answered Will, with solemn an
= awful expression, & shall be obliged lmmt
e dlately to tell everybody everything
m "rhat terrib esthreat, all the more formidab
l. because of its vagueness, quite overcame MI
e To be set down as liar or to become one;
III be punished as l knew my aunt would punis
y me on her sons mere statement for wrong
Is had never done, or to do wrong thing, ant
I, escaping punishment, go back to my happ
10 life with my dear Tommy, who stood. the teal
in his eyes, waiting my decision!
!? ut was hard straIt-tUo hard for one
ut young. And Will stood giarlng at me wit
e his remorseless eyes.
e "'Well, now-say, once for all, did you pu
up my jessamine?'
g, SIT was too much. Sullenly, slowly, I mad
up my mind to the inevitable, and answered
rs Since You will have it so-yes.' But the il
Id slant had said it foil into such a fit Of sol
rs bing-almost hysterical screamine-that N
D cousins were all frightened and ran away
d, Tommy stayed, however. He got me in
the quiet arbor as fast as he could. felt b