Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-08-13

She was the darling of Broughton Acad-
emy, sweet Madge Wilmer, with her
piquant face, great brown eyes, and short
dark curls running all over her small head.
She had always been spoilt, being the only
| child of rich parents who idolized her; and
the fourteen years of her young life had
glided by without the faintest shadow ever
crossing them. Then at Broughton Acad-
emy the girls all made pet of her, SO it
was not surprising that she should be
somewhat wilful and spoilt. The Academy
was very select and expensive school on
the outskirts Of st. Louis, and its scholars
were mostly the daughters of rich men.
One afternoon, in early June, the girls
were all out on the wide, smooth play
ground. Some were swinging, others play
ing lawn tennis, and others again prone
nading, schoolgirl fashion, with their arms
about each others waists, while the fresh,
girlish voices rang out mingled with peals
Of merry laughter.
There was one girl, however, who took
no part in any of the anusements, but sat
alone on one of the rustic benches, with a
book on her lap and her eyes bent down
upon it. She was thin, pale-faced girl,
with far too weary and dissatisfied look
for her fifteen years. The only thing
bright or pretty about her, for che was
dressed both shabbily and dinghy, was her
hair Of bright gold hue, and plated In
one thick braid which fell below her waist.
At little distance was group of girls Of
whom Madge Wilmer was the centre.
81 can't bear that GIRL" said Leila Sum-
ner, supercilious blonde, with cold look
toward the quiet figure on the bench;
'there's something SO sneaky and sullen
about her,"
'I don't like her, myself" answered
Madge, sand there's certainly nothing at
tractive about her, but don't think she is
exactly sneaky; she is of a nervous, sensi.
tive temperament, and you know she is
rather under disadvantage here. Per-
haps under more favorable circumstances
she would appear to better advantage"
"Wbat a little moralizer it ;s"' said
Ada Waters, one of the older girls, laugh
ing and patting Madge's curly head, while
Leila Sumner spoke up rather spitefully:
'.You needn't take up for her so, Madgie,.
vocal-music prize"
Madge flushed, and tossed her curly
head.
"Let her, but she shan't beat me; my
hearts set on winning the prize, and it will
take something better than that weak
creature of Loula Parks to carry it off
from me-"
'Do you know what 1 overheard the pro-
fessor say to Mrs. Broughton the other
day?" interposed Ada Waters. Mrs.
Broughtop, who wants Madge to win the
prize, was asking the professor what he
thought about it. "Why, Madge will carry
it of, of course he replied, mot because
she has finer voice than Loula Parks, for
she has not-the latter has voice that,
with proper cultivation, would make her
one of the famous singers of the day-but
because Madge has the confidence and self
possession to do herself justice, which the
other girl, unfortunately, entirely lacks.'-
Those were bis exact words, Madgie, so,
you see, you are pretty sure to get the
prize"
Madge flushed crimson, and then pouted,
while the other girls broke out into indig-
nant exclamations. "The idear' "What
utter nonsense!' s'They didn't see thing
in that Loula Parks's voice, while Madge
had q lovely onep' "They never heard
anything so absurd. Professor must have
been joking, or Ada had misunderstood
him."
every we'll, have il just as you please,
only hush," cried Ada, stopping up her
ears.
Il can't understand how her parents can
afford to send her here at all" raid Leila,
''for they are quite poor, and there is a
crowd of children besides Loula.''
81 believe it is rich old uncle who
sends her," said another of the girls; 'tmy
papa knows him, and he says he is very
rich, but as queer as he can be, and some
thing of miser. He must be frightfully
mean, or he would have given the girl an
outfit when he sent her here, and not let
her be disgrace to the school, with her
shabby clothes. Papa says Mrs. Parks
will not get any of his money when he dies,
for he has left it all to build some kind of a
queer place, and he is a crazy old thing, !
believe. Bullock, girls! you know the old
saying, talk of the, &c. there comes
Mrs. Parks now to pay Loula visit"
They all looked; shabbily dressed
woman, with tired, pale face, was CROSS
ing the playground from the entrance gate.
Lonla had arisen and gone forward to meet
her, kissed her, and then the two turned
and went toward the house. Some of the
girls laughed, but Madge curled her lip af
she looked after the two shabby figures,
with the sunlight catching the girls golden
hair as it flickered through the branches oi
the trees. The words of the professor wert