davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
FOURTEENTH CHAPTER.

Alma kept her word, though per-
haps her method of protection was
such as would have commended it
self only to the heart of a child.
1t consisted in calling me Margaret
Mary after our patron saint of the
Sacred Heart, in taking me round the
garden during recreation as if l had
been a pet poodle, and, above ALL In
making my bed the scene of the con-
versations which some of the girls
held at night when they were sup
posed to be asleep.
The secrecy of these gatherings
fattered me, and when the unclouded
moon, in the depths of the deep blue
Italian sky, looked in on my group of
girls in their nightdresses, punched
together on my bed, with my own lit
tie body between, had feeling of
dignity as well as solemnity and awe.
OF course. Alma was the chief
spokeswoman at these whispered con-
| ferences. Sometimes she told us OF
her drives into the Borghese Gardens
\ where she saw the King and Queen
or to the Hunt in the Campagna
where she met the flower of the aris-
tocracy, or to the Pincio. where the
municipal band played in the pavilion
while ladies' sat in their carriages In
the sunshine and officers in blu,
cloaks saluted them and smiled,
Sometimes she indicated her inten.
lions for the future, which was GER.
tainly not to be devoted to retreat!
and novenas, or to witness anothe
black dress as long as she lived, ant
If she married (Which was uncertain
it was not to be to an American. bu
to a Frenchman, because Frenchmel
had family" and blood" or per
haps to an Englishman, IL he was
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
Little Bobbie S
Pa
By WILLIAM F. KIRK

N EER Me. sed Pa last mite, it IL
talking me a long time to Kit
oaver the holidays Chrismus &
New Yeers IS past for sum time but I
sint recovered vet.
You certlngly haven't been any sun
beam around the house. sed Ma / al
most wish Chrismus was onst every I'VE
years. " st wasent for iittel Bobbe II
seems strange 10 me Mad sed. that a
full grown man cant get oaver a simpel
littel holiday week without being Ike a
bear with a soar toe
This Chrsmus hit me pritty hard,
ned Pa In the FIRST plaice, You know
that didn't want 10 send presents to
all OF our relatives this year. You know
what relatives are, Pa sed. or II YOU
doant know YOU ought to. But you have
TO 20 Jest the saim g malk out list
Of forty Mains Of relatives. g. ] have
got 10 dig down & buy every one Of
them a present Moast of them forgot
10 remember us. sed Pa. but | am glad
thay did forget / doant like the idee
Of giving presents Jest beekaus you are
expecting present from the other per
son. am glad thay didn't remember
us.
Then what are you kicking about? sed
Ma
Well. sed Ma, / always enjoy the holi-
day seeson l think II maiks peepul stop
a minnit in thare mad rush to get along.
& think about sum kind deed that thay
mite do II is the spirit OF the holidays
that does me good, sed Ma, not the pres
ents that receive or the mummy
spend for gift or two
Wen. anyhow. sod Pa, these last holt
DAYS seem ms hard for me 10 get oaver
as the Clvil war, & | hoap beefoar long
win be on my feet aggenn e feel like
human beeing, / haven't felt rite since
I caught that awful coald Christmas
Eve.
You wuddent have caught that awful
cold. sed Ma, II YOU haddent been out
around with yure trends Tom & Jerry
You must think lot OF Tom & Jerry
herd you talking about them in yure
sleep
That isent the Mains Of men, IA sed
70 Ma that Is the Main Of nice, soft
drink. It's such a soft drink that II
slips down Ike velvet. Pa sed. No. deer
Il wasent anything but that awful cold
caught & the awful pile OF mummy
spent that has me feeling like Gloon
these days Vile Pa was talking tina
way | went in the other room & rot'
this littel poem witch red to him &
Ma
Wen Christmas is gone do you kick. my
friend.
At yure cold or the mummy you had e
spend,
n 40. that is vary small OF you
We can't eat our pie & Have It. too.
Stop having that kind of selfish feeling
Put on a smile & doant be squeezing
suppose you rote that for my ben
efit sed Pa.
Yes. sed. a wen l rote II l had
worse cold than you have. You ough
TO he ashamed TO be such old Crouch
sed
Then Pa began 10 Ian & patted M
on the he'd & gave me ten cents.
thought l wud git at least a quarter.
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
Eight Hours Only.

