Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-04-22

Wluuk0Oo I'D curieo. JpOu my
word. Edna, you do act childishly some
times!" she said.
II don't care II do" returned Edna.
She leaned back against the cannon,
and prepared to enter into a wordy
contest. You've got to say, Please
lend me your book before I'll give II
to YOU" she continued.
Winifred's face flushed darkly. 81
shan't say any such thing" she said
quickly.
well, you won't get II unless you
do" Edna returned composedly.
"See IL won't" cried Winifred,
springing up thoroughly provoked.
"Ill go ask your mother to give 1t to
me-"
well, now you'll never get it," ex-
claimed Edna diving into her school
bag with a wicked little impulse. 1--WE
got 1t here, and I'm going to"-she ran
quickly toward the bonfire-"burn 1t
up!" she finished by fiinging 1t into the
flames.
Through the cloud Of anger in Wini-
fred's eyes she watched the flutterings
the bag with the blank book.
For a moment she was SO completely
stunned by Edna's malicious act that
she could not have spoken II she had
tried. Then, leaving the paper, she
turned about and walked quickly back
into the post.
1t seemed to her that nothing could
ever make her forgive Edna or like
her again.
At 8 o'clock eacn morning guard
mount call brought a little burst of
school children out into the post. The
next day, when Winifred came from
the house she saw Edna standing be-
fore her fathers quarters at the other
end of the officers row. She was look
ing toward Winifred.
"She's waiting for me" thought Win
fired. "She'd like to make up now!
That's her way. She thinks she can
do anything she likes one minute, and
pretend she's sorry and be friends the
next. But don't intend to have any
thing more to do with her."
So, instead of going around by the
sidewalk. she cut across the parade
ground to the north side of the garri
son square, where school was held in
lower room of the soldiers barracks.
Edna glanced at her ruefully when she
entered few minutes later, just as
the bell rang for school to begin.
'I'll take the compositions now,
girls" Miss Allen said, during the
morning. "Pll look over them be-
tween now and Monday, and de-
eide who is to have the ColonePs
prize"
There was little murmur of Edna"
through the room, by way Of conviction
that she would win the prize.
Col. Crane had offered prize for the
best essay on Montana, and all the
other scholars had been trying to win
it. There were six children of officers,
and dozen or more from the soldiers
families.
When the compositions were brought
forth, there was little stir, and Edna
was conscious of a general interest in
her direction as she took out her geog-
raphy. She had the gift of writing
easily, and she had been working care
fully at her composition for several
weeks. She felt no hesitation in sub
hitting it now, and she did hope it
would win the prize, as every one ex-
pected.
She opened the geography. The pa
per was not there. She ran over the
leaves of the book hastily, then slowly
and carefully. Then she put down the
book and began to rummage her desk
nervously.
Suddenly she let her hands drop at
her sides and uttered a dismayed ex-
clamation. Miss Allen looked inquir-
ingly at her.
''My composition is destroyed" cried
Edna. II remember now l took 1t out
of my geography yesterday and put into
another book to take home and-and
l threw it into the fret" She glanced
with a scarlet face at Winifred.
A cool expression came to Winifred's
face. She bent her eyes on her lesson.
The scholars and Miss Allen were very
sorry for Edna, knowing how indus
triously she had worked over her COM
position. Miss Allen said II she could
re-write 1t she could have until Mon
day to bring it in.
Edna was so much disturbed that she
could not study. Miss Allen kindly
let her go. She ran to the place Of the
bonfire, hoping to find some scraps of
her work.
This was Thursday. Edna did not
come to school on Friday. When Win
fired passed Capt. Kent's quarters on
her way to school she saw her writing
at a table near the window. At noon
Edna was there and late in the after
noon she was still hard at work. Her
little figure had dropped into tired at
titude so that her curls lay on the Ia
BILE. -T~
Winifred's mouth compressed into
hard line. She would not allow her.
self to feel sorry for her friend.
She was not sorry when she looked
out next morning and saw the saddle
horses in front of nearly every house
but Edna's.
"She doesn't deserve to CO." Wini-
fred said to herself, as she fastened on
her riding cap. "She ought to have
the disappointment.
It was the Saturday of the month on
which Col. Crane inspected Camp
Cheyenne, and several officers and la
dies had made up a party to ride out
with him. Winifred and Edna had
been looking forward to the trip for
several weeks.