The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-04-20
ZHNgLhe Boycott
|3M#yjW =. on Caroline
lH$gfEszSNMlnM 81 SUSAN KEAIlNG GLASPELL

arts the qualities possessed by the peo-
pie III the story.
There is girl" she informed them.
"and ] think she is about our age
suppose she will attempt to buy her
way into our crowd. She will wear
better dresses than any of the rest Of
us, ard she Will think that just because
! she has more money than we have that
IL is her place to lord il over us. Now,
we must show her that the old fam.
lilies Of thisstown are not going 10 sue
cumb TO mere wealth. We must be
| quite obilvious TO her guady display.
1t is fortunate we understand the situ-
! alton before she comes, for now she
will he given no opportunity TO hui
initiate us"
All of this made a deep impression
upon the four other girls. Marion. be-
cause she was the most imaginative
! Of the crowd. had become in sense
its leader. She had n peculiar quick
way of asSimilating the things she
! read, and that made her companions
feel that Marion had attained TO 4
| 'N'f ~ 4 AAahNi ENaiANlAlr VI NV
The first day Caroline Stuart walked
| down the main street Of Elmwood.
they felt their suspicion that she would
attempt 10 lord il over them" 10 be
confirmed. Her gown bore the marks
| of city dressmaker, and she walked
very straight and carried her head very
! high. That was partly because she
had been taught TO do so at school. and
in part because, feeling timid with so
many strange eyes upon her. she
sought refuge in dignity. Her impulse
was to look with friendly interest at
| the five girls as she passed them. bur
| feeling shy, she looked straight ahead
| instead.
well, of all the airs! gasped
| Marion.
1T is evident that she feels miles
above Us" sputtered Kitty Benton.
I'VE will not trouble her" comment
ed Doris Morton. with dignity.
Its just as l told YOU" insisted
Marion. Now the only thing to do
is to let her absolutely alone"
They did. When she passed them
| upon the street they were deeply alb
| Sorhed in one another. They studied
! The art Of passing her house without
knowing it was there. When she be-
! gan driving in her pretty pony-cart
they regarded it as a personal aflront
The strange part of il all is that they
were in truth kindly girls. and would
have felt very badly indeed at the idea
OF hurting any ones feelings. Their
attitude had grown upon them to such
an extent that with the coming of the
big red automobile, the first TO be
seen in Eimwood, the ignoring of Caro-
! line Stuart had become a duty.
Perhaps few girls OF her age have
ever passed as unhappy summer as
| Caroline Stuart passed that year. OF
warm-hearted, sunny nature, she was
Il girl TO whom friends were ncces-
| Sity. She was so free from any idea
| of distinctions created by money that
! the secret Of the thing never dawned
| upon her. She supposed, on the other
| hand that the girls did not like her.
| 1t was beautiful day in September
| and her young. naturally buoyant heart
| made her wish to get outdoors and be
doing something. even if she must do
| il by herself. viii and her father had
| gone in the automobile to an adjoining
| town. and her mother was lying down
| with a headache. So she started out
alone TO drive up the winding river
road which skirted the edge of the
| woods.
The country round Elmwood was
very beautiful, and Caroline threw
herself into the spirit Of the day. tell
ing herself that some time. in some
other place. she would find friends to
enjoy the world with her. ana that
meanwhile she would try to enjoy it
by herself.
| She was succeeding in getting more
! pleasure out OF the drive than had
been hers for a long time. when sud
denly she heard laughing voices. and
peering through the trees. saw the five
girls into whose friendship she had at
! one time supposed she would be taken.
! They were spreading a cloth upon the
grass and opening some parcels. She
watched them through dimmed eyes
until they sat down and began to eat.
| Then. when she could bear it no longer.
she whipped up her pony and started
briskly up the road.
| The day had lost its charm. She did
not see the woods and the river and the
soft sky. She knew only that the
world seemed hard. lonesome place.
and that her heart was yearning for
friends and companionship. for the
kind Of fun those girls were having.
1t was very near the same spot that
upon her return, a half-hour later. She
saw Marion Foreman and one OF the
other girls helping Kitty Benton down
TO the river. II was evident that some
year i'm the oil country. He Is coming
here 10 live because he has some in
terests near here. and then I dare say
he thinks IL will be a pleasant place
for his family. I think I heard some