The new school teacher in a rur0a
town gave a boy q question IN com.
pound proportion for homework on0
evening. It included the clrcuh.
stance of "men working ten hours
day to complete certain task =.
The next morning the teacher IN
looking over the little pack OF eHe,.
cises, found one boys sum wnons
uninterrupted. Calling him TO her IN ~
asked why he had not tried to DO 'n0
sum.
The boy. after considerable rum.
bling around in his pockets, broushs
forth a note from his father ~. an.
handed il to her. Unfolding It, the
teacher read: :.
Miss refuse to let my boy az
his sum you give him, as it looks y
me to be slur at eight-hour system,
emmy sum not more, than eight hour'
he is welcum to do, but not more
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31

their classes in the sunshine, and,
above all, the voluntary visit to the
Blessed Sacrament in the Church Of
the Convent, which seemed to me
large and gorgeous, though divided
across the middle by an open bronze
screen, called a Cancello-the inner
half, as Mildred whispered, being Cor
the inmates of the school, while the
outer half was for the congregation
which came on Sunday to Benedic-
ton.
But at o'clock we had dinner,
when Alma read again-this time in
Italian-from the writings of Saint
Francis Of Sales-and then, to my IA
finite delight came a long recreation,
when all the girls scampered out into
the convent garden, which was still
bright with afternoon sunshine and
as merry with laughter and shouts as
the seashore on a windy summer
roorpiDo
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
PAST GOING
FOR TWO YEARS
And This Lady Thinks She
Would Have Become
Helpless, but for Car
dui, The Woman's
Tonic.

Waldron. Ark Miss Gertrude
Houston, Of this place. authorizes the
following for publication; 81 want to
tell all ladies who suffer from any
kind OF womanly trouble. among
them weakness. headache, hackache,
hurting in sides. pains every month,
nervousness, etc, to try CarduL the
woman's tonic, Get IT at once. as It
is what you need. After you use one
bottle. You win never regret your
start.
q was just about past going for
over two years with the above all
ments. and had It not been for Cardui
7 would have been helpless, no doubt.
q took one bottle and my health
began 10 improve, and before the bot-
tie was gone / was almost we'll Now
my health is perfectly all right
"sa lsdy friends. II You want a
medicine that viii do YOU real good
take Cardui. the woman's tonic"
II you are weak and sning. thinl
what it would mean 10 recover Al
rapidly and surely as did Miss Hous
ton In the past so years tht
strength building remedy has bee
used by more than a million ladies
who found 81 % untold value in re
lievfng womanly pains and ailment,
II you are a woman. therefore. tr
cardui You viii appreciate it's ton
ic-building effect on the womAnl
constitution. Begin To-day
n. Il. -- Write to- Ladies' AdyIsot
Dept. Chattanooga Medicine Co ,rt
tanooga, Tenn. for Special instrue o
and 81 page book, Home Treatment i
wcmsr. sent in plain wrapper. 90 r
quest Advt.
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31

to be devoted to meditation, although
could not help seeing that some of
the big girls We're whispering to each
other while their heads were down.
After that, and mass IN the church,
we went scurrying away 10 the refec-
tory, which was now warm with the
steam from our breakfast and bub-
cling with cheerful voices. making a
noise like water boiling in a sauce
pan.
was so absorbed by all I saw that
forgot to eat until Mildred nudged
me to do so, and even when my spoon
was halfway to my mouth something
happened which brought it down
again.
At the tinlle Of hand bell one of
the big girls had stepped up TO the
reading desk and begun to read from
book which I afterward knew to be
"The Imitation Of Christ" She was
about 16 years of age, and her face
was so vivid that could not take my
eyes off it.
Her complexion was fair and her
hair was auburn, but her eyes were so
dark and searching that when she
raised her head, as she often did
they seemed to look through and
through you.
who is she?'' ! whispered.
alma Lier," Mildred whispered
back. and when breakfast was over
and we were trooping back to lessons
she told me something about her
Alma was an American. Her faith
err was very rich and his home was
in New York But her mother lived
in Paris, though she was staying at
a hotel in Rome at present and some
times she came in a carriage to take
her daughter for drive.
Alma was the cleverest girl in the
school, too, and sometimes at the end
Of terms, when parents and friends
came to the convent and one Of the
Cardinals distributed the prizes, she
had so many books to take away that
she could hardly carry them dowr
from the platform.
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
A Child S Worship.

