Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-11-11
Three Sweet Girl Graduates
BY SARA BEAUMONT KENNEDY.


FSFPFFE%PSFPSE W
The June sun had done full duty all day,
for no cloud had marred the white ra-
dance that lay on the close-cropped grass
and shining paths of the college campus.
In their joint sitting room three girls
lounged in comfort.
"Just to think Julia Thurston said,
sit is all over, the weeks and months OF
study, and we are finished young la
dies"
YES" Celia Holmes answered, ''tomor-
row we will be turned out three inno-
cent lambs among the wolves of the
world. Let's make a solemn contract to
meet here year from that day and tell
our experiences"
Agreed" said the others. And for
few moments nothing else was talked of,
the plan seemed so delightful.
Then Celia said, yawning: II cannot in
the least imagine how am to exist with
out those heart-to-heart talks with dear
old Professor Pope over trigonometry
questions"
"The wonder to me is how you ever
pulled through at all, Celia" said Lester
Hines, who lay full length upon the rug.
when Professor Pope got a passable
mathematical paper out of you he worked
the modern miracle and picked figs from
thistles." II
"I suppose you and Julia thought you
were going to leave me here?'
Eyes; we had talked it over with tears,
and we had imagined scenes out OF the
future like this: AS mothers, entering our
daughters, we would come back here and
find you still doing a daily pilgrimage to
the Pope' And again as grandmothers
we would return with a second genera
ton of girls and find wien old woman
doing trig' through double glasses"
"Oh, pray don't think Of stopping at
being a grandmother-go on, even unto
the third and fourth generation" Celia
cried, throwing her slipper at the grace
full figure on the rug.
Certainly / will go on, for there IS one
more scene to the drama. One day some
20 years from now, when mine and Julia's
Observation-Disclosures graduated with the
first honors, as their ancestresses are do
ing tomorrow, that old woman, who was
once pretty, athletic Celia Holmes, would
fail in her exams again and die of morti-
fcation and old age, and at the post
norton examination the mystic word
'trigonometry' would be found craven on
her hearth
Yes" put in Julia, with mock fearful
ness, I'VE thought to see you die an octo-
genarian, not Of paresis or appendicitis,
not Of anything common, such as ague or
malaria, but of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
heart"
very kind Of you all to kill me off like
that hope you arranged for flowers and
carriages at the funeral"
Really, Celia, how close did you come
to failure?" asked Lester.
$50 close that I think / barked my
shins and skinned my teeth. Please don't
talk of it any more or you'll set my
wounds to bleeding afresh."
IF you had failed, Julia and I would
have taken our diplomas tomorrow in
deep mourning; and that would have been
terrible, considering how angelic Celia
| e.
see her"
.WeH, she need not be stuck up because
Phil Blair is coming to bring her some
roses; Harry Peters will be here TO see
me-"
There was a silence. The tall. fair girl
by the window looked out into the SHIN
mering day and smiled. that smile wo-
man gives a lover for greeting; while the
girl in the easy chair-only trifle less
lovely-turned ring on her finger with
sudden tenderness about her red mouth.
Only Lester lying on the rug, had no ray
of the dream-light on her dark face. She
knew the secrets of these others, and
while they unused thus she watched fhem
curiously What must it be like. this state
of loving and being lovedZ She was an
orphan, poor and homeless, without a rel
alive in the world. She was to carry OF
the first honors tomorrow, yet who was
there to care except the old professor
from whom the honors were won?
"You dear little brown bird" Julia said,
turning suddenly and seeing the look in
Testers eyes, and stopped to gather the
clinched hands into her strong. white
ones. What are you thinking of, Lester?"
IT was wishing there was some one in
the world who cared for me, too
why, Lester, I thought you did not
want a lover; that trigonometry was to
be the romance of your life" cried Celia.
"A lover is better than nobody" sobbed
Lester.
Julia stroked the dark hair tenderly.
''I'll tell you what I'll do, she said pres
entity, "IIl lend you Phil for your lover
during commencement. l will have moth
er and father and grandma and cousin
John; surely that is laudation enough for
one girl. l shall tell Phil to be very de-
voted to you, send you flowers and all
that"
you'll do nothing OF the sort" Les
ter cried, starting up. IT would not bor-
row yours and Celia's clothes all these
years, / certainly shall not borrow your
lover now"
Dear me. Lester. what a time we have
had with that foolish pride of yours.
Just as If our things did not belong to you
by right of affection" sighed Celia.
'You two have been so good to me,
Lester said, her eyes filling.
Hush up!" cried Celia, throwing her
other slipper with accurate aim. w mere
should 1 be today, I should like to know,
but for your coaching and bullying? 1t
was you pulled me through, not professor.
owe everything to you" AM so they
comforted the heart-sick girl, these two
favorite daughters of fortune.
That night 1T the promenade concert
Lester met Phil Blair. Julia had coached
him as to his part, and from the moment
of introduction he was as Testers shad-
ow At first she protested against his at
| tentiOns and even tried to avoid him; but
it was no use, and by and by the exhilara-