Griggs courier., 1897-10-08
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Il Qu66r GOnlpd6t.
by Marth. H. i1thise.


OooooooeoeeooooooooooooooS
% JENNIE! Jennieis Wait for mel"
u shouted Lizzie Dyer through the
open window as she saw her friend go
ing by the house on her way to school.
'Oh, haven't you gone yet, Lizzie? I
thought it was late"
"Late? No, indeed" said Lizzie, rum
ming, hat in hand, to meet her friend.
You must have q queer kind Of clock
st your house; It's only half-past
eight
I'VE do have the funniest time about
our clocks. We have four. The big,
ugly one in the kitchen loses half an
hour or so day, and the grand marble
clock in the parlor is so fine we don't
dare touch it, for fear we'll do some
harm. And the other two-let me see
one stops every few hours, and the
other, being on high bracket in Willis
bedroom, nobody recollects to wind; so
It doesn't go at all. It's hard work tell
ing the time at our house. We're al
ways kept in practice. adding and SUBJ
tractng."
'well. I'm glad it's so early, for I
want to propose some fun. Mother told
me last night that when she was little
girl she used to keep journal and
put down every day all the cross things
that were said to her. Wasn't that a
queer idea? She said she had the jour
nal still in the old horsehair trunk up
IN the garret, and she promised to get
IL out the next rainy day and read it
to me. I'll coax her to let you hear it,
too, for know it will be jolly. That
made me think how funny it would be
for you and me to agree to tell each
other all the horrid things the girls
and boys said about US at school. Will
you do It? won't get angry If you
won't"
"All right" assented Jennie. "Only
! hope nobody says anything very
dreadful about me. I don't see as do
anything to make them"
''No, indeed! Neither do T." replied
Lizzie, with emphasis.
So the girls agreed not to tell each
other anything until Friday night, for
they were both high in their classes
and they didn't intend to be distracted
from their studies.
Accordingly the next Friday night
they walked of together, and, sitting
down by the beach, began to compare
notes.
"You begin first" said Jennie, "for
I'm kind of afraid. won't saw one
word till you are done, no matter how
angry feel"
every WELL" answered Lizzie.
But still she kept on drawing figures
in the sand and seemed in no hurry to
begin.
Then she thought:
II can tell her the smallest things
first, and that'll make it easier to tell
the big things" So she began: "Tom
Melvin told me last Monday that he
thought q girl as rich as you might put
five cents in the Sunday school box
every Sunday to help the poor heather.
only you were so stingy. He said Lulu
Bowen put in five cents, and she wasn't
half so rich"
"Did Tom Melvin say that? Oh,
wasn't it mean?" said Jennie, her
cheeks all ablaze.
II thought you weren't going to say
anything until got through?' re-
minded Lizzie.
"Well, didn't intend to; but I can't
help it. So there!"
II know what will be better" said
sympathizing Lizzie. Lets take turns.
You tell me something now."
"Oh, that will be better! Let me see.
I didn't hear anything about you Mon
day; but Tuesday Augusta Gibson said
you were so stuck-up because you hap
pened to be Number / that she just
hated you. She said you must have
learned sleight-of-hand performances
from your Uncle Joe, so you could look
in the history on the sly and recite per-
fast every time"
"Oh, what falsehoodl" exclaimed
Lizzie, springing at an imaginary Au-
gusta. "Why, think she's too mean
to live! Girls that are so awful stupid
are always thinking everyone else
cheats"
Lizzie sat down again, feeling relieved
by her outburst.
'Of course it's a shame" said Jen-
ME, 'but it's comfort to know we
would never say such horrid things"
Eyes, it is," said Lizzie. "Oh, it's
my turn, isn't it? I didn't hear any,
thing about you Tuesday or Wednes-
day; but Thursday Eva Stanford said
you brought such big lunches to schoo!
and you never. gave anyone single
bite. She said you'd rather take home
what you had left than to give it to any
one else, although you were the richest
girl in town"
Jennie was silent, for she had moth
ing to say. 1t was really fact that
number of times she had carried
home plums, apples or grapes, rather
than give them to the girls. OF course,
she and Lizzie always swapped; but
then they were chums, which made
difference.
Eva said you had SO much, she
thought you might give little to poor
Susie Baker, who never has thing but
hrood md hu%<or's continued T;,,;o