The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1899-01-26
EDNA'S SURPRISE
By Emma A. opper.

tensibly to bring a dish of preserves,
but as a 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 q
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 q shining blue
in October, when Edna had come; now,
In the heart of swapping cold winter,
IL was a white field Of ice.
WELL" said Mrs. Larrabee, "Edna's
oil right. She's nice girl, and good
company for me, and I'm glad to have
her here"
"But the boys" said Mrs. Larrabee,
"Gilbert and Sid--they don't seem to
take to her as I'd like to see 'em, not
quite. You see, they're not 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 q 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.
II 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"
II know she did," said Mrs. LARA
bee. "Those boys! They'll have to
have a talking to. suppose they
thought, seeing there are no girls at
the Corletts', only Joe, that you didn't
care much about going.
"It's a shame. Put on your things
and 60 right along; you'll catch up
with them"
"No. l 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
-
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 II 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 toe
much.
"It's-it's outlandish!" said Edna
I that being her strongest word.
She went across the road. through
. 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, q home
: made, small affair, but highly salts
factory to Sgd and Gilbert. That wal
one thing that they hadn't been quit
: 10 mean about-they had taken Edns
iceboating several times, and she en-
joyed It hugely.
Edna walked out to It. Standing
there, her eyes widened OF suddeI
and her lips parted. Two thoughts
were In her head. One, that though
J. she hadn't exactly sailed that iceboa
herself. she was pretty sure she knew
how. And the other, that the boy
had meanly left her at home-and wha
fun, ah! what fun 1t would be to sal
down the lake, to go down on the boa
alone and get to the Corletts' befor'
they did! To see them come in gaping
i, and staring at her. To score the double
triumph OF sailing the iceboat and o
. getting to Mrs. Corlett's in spite o
;. them. before they should get there.
:, There was good breeze from tn
/, right direction. Why hadn't they gon'
on the boat themselves? Edna won
!. dered, but not keenly. She brimme'
: with eagerness. She united the boa
: and turned it.
Y Yes, she felt sure she knew all abou
+ it. Or, if not quite all, enough to max
|, the three miles down the lake safely
q The two small sails were alread.
spread. with a reef in the mainsail, ant
u already the little craft moved, as If i
e hurry for a start. Edna took he
}. place on it, leaned on her elbow AM
e grasped the rudder just as the boys did
e And she was off.
y She pointed out from the shore
c little, then drove straight down tn
q lake. Certainly she could do it; tn
q boat answered TO her every turn of tn
s rudder. 1t was easy enough. 1t wa
u splendid! She heard the swift rus
) OF the "shoes" over the smooth ict