The Hope pioneer., 1922-05-18
ILLUSTRATIONS BY
RH.IVINGSTONE.


| ter with the glrlS-yOu know, | said
there was something the matter with
them; that they acted queer and
stopped talking when l came up, and
faded away till there wasn't anybody
but me left.
Well, it's been getting worse and
worse. The girls have had parties,
and more and more often the girls
have stopped talking and have looked
queer when came up. We got up Il
secret society and called it the "Tony
Ten" and l was going to be it's presi-
dent. Then all Of sudden one day
I found there wasn't any Tony Ten
only Carrie Haywood and me. The
other eight had formed another soci-
ETY. and Stella Mayhem was their
president.
we'd just change it and call it the
'Tony Two" and that two was lot
more exclusive than ten. anyway. But
l did care, and Carrie did. l knew
she did And l know it better now
because last night-she told me. YOu
| SCS tlililS-S nav DCSA SCllllASe Sill ~ =
unbearable these last few days. and
it got SO it looked as if I wasn't even
going to have Carrie left. She began
TO act queer and l accused her of it,
and told her if she didn't want to be-
long to the Tony Two she needn't.
society all by myself. But I cried.
1 couldn't help crying; and she knew
Aid-care. Then she began to Cry
! and today, after school, we went to
walk up on the hill to the big rock
and there-she told me. And it was
the divorce.
And it's all that Stella Mayhew-
the new girl. Her mother found out
l was divorced Il mean Mother was)
and she told Stella not to play with
me. nor speak to me, nor have thing
to do with me. And said to Carrie,
all right! Who cared? didn't. That
l never had liked that Mayhem girl,
anyway. But Carrie said that wasn't
all. She said Stella had got to be
real popular before l came; that. her
folks had lots of money, and she al
ways had candy and could treat to
ice-cream and auto rides, and every.
body With her was sure of good time,
She had parties. too-lots Of them;
and Of course, all the girls and BOYS
liked that.
Well, when l came everything was
all right till Stella's mother found
out about the divorce, and then-welA
then things We're different. First
Stella contented herself with making
fun of me, Carrie said. She laughed
at the serge dresses and big hosnel,
shoes, and then she began on my
name, and said the idea of being
called Mary by Father and Marie by
Mother, and that twas just like DIR
.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde CHATS story
Carrie says. I'm going to read it, il
Fathers got it. If there ever was
another Mary and Marie all in one IL
the world / want to know what she
did, But Carrie says the poking fur
at me didn't make much difference
with the girls, so Stella tried some
ching else. She not only wOul(ln'
speak to me herself. or invite me. Of
anything, but she told all the girl!
that they couldn't go with her ant
me, too. That they might take thei
choice. And Carrie said some of then
did choose and stayed with me; bu
they lost all the good times and ice
cream and parties and rides and ev
erything; and so one by one the,
dropped me and went back to Stella
and now there wasn't anybody left
only her, Carrie. And then she begal
to cry.
And when she stopped speaking, an,
knew all, and saw her crying ther
before me, and thought Of my dea
blessed mother, was so angry
could scarcely speak. l just shoo
with righteous Indignation. And il
my most superb. naughty and disdain
full manner told Carrie Haywood t
dry her tears that she needn't troubl
herself any further nor Worry abo,,
losing any more ice-cream nor partie!
That would hereto declare Ou
friendship null and void, and this da
set my hand and seal to never spea
to her again, if she liked, and cOnsit
:. cred that necessary to keeping the a,
o quaintance of the precious Stella.
!. But she cried all the more at tha
and flung herself upon me, and, {
II course. I began to cry, too-and yo
S can't stay superb and naughty an
,lisdainful when you're all the tim
" trying to hunt up handkerchief
l wipe away the tears that are cour
| ing down your wan cheeks. And {
e course | didn't. We had real go.
e cry together, and vowed we love
e. each other better than ever and n
body ro,1l come between us, n,