Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-15
Girls Spend Happy Day

Dear Aunt Laurie:
1t was when we lived at Long Beach,
about the middle of July or August,
when the girls in our neighborhoou
planned a trip to Signal hill. 1t was
long walk-about five miles, but we
were talking and laughing so no one
thought of the distance. We had
large lunch and nearly every store we
passed we bought more. There We're
twelve girls in the party.
Constance Macdonald, girl about
my age, was there, and she and were
great chums. We passed the old light
house, which is now falling to pieces
1t was very hot and the sun peat
down on the sidewalk that clrcled
around the hill to the top. There was
a little white lunch pavilion on the top,
and here we stopped and had lunch'
We then journeyed around to the other
side, where we saw acres and acres OF
berries and orchards.
One of us suggested that we make a
little spending money picking berries
When we reached the place all OF the
girls were allowed to pick but Con-
stance and l; we couldn't, because we
weren't old enough.
We felt hurt and decided to go home.
We reached our house on Locust about
the middle of the afternoon. Mamma
had just baked some nice molasses
cookies
"How nice those would taste to the
girlsi" thought, and when l told Con-
stance about it she agreed with me.
Then we decided to go back and show
the girls how kind we could be. Mann
ma said we would be awfully tired
when we got home again, but we were
bound to go. The first part of the
journey we took turns telling imagin-
airy stories about kidnapers and rob
bers, and the first thing we knew we
were both so frightened that every
time we took a step we thought some
thing was after us.
When we reached the old lighthouse
on the hill our fear had somewhat sub
sided and we thought it would be
good idea to go to the top of the tower
and investigate.
Most every other stair was broken,
each one bent with our weight and
the building creaked and groaned at
every step. When we reached the top
we could see from the balcony all Of
Long Beach and far out over the sea.
We peaked i'm the windows at the top
and-"Help! Murder! Police! Tramps!'
screamed Constance. How we got
down the stairs without falling
through don't know, but somehow we
did, except that my foot went down
through the stairs and I skinned nv
knee, and Constance nearly put her
worse, although we were frightened al
most to death.
"WeH Con-" I said, that did scare
me so! But we are safe.'
IT don't know about that" replied
Constance. He may come down yet,
and we both began to run.
"Tramps aren't very pleasant when
you meet them in a place like that
drunk" I assured her, but he seemed
to be asleep and maybe he won't come
down. 1t seemed an age before we
reached the lunch pavilion in front of
Mr.. Hughes residence, but we felt bet
ter after we rested and knew that that
tramp wasn't going to hurt us
When we reached the berry field we
looked for the girls. but they weren't
there. They had left while We were
away. Here we were. five miles from
home. all alone and frightened so we
trembled all over.
well" said Con, "the only thing to
do is to be brave and go home So"
What was that?" I interrupted. We
both glanced up the hill and there
were the girls
The rest is briefly told. We all vert
home together, and there we had some
cake and lemonade.
EDITH D. HIGGINS.
Box 50, Huntington Park; age IL.
Coming Westward