The Forrest City times., 1899-01-13
EDNA'S SURPRISE
By Emma A. opper.

lvI come over through the snow, os-
tensibly to bring a dish of preserves,
but as matter of fact to ask how Ed
ma Lester was getting along. Edna's
father was Mrs. Larrabee's distant
cousin, and when he had gone abroad
on business which would keep him a
year he had left his young daughter
with Mrs. Larrabee, whose pleasant
home was on the west bank of Silver
lake. The lake had been a shining blue
in October, when Edna had come; now,
in the heart of swapping cold winter
it was a white field of ice.
WELL" said Mrs. Larrabee, "Edna's
all right. She's nice girl, and good
company for me, and I'm glad to have
her here"
But the boys" said Mrs. Larrabee,
Colbert and Sid-they don't seem to
take to her as I'd like to see 'em, not
quite. You see, they're net used to
girls, and they don't make so much of
Edna as wish they would. They go
on with their plans and doings and
leave her out of 'em. They have Sc
crets. and won't let her into 'em. They
have a sign for every secret, They
cross their limbs, that's one of their
signs, and Edna does want to know
that secret the worst way; but they
won't tell her." Mrs. Larrabee laughed
in comic despair.
Edna was at the sitting-room win
dow. Presently, looking up, she saw
Gilbert and sgd going out at the gate
Edna caught her breath. She went
out to Mrs. Larrabee, whose caller had
departed. They've gone," said she.
They've gone down to the Corletts',
and they didn't wait for me-
Now they haven't" Mrs. Larrabee
calculated, with real concern.
Il wanted to CO." said Edna. "Mrs.
Corlett asked me to come when the
boys did. She invited me just as much
as she did them"
Il know she did," said Mrs. LARA
bee. Those boys! They'll have to
have talking to. l suppose they
thought, seeing there are no girls at
the Corletts', only Joe. that you didn't
care much about going.
ITS shame. Put on your things
and go right along; you'll catch up
with them"
No. / guess" said Edna, forlornly.
her lip trembling. "I'll go outdoors a
little while" And she put on her jacket
and hood, her mittens and her rubber
boots, and went out.
Outside in the nipping air her
wounded feelings changed by degrees
to warm and increasing Indignation.
They were perfectly mean! They
knew Mrs. Corlett had invited her TO
come with them, and they knew she
wanted TO go. They kept her out of
everything purposely. OF course. she
didn't expect TO know their secrets
not if they wouldn't tell her; though
There were one or two, notably the one
whose sign was crossed thumbs, that
she did want to know dreadfully. But
when it came to their going off to the
Corletts' without her, just leaving her
out and forgetting her-that was too
much.
"It's-it's outlandish!" said Edna,
that being her strongest word.
She went across the road, through
a frozen field and down the path to the
lake. There was nothing to see but the
bleak stretch of the ice-bound sheet,
four good miles in length. The boys
iceboat lay moored there, a home
made, small affair. but highly salts
factory TO sgd and Gilbert. That was
one thing that they hadn't been quite
so mean about-they had taken Edna
iceboating several times, and she en-
joyed it hugely.
Edna walked out to it. Standing
there, her eyes widened of sudden
and her lips parted. Two thoughts
were in her head. One, that though
she hadn't exactly sailed that iceboat
herself, she was pretty sure she knew
how. And the other, that the boys
had meanly left her at home-and what
fun, ah! what fun it would be to sail
down the lake, to go down on the boat
alone and get to the Corletts' before
they did! To see them come in gaping
and staring at her. To score the double
triumph of sailing the iceboat and of
getting to Mrs. Corlett's in spite of
them. before they should get there.
There was a good breeze from the
right direction. Why hadn't they gone
on the boat themselves? Edna won
dered, hut not keenly. She brimmed