The Little Colonel's Chum: Mary Ware

ne would have thought that she was alone in the room, and that she was having a beautiful time all by herself. She was waiting for Ethelinda to make th

were understood and shared. It was wonderful how that life-like picture seemed to bring Lloyd before her and give her a delightful sense of companionship, and she fell into the way of "thinking to it," as

turning for a last glance when she was dressed, and pausing with her han

rge of his corps of waiters. But breakfasts were to be delightfully informal, Mary found a few minutes later, when she paused at the dining room

A.O. just around the corner. Now tell me what has happened to give you that 'glorious m

saw. "I am so happy to think that I'm to be at your table. And I'm glad that I can stop playing dumb for awhile. Oh, but it has

nder the umbrella, and smiled understandingly when she t

whisper my troubles and show her my treasures, and feel that she kept watch over me while I slept. It comforted me many a time, when the

much about him and he heard so much about her through this sister, that they got to sending messages to each other in her letters. Then they exchanged photographs, and finally they met when he came on the Commencement, and the romance of their lives grew out of it. I kept thinking how romantic it would be to have your

d a girl with such a distinguished air? She certainly has that even if she doesn't measure up to you

isgust. "I know Jack! You've no idea how she can shut herself up in

op in the middle of her sentence, for at th

to 'Miss Lewis' now." Giving Betty's hand a quick sq

take place that night, and as the invitations would not be delivered until the opening of the

e a stranger I'd rather have that quiet girl in gray, over at Miss Chilton's table. She looks like a girl in an English story-book. I mean the one that Ethelin

middle of the spring term, such a sad-looking creature all in black. Her mother had just died, and her father, who only a short time before had succeeded to the title and

e-carriage-waits'?" asked Mary

ed at her enthusiasm. "But I thought you were such a little American-re

rd, and it does add a flavour to one's interest in her. Oh, I see, now. That is why Ethelinda is so friendly," she adde

a family tree and a coat-of-arms, too. I saw her box of stationery spilled out over your table when I was in your roo

h American Indian because our place is named Ware's Wigwam, and that it is beneath her dignity to be intimate wit

le for her attitude now. It has given her a false standard of values. Now, Mary, here is a chance for you to do some real missionary work, and teach her t

answer. "But trying to break through her reserve is a harder task than butting a hole

al times during those idle days before the beginning of school. It was Burke's Peerage. She had looked into it because of the story of Edryn, finding many mottoes as interesting as the one in the great amber window on the stairs. Now she turned to the B's and rapidly scanned the columns till

land. Staunch patriots the Wares had been in the old colony days, sturdy and stern of conscience, and Mary had been taught to believe that their struggle to wrest a living from the rocky hills while they built up a state was as wort

elapsed since that particular branch had severed its connection with the family in the old world. But now Mary felt a peculiar thrill of satisfaction when she found the name in the peerage and reali

e references, for in her revery she was listening to the Voices again, and seeing herself in a dimly foreshadowed future, the centre of an acclaiming crowd. What great part she was to play she did not know, but wh

self with a start. But before she hurried away to the office where the mail was being distributed, she made a quick survey of

nt up stairs wailing out her consternation to A.O. She was to be

inute. Cornie says her father is in the Cabinet, and her mother is a shining intellectual light. And now tha

ning festivity that the seniors spared no expense on this occasion, but it rather overawed her to receive such an extravagant offering. She looked across at the modest bunch of white and purple

t them, or rather Lady Evelyn, I shoul

he answered hastily, "Oh, no! You oughtn't to call her Lady Evelyn. She doesn't like

a stare, and asked in a patro

u happen to know

herself to preserve her dignity as some people do. Cornie Dean was telling me about a girl who was in the school last year who made such a fuss about her pedigree that she couldn't be friends with more than three of the girls. The rest weren't high enough caste for her. She sported a crest and all that, and they found out that she hadn't

in a strained tone, "Did you have any doubts of Miss Berke

it. And then"-she couldn't resist this thrust, especially as she felt it was a part of the mi

e question, a t

t in the

ation, yet felt forced to make one. "It is not my father's crest

my great-grandmothers. But I wouldn't have any real right to it. You have to be in the direct line of descent, you know, and it is silly fo

d as the morning's, until Mary saw that Ethelinda was struggling in a frantic

!" she added in frank admiration, as she deftly fastened it up the back. "It looks like the kind in the f

she could not forbear saying a little spitefully, "Thanks! What a soft, light touch you have. Quite like a maid I had last year. By the way, her name was Mary. And it was awfully funny. It happened at th

elf in her blundering, impetuous way, but was heartily sorry as soon as they were uttered. Now for the first time in her life she wanted to retaliate by sayin

