The Holbrook news., 1922-04-28


 choice. And Carrie said some of them
 Gid choose and stayed with me; but
 they lost all the good times and ice cream and parties and rides and ev- erything; and so one by one they dropped me and went back to Stella, and now there wasn't anybody left, ! only her, Carrie. And then she began l to cry
 1 And when she stopped speaking, and l knew all, and saw her crying there | before me, and thought of my dear blessed mother, I was so angry I could scarcely speak. I just shook with righteous indignation. And in my most superb, naughty and disdain ful manner l told Carrie Haywood to dry her tears; that she needn't trouble herself any further, nor worry about losing any more ice-cream nor parties That l would hereto declare our friendship null and void, and this day set my hand and seal to never speak to her again, if she liked, and cOnsid- cred that necessary to keeping the ac- quaintance of the precious Stella,
 But she cried all the more at that. and flung herself upon me, and, of course, 1 began to cry. too-and you can't stay superb and naughty and disdainful when you're all the time trying to hunt up a handkerchief to wipe away the tears that are cours- ing down your wan cheeks. And of T Ins bol cry together, and vowed we loved each other better than ever, and n0- body could come between us, not even bringing a chocolate-fudge-mar mallow college ice-whlch we both adore. But 1 told her that she would he all right, just the same, for of course I should never step my foot inside of that schoolhouse again. That I couldn't out of respect to Mother. That I should tell Aunt Jane that to- morrow morning. There isn't any other school here, so they can't send me anywhere else. But it's most time for school to close, anyway. There are only two weeks rnore
 But I don't think that will make any difference to Aunt Jane, It's the. prin- ciple of the thing. 1f's always the principle of the thing with Aunt. Jane.s Shell be very angry, I know AaYbe she'll send me home. Oh, hope she willl es
 Well, I shall tell her, tomorrow, any way. Then-we'll see.
  ONE DAY LATER.
 And, dear, dear, what a day it has been
 1 told her this morning. She was very angry. She said at first: "Non- sense, Mary, don't be impertinent. Of course you'll go to school!" and all that kind of talk. But I kept my teni per. I did not act angry. I was sim, ply firm and dignified. And when she saw 1 really meant what I said, and that 1 would not step my foot inside that schoolroom again-that it was matter of conscience with me-that did not think it was right for me to do it. she simply stared for minute, as if she couldn't believe her eyes and ears. Then she .gasped:
 Mary, what do you mean by such talk to me? Do you think 1 shall per nit this sort of thing to go on for moment?' ~
 1 thought then she was going to send me home. Oh. did so hope she was But she didn't. She sent me to my roomA
 You will stay there until your fa- ther comes home this noon,' she said. This is a matter for him to settle"
 Father! And l never even thought of her going to him with it. She was always telling me never to bother Fa- ther with anything. and I knew she didn't usually ask him anything about me. She settled everything herself. But ths-and the very thing I didn't want her to ask him, too. But of the trouble. Youth is so helpless in the clutches of old age.
 We'll went to my room. Aunt Jane told me to meditate on my sins. But I didn't. 1 meditated on other peoples sins I didn't have any to mediate on. Was it sin, pray, for me to stand Up for my mother and re- fuse 10 associate with people who wouldn't associate with me on account of her? I guess not!
 I meditated on Stella Mayhew and her mother, and on those silly, faith less girls that thought more of ice cream soda than they did of justice and right to their fellow schOolmate. And I meditated on Aunt Jane and her never giving me so much as single kiss since 1 came. And I medl- tated on how much better Father liked stars and comets than he did his own daughter; and 1 meditated on what a cruel. heartlesS world this is, anyway : and what d pity it was that 1, so fair , and young, should have found it out so soon-right on the bank, as itweres-- or where that brook and river meet. And I wondered if I died if anybody would care; and E thought how beau tiful and pathetic I would look in my coffin with my lily-white hands folded on my breast. And l hoped they'd have the funeral in the daytime, be- cause if it was at nighttime Fathsr'd be sure to have a star or something 10 keep him from coming And I want ed him to come I wanted him to feel bad; and I medtated on how bad he would feel-when it was too late.
 Rut even with all this tO maditata