San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-04-26
pose 1 must go TO my ola painting .essonj'
sighed Helen

sighed Helen.
''Old painting lesson" echoed Mollie,
81 thought you liked it,"
$50 should, if l could paint flowers
and people and things, but as for sitting
and looking at an old vase for two hours,
gazing along pencil to get the proper
tions, think it's stupid" growled Helen.
81 know l could paint ten times better if
did the things that liked"
"When you converse upon topics be-
yond your comprehension, Miss Starr,
you do not create an impression of your
knowledge, but only expose your pro-
found ignorance" prosed Mollie, in a
grandiOse manner.
"Well, shan'r stay here to be laughed
at" said Helen. cts time I was there,
this very Misunderstanding at the clock.
Good by, Mollie." And giving her a
hasty kiss she took Bessie's arm, and
the three girls hurried from the room.
During the months that followed Mollie
had abundant opportunity to test the
strength of her resolution. At first the
sense of novelty and the enthusiasm that
always accompanies new idea made her
self imposed task an easy one, but gradu
ally this died away, and many times was
the music neglected until almost bed
time, when she reluctantly left the pleas
ant game or fascinating book to do what,
with little forethought, might have been
an agreeable duty. Mamma had been
told of the plan, and had laughed at
the formally worded Resolve" but
heartily approved of it, and now, though
she sometimes wondered at her daugh-
ter's fOrgetfufness, she held her peace,
remembering that it was Mollie's affair,
and knowing that, if the girl did once
really neglect it, her wounded pride and
the sense of failure would be a sufficient
punishment. And by and by Mollie dis
covered the value of little system, and
then she might have been seen every
morning, directly afte. breakfast, practic-
ing with an energy and determination that
went far toward cOnquering the difficulties
of the complicated exercises.
At last the time arrived for Mollie's
summer fitting, and one pleasant day in
June the four girls were gathered to-
gether in her little sanctum for ''good-
by talk"
ooh, dear!" sighed Helen. cit does
not seem any time since winter, and now
it's summer again, and l shall miss you
so dreadfully.n
Ditto" answered Mollie, brightly.
But perhaps it won't seem any time till
autumn, and then 1 shall be back, you
know. And you will not miss me long,
for in another month you will be revel-
ling in the treasures of Martha's Vine
yard"
81 know it," groaned Helen. "But
whole month in this dreadful city, with
the thermometer over eighty, and every
soul away, and nothing to do-oh!''
"Come, Helen" cried Amy, 'don't
look so doleful, or you'll give us all the
blues. You've made even Mollie look
sober"
Mollie contradicted this statement by a
beaming smile that was reflected in the
faces of the others. Even Helen looked
more cheerful You are the most COM
Portable girl she said. ~ don't believe
you ever were homesick in your life"
Wasn't" said Mollie, promptly. II
have tried hard enough"
The girls broke into chorus of laugh
ter. ''Tried to be homesick! What do
you mean?'
"Just what l said," answered Mollie.
stoutly. "You know last summer mamma
went to Europe, and left me with Aunt
Linda? Well, everybody kept saying:
Poor little girl, how you must miss your
mother Aren't you dreadfully home
sick' until l began to feel really troubled
because / wasn't. And one night I tried
to cry myself to sleep thinking about it.
But twas no use. 1 never did cry easy,
and thought was the most heartless
creature alive. So l wrote to mamma
that everybody seemed to expect me to be
homesick, but 1 wasn't, and hoped she
would not feel hurt, for / tried real hard,
but was having such good time that 1
couldn't"
"Well," said Bessie, laughing, "that's
an original idea. But, to change the sub
ject, are your things all packed?"
"All except my ribbons and laces, and
those go in the top tray, you know?'
"And the music?" asked Bessie, mis-
chievously.
Safe in a corner of my trunk" was
Mollie's ready answer. "Waiting to be
taken out the minute / reach Elsie's to-
morrow afternoon"
ooh, Helen" exclaimed Amy, ''do tell
US about Daisy Bliss party. / have not
heard word, and am just longing to
know"
Consequently Helen launched into one
of those lengthy and comprehensive de-
scriptions so delightful TO girlish hearts.
And as she felt quite in her native ele-
ment, and no interesting detail had es-
capped her ObserVant eyes, it bid fair to
rival "the story without an end" and
was only concluded by the ringing of tile
FOO hall mac fnITo,,yo.l ~ =, -.a,ovol