Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1899-11-21

ever, had had her instructions from
Edna, and now having been accused
by her teachers Of completely in the
matter she turned on them with SUI
perb scorn and said: IF you believe
me or any Of my friends to blame,
why don't you search our rooms9'
"Ohl | dare say you've made away
with the cans by thisl" rctortcd Miss
| 1'abitha.
do you? Well, don't, was Dol
| ly's quick reply 81 am quite sure that
you will find the cans. but you, must
make a thorough search Of every
room, Miss Tabitha," Dolly went en-
IL beg of you to do as suggest, and,
further, to ask Nina and me to ac-
company you while making the
search"
every well, Dolly, | will do as you
suggest" said Miss Tabitha at last,
and, leaving her sister in charge of the
girls, she called to Nina to accompany
her and Dolly back to the school at
once.
In the meantime Nina's box ar
rived. Edna, who had only been
shamming sickness, had been on the
watch for it, and she opened the front
door before the bell was rung, and
so not even the servant knew of its
arrival. 1t was a heavy box, but Edna
managed to carry il up stairs. lfany-
body had been near they would have
heard considerable ripping and ham
mering during the next ten minutes
Then with very red face and dancing
eyes Edna carried the box into Nina's
room and left it in a conspicuous
place.
Then Edna went back to the room.
and was the invalid once more.
1t was thorough search which
Miss Tabitha made, but nothing was
found to show who had taken the
cherries. At last they came to Nina's
room. Miss Primrose Immediately
saw the box in the center Of the room,
and she also noticed Nina's uneasiness
at the same time.
That young lady was saying to her
self: "Dear me, if Miss Tabitha sees
the contents 1 won't be able to have
my midnight spread"
"Ahl What have we here?" in
quired Miss Tabitha, eying the fatal
box.
ooh, nothing; just some books
from home, that's allW declared Nina.
"Open the box, please, and let me
see what sort of books your parents
have sent you. Surely you do not OBJ
| ject" said Miss Tabitha.
ooh, no, indeed" cried Nina
"But won't some other time do just
as well? Ishall have to go down stairs
and fetch the hammer"
"Get the hammer and I'll wait
here" was all Miss Primrose said.
OF course Nina had nothing to do
but obey. With trembling fingers
she worked the nails loose, then with
wrench she pulled off the cover. Now,
Nina did not expect to see books in
that box, and of course she wished she
had not told a story about it. But
when she gazed at what was now re-
vealed to her she fairly gasped. The
box contained nothing but ten empty
cans which had once held the cher
ries.
As she stood there dazed she heard
Miss Tabitha saying to her in an awful
voice: Miss Nina Jansen, I will see
you in the study in half an hour~
Of course Nina declared that she
knew nothing about how those cans
had come there, butafter her lie about
the books she could not get the Misses
Primrose to believe her.
Two days later Nina left the school,
never to return, and the Alpha So
ciety, having got rid of both Nina and
the cherries, quietly went out of ex-
istence. They certainly were hard on
Nina, but they felt that the end justi-
Ged the means.--N. Y Herald.