The Van Buren press., 1894-10-20
THE NEW GIRL.
How She Won Friends in Spite Of
Her Queer Ways.

On pleasant September afternoon
= hack drove up to the doorway of q
western seminary. At one Of the win
dows which gave upon the entrance
was . group Of girls, who looked down
eagerly to see whether the girl inside
was old or now. It was . new girl
who aliehted. A plump, shortwaisted,
large-wsisted girl who wore an ordi.
narily good wool suit, made after the
prevailing style in the country village
whence she had come.
"What . frightl'' cried Miss Lily
Maud Twillets, with . giggle. What
do you suppose she has come here
for?s Lily Maud was wasp-waistcd
and wore train, and, In her own eyes
and those Of her set, was IN extremely
stylish person. She was now chew
ing gum with all her might, 80 that
her words and her giggle had > choppy
sound.
az don't know" giggled Rose Marie
eipp. ''Eome folks are 10 queer"
The rest Of the stylish set said moth
ing, but they looked out at the now
girl and giggled. She looked SO funny.
She set her foot down easily and
actually bent 1t Is she walked, instead
of clumping along. She dropped .
parcel and stopped - easily Is . child
TO pick it up, and her gloves were so
loose that she could really hold things
in her handsi
"If looked like that" declared Lily
Maud, II wouldn't 60 whore Icould
be seen. Why. she's q perfect sight to
behold" And. thcn she Riggled and
al the rest giggled with her ss the
new girl entered the hall door
From other windows other sats 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. Tho hall, ss she stepped
into it, seemed gloomy and cold, and
. chill fell upon her spirits. Her inde-
pendence forsook her. and all at once
she was but q timid girl of seventeen
and . half who had never been away
from home alone before. The room to
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 arranged TO the
/. best advantage, with every now and
then q glance from the windows,
whiled away the time until the sup
per bell rang, and she, in rather hap
py and expectant mood, descended to
the dining-room. A little self-con-
scions, she walked across the room 10
the place assigned her, and, when the
meal began, glanced timidly about.
She was not used to such large COM
pany. Directly opposite her sat Lily
Maud and Rose Marie and, the presid-
ing teacher being absent, they pro-
ceeded to make merry at her expense.
In : 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 ahe answered what was said to
her at random, and not 1t all TO the
point For the frat time In her life
she was nervous and confused.
s.ner names Matilda Martha Bcbb!''
cried Lily Maud, - the new girl dis.
appearsd mp the stairs- "Ain't 1t just
Ike her? Matilda Martha Bebbr she
repeatesl. ''Matilds Martha Bebb!
wonder where on earth she came fromi
Bebbville7-s At this brilliant speech
Rose Marie giggled more than usual.
Matilda Martha Bebb meanwhile hur.
ried along 10 he- room. Her lips were
tieht shut and her blue eyes were very
bright There was an ache in her heart
and lamp In her throat, but not fo'
the world would she have let those
seminary girls know it. She had nc
room mate and from that day she stood
alons. She would make no advances
How did she know but that all the
girls were like Lily Maud and Rose
Marie? She would not try TO find out.
IL vvns bad enough TO be secuted with.
ont having the additional humiliation
Of feeling ones self repulsed.
The seminary town was also . rive'
town AID in the winte had bleskl