l listened to this with admiring
awe, thinking Alma the most Won
derfu and worshipful Of all creatures
and when I remember 1t now. after all
these years, and the bitter experiences
which have come with them. ] hardly
know whether to laugh or cry AZ the
thought that such was the impress sion
she first made on me.
My class was with the youngest OF
the children. and Sister Angela was
my teacher. She was so sweet to me
that her encouragement was like 6
kiss and her reproof like caress; but
could think OF nothing but Alma
and at noon when the bell rang fo'
lunch and Mildred took me back t.
the refectory, I wondered IL the samt
girl would read again.
She d!d. but this time n a foreign
language. French as Mildred whis
pered from the letters OF the Blesse,
Margaret Mary Alacoque--and m
admiration for Alma went up tenfold
| ! wondered ~ it could possibly occu
that I should ever come 20 know hel
There is no worship Ike that OF
child, and life for me. which ha
seemed so cold and dark the day be
fore. became warm and bright with
new splendor.
was impatient OF everything tina
took mo away from the opportunit
e OF meeting with Alma The visit Z
b the lay-sisters TO be measured Tor m
8 new black Clothes. the o'clo2
rosary" when the auns walked wit
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
The Dormitory.

After that sister Angela led me.
smiling little still, to the refec-
tory. which was a large, echoing
room, with rows of plain deal tables
and forms. ranged in front of a read
ing desk that had another and much
larger picture of the Sacret Heart
on the wall above 1t, Only one gas
let was burning. and | sat under II
to eat my supper. and after | had
taken basin Of soup | felt more
comforted.
Then Sister Angela lit lamp and
! taking my hand she led me up a
| stone staircase TO the dormintory,
which was similar room, but not
SO silent because it was full Of beds,
and the breathing of the girls, who
were all alseep, made 1t sound like
the watchmaker's shop in our village
only more church-llke and solemn,
My bed was near to the door, and
after Sister Angela had helped me to
undress and tucked me in. she made
her voice very low, and said l would
be quite comfortable now. and she
was sure | was going to be good
little girl and dear child of the In
FAINT Jesus; and then | could not hell
taking my arms out again and closp.
ing her round the neck and drawing
her head down and kissing her.
After that she took the lamp anC
went away TO n cubicle which was
partitioned or the end OF the dormi-
tory and there l could see her prepar,
to go to bed herself taking the whit,
bands Off her cheeks and the hlacl
band off her forehead. and letting he
long, light hair fall in beautiful wav!
masses about her face. which mad
. her look so sweet and homelike
/, But oh, l was SO lonelyl Never Fl
my life since-nO. not even when
was In my lowest depths-have l fel
30 little and helpless and alone. Ate
4, the sister hal gone 20 bed and every
= thing was quiet in the dormitory say
u, for the breathing OF the girls-a
strangers TO me and / to them froi
mere loneliness I covered up my hea
y in the clothes Just as | used to 4
rs when was little thing and my (,
a Their came into my mothers room
/ try not TO think bitterly VI II
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
THE WOMAN THOU GAVEST ME & a a v $751; 75 l..2

member of the House of Lords, in
which case she would attend all the
race meetings and coronations, ana
take tea at the Carlton, where she
would eat meringues glaces every day
and have as many eclairs as she liked.
And sometimes she would tell us
the stories of the novels which she
bribed one of the washer women TO
smuggle into the convent-stories OF
ladies' ami their lovers, and of intoXi-
eating dreams of kissing and fon-
ding. at which the bigger girls, with
far-off suggestions of sexual myster-
les still unexplored, would laugh and
shudder, and then Alma would say;
But hush, girls! Margaret Mary
will be shocked"
Occasionally these conferences
would be interrupted by Mildred
voice from the other end OF the dor
mitory. where she would raise he1
head from her pillow and say:
Alma Lier you ought to be
ashamed of yourself-keeping that
child up when she ought to be asleep
instead of listening to your wicked
stories
"Helloa, Mother Mildred, is that
you?" Alma would answer, and Their
the girls woulu laugh, and Mildred
was supposed to be covered with con-
| fusion
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
THIRTEENTH CHAPTER.

