The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-10-13
THE NEW GIRL.
How She Won Friends in Spite Of
Her Queer Ways.

On a pleasant September afternoon
a hack drove up to the doorway OF a
western seminary. At one of the win
dows which gave upon the entrance
was a group of girls, who looked down
eagerly t see whether the girl inside
was old or new. 1t was a new girl
who alighted. A plump, s~hort-waisted,
large-waisted girl who wore an ordi-
narily good wool suit, made after the
prevailing style in the country village
whence she had come.
What a fright..' cried Miss Lily
Maud Twillets, with a giggle. What
do you suppose she has come here
for?" Lily Maud was wasp-waisted
and wore a train, and, in her w eyes
and those of her set, was an extremely
stylish person. She was now chew
ing gum with all her might, sc that
her words and her giggle had . choppy
sound.
Il don't know" giggled Rose Marie
-Sipp. 'Some folks are SO queer"
The rest of the stylish set said moth
ing, but they looked out at the new
girl and giggled. She looked so funny.
She set hur foot down easily and
actually bent it as she walked, instead
of clumping along. She dropped a
parcel and stopped as easily as a child
to pick it up, and her gloves were SO
loose that she could really hold things
in her hands!
"If 1 looked like that" declared Lily
Maud, Il wouldn't go where 1 could
Irl,, ehasc m narfant cinhf 70
behold" And then she giggled and
all the rest giggled with her as the
new girl entered the hall door.
From other windows other sets of
girls had looked down upon the new
arrival. Their comments had not
been so foolish and unkind as those
made by the fashionable set, but the
new girl had created an unfavorable
impression. The hall, as she stepped
into it, seemed gloomy and cold, and
a chill fell upon her spirits. Her indie
pendence forsook her. and all at once
she was but a timid girl of seventeen
and a half who had never been away
from home alone before. The room 30
which she was shown was small, but
it had two windows, one to the north
and one to the east, and both looked
out on the pretty grounds Of the semi
nary. She could see groups of girls
walking about, and she wondered
which of them would be her friends,
for she was modest and did not hope
to win them all. Making her toilet,
exploring her little room and its closet,
trying to determine just how the fur
nishings could be arrsnged to the
best advantage, with every now and
then a glance from the windows,
whiled away the time until the sup
per bell rang, and she, in rather a hap
py and expectant mood, descended to
the dining-room. A little self-con-
scious, she walked across the room to
the place assigned her, and, when the
meal began, glanced timidly about.
She was not used to such a large COM
pany. Directly opposite her sat Lily
Maud and Rose Marie and, the presid-
ixg teacher being absent, they pro-
ceeded TO make merry at her expense.
In a thousand little ways they man
aged to convey to her that they found
her amusing. Under this treatment
the new girl grew awkward. She
blushed and made all sorts of little
blunders which, under happier circum-
stances, she would not have made.
and she answered what was said to
her at random, and not at all to the
point For the first time in her life
she was nervous and confused.
"Her names Matilda Martha Bebb!"
cried Lily Maud, as the new girl dis
appeared up the stairs "Ain't it just
like her? Matilda Martha Bebbr" she
repeated. Matilda Martha Bebb! 1
wonder where on earth she came from?
Bebbville?" At this brilliant speech
Rose Marie giggled more than usual.
Matilda Martha Bebb meanwhile hur-