The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-09-30
The Stirlg,iest Girl.

.
and had a new dress, and lots Of the
girls did. Sara was determined TO
know what Kate stllwell was going to
do about IT, and finally she asked her.
Sara and were in the gymnasium, and
Kate came in.
"'What about the reception, Kate?
said Sara. What are you going to
wenrP
my white dress said Kate. the one
with the rosettes; you've seen it. and
she picked up her dumbells as cool and
unconcerned as anything.
Sara didn't say anything, she just
looked at me,
I'VE did all we could to help Miss
Chase make 1t a lovely affair. There
was q great big committee on arrange
ments, about fifteen Of US. I was in It,
and Sara and Louise. and Kate Still
well, and lot Of others o, yes-and
Phoebe Williams; Ruth Morrill, nomin-
ated her.
Louise and Sara roomed together.
and q week before the reception they
invited the whole committee to their
room TO talk things over, and to have n
| spreRd-whAt we called a spread; we
had cake and olives and oranges and
we made fudge. They borrowed tables
and chairs, and every girl had a plate,
and tust for fun they had favor for
every girl. They were paragraphs and
verses that they'd cut out of old news
papers and books, and we read them
out loud. In turn. They were hits,
mostly; Ruth Morrill, Is q great chatter
box, and hers was verse about q gen
tie, quiet child that never talked any.
She didn't care, nor any OF US; we
laughed and had q great time-tlll Il
got around to Kate Stilweln
''Well-Knte Tead hers right out. like
4 the rest OF us. She looked at Sara and
Louise a minute, and her cheeks got a
little redder ard then she read 1t; and
this was her verse:
"Oh, yes, / am kinder savin' and clus;
Wal, yes, know be;
I'm tight as the bark Of tree:
But tell We I'd suffer considerable wuss
To spend my good money" says he.
zone or two girls laughed, but thlnl;
We felt scared little: did, know,
aud tried to think of something TO
say to smooth It over II could. But l
didn't have time to say anything.
! Somebody jumped up all at once. and l
looked round and saw Phoebe Williams
standing up. She didn't look warm,
| like Kate; she looked pale. and we all
knew something was going to happen,
and It was rs still MS It could be.
I'm going TO speak out said she. I
can't bear 1t any longer. You girls have
thrown out hints like this before; hints
about Kate Stilwell being stingy, and
4 I've stood II as long as can. No, don't
stop me, Kate-I must and l will" said
she.
''She made me think Of Spartacus to
the gladIators, or Horatlus at the
bridge or somebody. the way she look
ed standing there. I want to ask you
something. she said, Just one thing
II Kate StIlwell is stinFy, do you know
why she's stingy? Well, I'm going to
tell you why.
"'We've always been friends Mt
home said she. though I'm poor and
she Is rich; and 20 Kate has known all
about me. She knew wanted to be q
! teacher. q Eoverness II could, and the
academy at Hawley is not considered
very good, and Kate said II could go
to q fine private school 1 could get a
good deal better position as a COVER
! ness. And she WAS coming here. and
she brought me with her. Yes. she just
made me come. She said the allowance
her father gave her was plenty enough
to pay for two girls instead OF one. II
ws were little economical. She want
ed to do Il, and she would do II; she
Just brought me along.
"Her family and mine knew all
about 1t, Of course. but she didn't tell
anybody else. and she wouldn't let me.
And she made me promise not TO tell
| anybody about It here, either. She said
It WASH anybody's business, but 1
knew what she thought She didn't
want any Of you girls to know she was
doing 1t, because she never wants to
| take any credit for anything, and she
thought. besides. that I should take a
better position here II nobody knew but
| that had money Of my own.
81 wanted to see IL Miss Chase could
not give me work part Of the time.
Homework or anything. I didn't care
what. so long as l could earn part OF
my expenses and save Kate that much.
Kate wouldn't have II. She said
would have studying enough TO do
without doing anything else; she said
she wanted TO see me get through with
| honoTs. and that she was doing II, and
che was going to do II all, and do It her
own way.
'Now. how do you think / felt said
Phoebe Williams. when you called Kate
| Stilwell stingy? II she has been saw
Ing, she has had to be. and now you
| know why. ! don't believe she cared
| for what you thought. for sizes above
| lt-but | cared Kate Stilwell Is the
best girl In this school. and the noblest
and dearest-and I've broken my prom
Use TO her not to tell. and don't care.
viii tell-and. OH girls" And then
Phoebe Williams sat down and dropped
her head in her hands and burst out
crying"
| Laura Hoicomb's own eyes were rath-
| er wet; so. indeed. were the eyes OF her
sympathlzing listeners. And what did
you girls do" Becky Purcell asked,
eagerly.
well. we couldn't do anything just
that minute because when we looked
around FOR Kate Stitweti she was gone;
shed escaped. But nftcrward you can
imagine! We didn't apologize to Kate
| In 80 many words for when Sara and
Louise tried TO tell her how sorry they
/ were about that mean verse she would
not let them; che said u she'd really
been nB stlngy MS they thought she was
| that she wouldn't have blamed them.
| But there are lots Of ways for girls TO
| show II. you know, when they like
| girl. and admire her. and want her 10
| know It. don't believe there was n
| girl In th1; school that didn't do some
thing to let Kate Stilwcll know how fine
she thought she was. Ruth Morrill,
couldn't hold In. she went and bought
her n silver belt set with blue stones,
| and she invited her 10 go Ia the Thou
sand Islands this summer with her and
her people and I suppose they're there
now Ruth never docs things by halves.
| eve liked Phoebe Williams after