" was Ethelinda's astonished

p in the dictionary the day I first heard it. Ethel means noble, but Ethelinda m

girl who seemed to have the Dictionary and the Peerage and no t

could not reach, and which she could not muster up courage to ask Ethelinda to do for her. F

ck. "You poor child! Think of having a room-mate who is such a Q

to be perfectly honest. "I had just made such a mean re

e a good natured little puss like you

omething meaner still if I could have thought of it quick enough. Isn't it awful? Only the second day of t

some other room," said Dorene,

at I was such a fuss-cat as all that.

t-car in all her life till she came to Washington. She made Fanchon take her across the city in one instead of calling a carriage as they always do. They have a garage full of machines at home, and I don't know how many horses. She said it

a novelty to her as an automobile ride would be to me, I don't wonder that she spoke about it. I know I'd talk about my sensations in an auto if I'd ever been in one, and it wouldn't be bra

always having the Wolf at the door, we'd have had bronze lions

e in Ethelinda. Look at Alta Westman, a million in her own right

and see how things look to her-especially how I look to her. I'm glad I thought about that. It will ma

sight of Jane Ridgeway coming up t

im you for our sorority. We're not going to have any of the Lloydsboro Valley

she has so much attention to-night that Ethelinda will wake up to the fact that she's worth hav

ow all evening. There was something in the donning of party clothes that always loosened her tongue, and conscious of looking her b

to pass her towards the close of the evening

rfect?" sighed Mary

omplete a heavenly evening. He played the same improvisation that had caught her up in its magic spell the day of her arrival, and she went to her room in the uplifted frame of mind which finds everything perfection.

d heart which could have steeled itself against Mary's persistent efforts to be friendly. It was a tactful effort also, making her daily put herself in Ethelinda's place and consider every

s always had a maid to wait on her, and has never been obliged to pick up even her own stockings. She

more frozen silences between them their conversations were far from satisfactory. They were totally uncongenial. But after the first week, that part of their relationship did not affect Mary materially. She was too happily absorbed in the work and play of school life, throwing herself into every reci

. Her bed-room slippers in the middle of the floor this time of day make me want to gnash my teeth. Really it is a disaster to live with some one who scrambles her things in with yours all the time. The

is girl loved cheap perfumes, for instance, and she herself loathed them. So she filled all the drawers and wardrobes with those nasty camphor moth-balls, which the r.m. couldn't endure,

er my breath, like an exasperating mosquito: 'Laugh-ing wa-ter! Big chief's daugh-ter!' till I nearly drove my own self distracted. I could see her frown and change her position as if she were

was only singing to pass the time till you turn off t

es her reading before they sound 'taps.' All this is teaching yours truly a wonderful amount of self control, and I

a service due her from one whom necessity had placed in a position always to serve. If she had accepted it silently Mary might have gone on to the end of the term making excuses for her, and making g

ack to her room, her cheeks red and her eyes blazing. Throwing open the door she gave one glance around the room. The disorder happened to be a little worse than usual. A wet umbrella leaned against her bed, and Ethelinda's damp coat lay a

IF A SMALL CYCLONE SW

lowed, regardless of where they lit, or in what condition. Half a dozen books went next, tumbling pell mell into a corner. Then Ethelinda's bed-room slippers, over wh

our things on my side of the room I'll pitch them out of the window! It's no excuse at all to say that you've always had somebody to wait on you. You've alway

that she did not venture back till bedtime. Ethelinda refused to speak to her for several days, but the outburst of temper had

; and though she shrugged her shoulders at first and was angry at the thought, she found herself many a time trying to measure up to Mary's s