n T half past SIX in the morning l
~ was awakened by the loud
ringing of the getting-up bell,
and as soon as l could rouse myself
from the deep sleep of childhood
saw that a middle-aged nun with
severe face was saying q prayer, and
that all the girls in the dormitory
were kneeling in their beds while they
made the responses.
A few minutes later, when the girls
were chattering and laughing as they
dressed, making the room Jingle with
twittering sounds like a tree full Of
linnets in the spring, big girl came
up to me and said:
Il am Mildred Bankes and Sister
Angela says l am TO look after YOU
o-day."
She was about 10 years of age, and
had q long, plain-featured face which
reminded me of one OF my fathers
horses that was badly used by the
farm boys. but there was something
sweet in her smile that made me like
her instantly.
She helped me to dress in my
brown velvet frock, but said that one
Of her first duties would be TO the lay
sisters who made the black habits
which all the girls in the convent
wore
II was sull 50 early that the dark
ness of the room was just broken by
pale shafts of light from the win
dows. but | could see that the chill
dren Of my own age were only seven
or eight altogether while the major
thy OF the girls were several years
older, and Mildred explained this by
telling me that the children OF the
Infant Jesus, like myself. were so few
that they hal been put into the dor.
mitorv Of the children Of the Sacred
Heart
In a quarter of an hour everyhod!
was washed and dressed. and then. a
word from sister Angela, the girl
went leaping end laughing downstair
70 the meeting room. which was
large hall. with a platform at the far
I Their end OF It and another picture @
, the Sacred Heart. pierced with shar
| tbOrnS on tho wall
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
Twelfth Chapter-Continued

This fell on me like a thunderbolt
hardly know what | had led my
self to expect. but certainly the idea
of being left alone in Rome had never
once occurred to me.
My little heart was fluttering, and
dropping the sisters hand | stepped
back and took Father Dams and said;
you are not going to leave your
little Mary, are you, Fnther?'
1t was harder for the dear Father
than for me, for ! remember that
fearfully fiurried, he stammered in
thick voice something about the
Reverend Mother taking care OF me
and how he was sure TO come back
at Christmas. according to my fathers
faithful promise. TO take me home for
tho holidays.
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31

At the next moment Mildred
stepped back to me, and putting her
arm about my waist she said
Never mind, Mary. She's heart
less thing. Don't have anything to
do with her"
But all the sunshine had gone out
of the day for me now and ! cried
for hours. | was still crying, silently
but bitterly, when at o'clock we
were saying the night prayers, and
! saw Alma, who was in the oppo-
site benches, whispering to one OF the
girls who sat next to her and then
looking straight across at me.
A Reconciliation.
And at 9 o'clock when we went to
bed was crying. more than ever, so
that after the good night bell had
been rung and the lights had been
put down, Sister Angela, not know
ing the cause of my sorrow, stepped
up to my bed before going down
stairs for her own studies, and whis-
pered:
you mustn't fret for home, Mary.
You will soon get used to it"
But hardly had / been left alone,
with the dull pain ! could find no
ease for, when somebody touched me
on the shoulder, and, looking up, l
saw girl in her nightdress standing
beside me. 1t was Alma and she
said:
"say, little girl, is your name
| O'Neill?"
Trembling with nervousness I an
swered that it was.
do you belong to the O'Neills of
Ellan?"
Still trembling | told her that | did.
My" she said in quite another
tone, and then l saw that by some
means l had begun to look different
in her eyes.
After a moment she sat on the side
Of my bed and asked questions about
my home-if it was not large and
very old, with big stone staircases
| and great open f1replaces, and broad
| terraces. and beautiful walks goine
down to the sea.
1 was so filled with the joy o.
finding myself looking grand in AL
mas eyes, that I answered yes ant
yes" without thinking too closely
about her questions, and my tears
were all brushed away when she said
81 knew somebody who lived II
your house once, and I'll tell her al
about you"
She stayed a few moments longer
and when going off she whispered;
Hope you don't feel badly abou
my laughing in the garden to-day.
didn't mean a thing. But If any of thu
girls laugh again just say you're Aim;
Iier's friend and she's going to TAX
care of you"
I could hardly believe my ears
Some great new splendor had sud
denly dawned upon me and l wa
very happy.
l did not know then that tn
house which Alma had been talking o
was not my fathers house, but Castl
Raa. l did not know then that tn
person who had lived there was he
mother and that in her comedy an
reckless youth she had been some
thing to the bad Lord Raa who ha
dashed my father and sworn at m
, grandmother.
/. l did not know anything that wa
dead and buried in the past c
; shs Juded. and yelled in the future.
only knew that Alma had called heI
, self my friend and promised to tax
I care of me. So with a glad heart
! went to sleep.
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
Ridiculed by Idol.

