Rilla of Ingleside

ntwerp fell-Turkey declared war-gallant little Serbia gathered herself together and struck a deadly blow at her oppressor; and in qu

alked in terms of Glen St. Mary. Now, we think and talk

from the time the mail-courier's buggy rumbled over the little bridge between the statio

Government could arrange things better. But the drive on Calais has failed, as I felt perfectly sure it would, and the Kaiser will not eat his Christmas dinner in London this year. Do you know, Mrs. Dr. dear,"-Susan's voice lowered as a token that she was going to impart a very shocking piece of information,-"I have been told on good authority-or else you may be sure I would not be repeating it when it concerns a minster-that the Rev. Mr. Arnold goes t

ng but cheerful. She never opened one without a dread tugging at her heart that it would tell her he had enlisted. His unhappiness made her unhappy. She wa

noon, as she sat alone in Rainbow Valley, reading a letter fr

had sent him an envelope

ounded by dead and dying men-and I know I never can. I can't face even the thought of it. How could I face the reality? There are times when I wish I had never been born. Life has always seemed such a beautiful thing to me-and now it is a hideous thing. Rilla-my-Rilla, if it weren't for your letters-your dear, bright, merry, funny, comical, believing letters-I think I'd give up. And Una's! Una is really a little brick, isn't she? There's a wonderful fineness and firmness un

h things," sighed Rilla. "It hurts me

brown bracken ferns, then lessening sorrowfully away down the brook. Walter had said once that he loved the melancholy of the autumn wind on a November day. The old Tree Lovers still clasped each other in a faithful embrace, and the White Lady, now a great white-branched tree, stood out beautifully fine, against the grey velvet sky. Walter had named them long ago; and last November, when he had walked with her and Mis

mest bag in the Junior Society-handsomer even than Irene Howard's-she must get home and get to work. She was busy these days from morning till night. That little monkey of a Jims took so much time. But he was growing-he was certainly growing. And there were

go I didn't know there was such a place in the world such as Lodz. Had I heard it mentioned I would have known nothing about it and cared as little. I know all about it now-its size, its standing, its military significance. Yesterday the news that the Germans

nd reading at the same time, "I pass the moments by torturing the Kaiser to death. Last night

houlder you'd be the first to run for the linime

Oliver-and leave it to blister. That is what I would do and that you may tie to. A pain in his

ur enemies, Susan," sa

the doctor completely that she even smiled as she polished her glasses. Susan had never given in to glasses before, but she had done so at last in order t

seems to have solved yet, Susan. And

from being decent, in my op

nd Musquodoboit about as bad, Susan," said Miss Oliver. "The Serb

with the knitting needle to brand it on her memory. "Cousin Sophia said awhile ago that Serbia was done for, but I told her there was still such a thing as an over-ruling Providence, doubt

ng her over-charged feelin

me this week. Part of it was my own fault and part of it

was made for me. It just goes with my hair and complexion beautifully, bringing out the red-brown shades and what Miss Oliver calls my 'creaminess' so well. Only once before in my life have I come across that precise shade of green. When I was twelve I had a little beaver hat of it, and all the girls in school w

ittle white room it did. And that dreadful price tag! And the starving Belgians! When mother saw the hat and the tag she just looked at me. Mother is some expert at looking. Father says she looked him into love with her years ago in Avonlea school and I can well believe it-though I have heard a we

quietly-'that it was right to spend so much for a ha

of my own allowance,

ng you need. If you pay too much for one thing you must cut off somewhere else and that is not satisf

do? I couldn't take that hat back-I had worn it to a concert in town-I had to keep

htily, 'I am sorry you

ugh I consider it in doubtful taste for so y

so I went on, colder and calmer and deadlie

ars or for the duration of the war, if it lasts longer than that. Even you'-oh, the sarcasm I put

s, Rilla,' said mother, with a provoking grin, which,

said: and then I marched upstairs and cried

the war, I said, and three years or the duration of the war i

r is that I have quarrelled with Irene Howard-or

ne hasn't been a bit nice to me since the fuss about the eats; and besides I feel sure she resents not being president. But I have been determined that things should go smoothly, s

a look at my new knitting-bag. All the girls have always said Irene was jealous-

ver his face. Now, Irene knows perfectly well that I don't like to have Jims kissed like that. It is not hygienic. After sh

u look as if you thought

know Morgan says that the only place a baby should be kissed is o

she was making fun of me and I began to boil inside-but outside

e bounced him and that exasperating child liked it. He smiled-for the very first time. He is four months old and he has never smiled once before. Not even

I consider. You would have supposed she thought she had really brought them into existence. But I sewed steadily and did not enthuse, and soon Irene got tired of bouncing Jims and put him back in hi

he often cry like that?' as if she

e to cry so many minutes per day in orde

d have to make him cry for at

Care of Infants' was upstairs or I would soon have convinced her. Then she sai

y it was my fault that he hadn't any hair. I said I had seen dozens of babies every bit as ba

ful like that if she were peeved about anything; but I never believed it before; I used to think Irene just perfect, and it hurt me

't write it down-I can't. Of course, she said it made her furious to hear it and all that-but ther

out my brother, Irene Howard?' I exclaimed. 'I shall never forgive y

,' said Irene. 'I told you it was

u told her. Don't you ever spe

f the afternoon and went away without so much as a look. So I suppose she means to take me at my word and I don't care, for I do not want to be friends with a girl who could repeat such a falsehood about Walter. But I feel unhappy

weather came but he wouldn't. No earthly influence can coax Monday away from that shed even for a few minutes. There he stays and meets every train. So we

shed in the Enterprise and copied all over Canada. But that doesn't matter to poor little Monday, Jem has gone away-Monday doesn't know where or why-but he will wait

cely, and he loves his bath now and splashes unsmilingly in the water instead of twisting and shrieking. Oh, shall I ever forget those first two months! I don't know how I lived through them. But here I am and here is Jims and we both are going to 'carry on

was a bit of shirking, so I learned to do it myself. I hate it-but I have done so many things I hate since 4th of Aug