Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-18

| But the very next time the daughter had to
begin at the beginning. for her pretty lady"
mad returned TO her one idea.
What would my family have said. Philo?'
Phllomel almost lost patience, even with her
precious mother.
''You make me feel" she cried, 'like Juliet
| Montague, 'she't was Capulet.
las in vault an ancient receptacle
hsTe T for s ,sss many HUNDRED the
10 which Mrs. Durant, with her puzzled
look, replied softly that she didn't know any
juliet Montague. but that she was glad Philo-
mel had an acquaintance who evidently came
4 OF 'genteel' family.
Tuesday dawned bright and propitious Phil
| omel was at the new library betimes. So were
| Algeria Tibbets and Nellie Gill; There, far
apart. lest there should be any communication
between the victims" Philomel laughingly
| dubbed herself and rivals stood three chairs.
| three tables and three sheets of foolscap, from
which latter seemed to glare a long list of ques-
tlons to be answered in writing.
| tin age!'
Phiomel was rackng her brains for the an
| swer, question number two seemed to be try
| ing TO stare her out of countenance with null
| titude of beady black eyes:
! What do you consider the best method of
| making catalogue of books?'
Up from the bottom of the page question
| number twenty asserted its claims:
| "How would you deal with a crowd of per-
|
| and the same time?'
| oh" groaned Philomel, II never thought
| anything about catalogue; and as for question
number five, What reason can you give for sup
posing that Shakespeare wrote his own plays'
l know he did, and don't suppose anything
| about it,
Nellie Gill, in the further corner was gazing
| despairingly at the ceiling. As for Algeria the
steady scratch of her pen was torture to Philo-
| mel's ears. She had known that Algeria was
1 nka hint hn hal,
pected her of having ready opinions concern
| ing catalogues" and clamoring ''crowds''
By IL o'clock at noon Algeria had finished her
work. Phllomel, after a hasty lunch, plodded
"a until 4. As for hapless Nellie Gill, the jan
| ltor, who came to shut up the building at 6
| O'Clock, found her bathed in tears, and still
wrestling vainly with question number ten.
while the rest of the foolscap had as yet
claimed none of her attention.
| Judgment was suspended for three DAYS.
II feel like person standing on the scaffold,
with the black cap over his eyes. waiting for
the drop to fall" said Philomel. dolefully.
Madeline; the spry sound of Algeria's pen was
9o Iiy awful Where 40 you suppose that girl
| The drop fell at last
| Nothing left of D,ee" announced Philomel
keeping stiff upper lip, but inwardly feeling
| as if her doll were truly .'stuffed with saw
| dust"
| Algeria had come off with fyine colors
Judge Akers declared that he couldn't have
done better himself He had not supposed
that seventeen years old girl could have such
sensible opinions ready and waiting to be called
| Tor. SO Algeria, in new gown and a lively
red necktie. installed assistant librarian, at
| salary of four hundred dollars a year.
| This. however, not until the end of the school
| term, for both Philomel and Algeria were TO
graduate in a months time. Philomel shook
hands with the victor, and gave her honest
! though somewhat forced congratulations. Al
gerla received them with due meekness. and
| owned that some of the questions had been
| ''posers."
Philomel tried to absorb herself in her
studies. She would, at least. pass her school
examinations with honor. She remained after
hours, one afternoon, reviewing her Horace
until the waning light warned her that the sun
had gone down behind tall factory opposite.
| That meant tea-time. Philomel rose hastily
and went down the aisle As she passed
AIgeria's desk her eyes fell by chance on
book with big ink splash on its cover.
| "Oh. that's the Reeds English Literature she
was studying SO hard, " thought Philomel. She
paused, and carelesslv took up the book A
| sheet OF closely written paper futtered from
| between its leaves. Philomel was about to re-
place it. when suddenly written line disclosed
itself to her startled vision. In tumult of
dread and surprise she glanced over the words.
She recognized, in Ageria's handwriting every
one OF the questions asked in that examination
| for the library
AS if a curtain were suddenly uplifted dis
| playing seen after scene unsupported before
| PhllomePs quick sense startled itself with its
| own revelations. She remembered Madeline's
| thanking Algeria for remaining in the house
| The light flashing under the closet door; the
faint jingling sound; the Judges missing, so
unaccountably, the papers from his desk;
| Madeline and herself encountering Algeria in
the hall near the study door, and their after
ward Immediately finding the questions 80 evil
dent in the pigeon-hole
She might not be able to "swear before a
jury, but, in her own mind Philomel was sure
that Algeria had copied those questions No
wonder that several days meditation thereupon
had made her pen ''spry!"
For moment Philomel was overwhelmed.
She stood as still as stone, staring at the wit
nesses she held in her hand.
Then her own share in that nights doings
came across her, and her eyes filled with
| tears.
Il know what the temptation was, she whis-
pered, with stifed sob. 81 know, for I went
| through it myself"
She stepped hastily to the teachers desk. took
| match from its box, held it blazing to the be-
| traying paper, and through an open window the
| charred remains hoated pathetically upward,
| as II to impiore pardon at higher than NOR
| tai tribunal Then Philomel shut her lips
| tightly. To no mortal did she breathe a word
| of what she knew. "Poor Algeriar that was
| the way that, in her own heart she always
| spoke of the assistant librarian.
Algeria would not have thanked her for that.
|
| that person was Miss Tibbets. Judge Akers
| was never weary of laudlng her cleverness to
| the skies. Mrs. Akers invited her to her house.
| not to wait upon other guests Many doors were
open to one whom the judges family saw fit to
| befriend.
In the meantime Phiomel did her very best
| and contrived to make both ends meet She
was CHEEKY and happy, but she kept an eye
open If stray job should turn up. Concerning
hopes of this sort she could speak no word to
| her mother
"Work? Oh, no, no. 1t is such relief to
me that you were providentially cut off from
| that" said Mrs. Durant, piously. But then she
was never called upon to forego her Lubin's
| soap or her silk stockings.
So it came to pass that Philomel turned more
and more to her two most sympathetic friends.
| Madeline Akers and John Elliot They were
both wise, but John seemed even more reliable
| than Madeline. John was heartily welcomed
| at the shabby colonial house. Mrs. Durant
held out both hands to him. Philomel watched
for his coming. So that there was but one an
swer in her heart when, year later, John
Elliot said:
II did feel glad-forgive me!-when your
library scheme failed. Let me take care of you,
Philomel"
But there was something else to be said on
that subject. Philomel held her head very
high, and spoke with emphasis.
Il want you to be very sure, John, that am
glad to have you take care of me, because
love you utterly. Not because am afraid of
l no nr I.x-..