The garden was large bare in
closure, bounded on two sides by the
convent buildings and on the other
| two by a yellow wall and an avenue
made by a line of stone pines with
heads like open umbrellas, but 1T had
no other foliage except an old tree,
which reminded me of Tommy the
Mate. having gnarled and sprawling
limbs, and standing like weather.
beaten old sailor. four square in the
middle
| A number of the girls were singing
and dancing around this tree, and
felt so happy just then that l should
have loved to join them. but l was
consumed by desire to come to close
quarters with the object of my devo-
/ ton so l looked eagerly about me AMI
asked Mildred if Alma was likely to
be there.
sure to be" said Mildred, and
hardly were the words out of her
mouth when Alma herself came
straight down in our direction, sur
rounded by a group of admiring girls
who were hanging on TO her and
laughing at everything she said.
My heart began to thump, and
without knowing what I was doing
/ stopped dead short, while Mildred
went on a pace or two ahead of me.
Then ] noticed that Alma hat
5 stopped too, and that her grea
: searching eyes were looking down a
me. In my nervousness, l tried 4
1 smile, but Alma continued 10 stare
and at length, In the tone of one whC
{ had accidentally turned up something
s with her toe that was little and ride
e ulous. she said;
a Goodness, girls, what's this7"
I Then she burst into a fit of laugh
/, ter. IN which the other girls Joined
r and looking up and down, they Al
o laughed together.a
G knew what they we're laughing a
the clothes my mother had made 70
n me and l had felt so proud of. Tha
l. burnt me like iron, and l think m
d lip must have dropped, but Aim
v showed no mercy
1 Dare say the little doll thinks her
n self pretty. though" she said. An
p then she passed on. and the girls wit
y her and as they went off they locke
a back over their shoulders and laughe
= again.
Never since any human creature
not even Alma herself-made me su.
fer more than | suffered at that ms
-. ment Ny throat felt tight, teal
= leart 10 my eyes. disappointment HI
initiation and shame swept over n
Hike food and | stood squeezing III
h little handkerchief in my hand an
n feeling as If l could have died.
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
Now Go On
The Narrative of Mary
O'NeiU
FIRST PART.
My Girlhood

Copyright. 1912. by Hearsts Magazine.
Copyright. 1919. by Hearst Magazine,
Copyright in Great Britain. Copyright.
1918. by j. b. Lippincott Company,
Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
A Broken Promise.

One night Sister AngeIa's footsteps
were heard on the stairs, and then
the girls flew back to their beds,
where, with the furtive instinct of
their age and sex. they pretended to
be sleeping soundly when the sister
entered the room. But the sister was
not deceived. and, walking up the aisle
between the beds, she said, in an an
gry tone,
Alma Lier, If this ever occurs
again I'll step down to the Reverend
Mother and tell her all about you
Little as I was, 1 saw that between
Alma and Sister Angela there was a
secret feud, which must soon break
into open rupture, but for my part |
was entirely happy, being still proud
of Almas protection and only feeling
any misgivings when Mildred's mel
ancholy eyes were looking at me.
Thus week followed week until we
were close upon Christmas, and the
girls who were to be permitted to go
home before the feast began to count
the days to the holidays. I counted
them, too, and when anybody talked
of her brother, l thought Of Martin
Conrad, though his faithful little
figure was fading away from me, and
when anybody spoke of her parents
l remembered my mother, for whom
my affection never failed.
But, within a week from the time
for breaking up, the Reverend Moth
| er sent for me, and with a sinking
| heart / went to her room, knowing
well what she was going to say.
you are not to go home for the
holidays this time, my child. YOU
are to remain here, and Sister Angela
is to stay to take care of you"
She had letter from Father Dan
telling her that my mother was still
| unwell, and for this andother rea'
sons it was considered best that
should not. return at Christmas
Father Dan had written a liter t
me also beginning, MY dear daugh
ter in Jesus" and ending Yours il
KIT" saying it was not his fault tina
he could not fulfill his promise, blu
my father was much from hom
nowadays and Aunt Bridget wa
more difficult than ever, so perhap
I should be happier at the convent.
A Bitter Blow.
1t was bitter blow, though tn
J biggest part of it lay in the fea
that the girls would think l was o
so little Importance to my peopl
that they did not care to see me.
But the girls were too eager abou
: their own concerns to care niue
about me, and even on the very las
p day and at the very last momen
when everything was hustle an
$ joy, and boxes were being carrie
= downstairs, and everybody was kiss
ing everybody else and wishing eac
s other happy Christmas, and the
/ flying away like mad things, and
e alone was being left, Alma hersel
f before she stepped into a carriag
j in which a stout lady wearing ful
and waiting to receive her, onl
f said:
!. "By-by, Margaret Mary! Take cal
f of Sister Angela
To Be Continued Monday.