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Show i pIICnT. STOI;Y OF THE-DAY ij c::2 C7 TZ2 cuis. ' ! 1 i Tt was luncheon hour at Hilton academy and excitement waa tilth among the pret-ry pret-ry girla who were preparing tor a presentation presen-tation of the cantata of "Eather." "Who'i that coming?' asked one, suddenly. sud-denly. , "Oh, that la th girt from Shelby." "That backwood place! No wonder ahe locks aa If she .came out of the ark." Tba girl from Shelby waa drawing near, timidly, and paused aa aha aaw the forbidding for-bidding faces. Tall and atoop-ahouldered, with hands that told of hard work, it waa hard for Ruth Alden when ahe wanted to be like other girls; hard to wear that old dr- with outgrown sleeves and skirt eked out. Ehe wished ahe knew how thoae girls did their hair so prettily, but there would not be time, eren If she knew. She must use every minute before school, for ber invalid mother must be made comfortable, comfort-able, and dinner left cooked for the children, chil-dren, and at night there waa even more to be done. , She knew what the other girls were talking about a earnestly, but stepped back, perceiving herself unwelcome.- A' moment later.. Harry Foster approached ap-proached the group. He had the part of Ham an In the cantata, and waa sentenced sen-tenced to be hanged on the gallowa fifty cubit high. "Here cornea Haman! 'Long Uv Hainan!" Ha-inan!" humed one of the girls. "And there goes Fifty Cubit!" laughed Helen Avery, aa Ruth Alden. tall and - u - A . alnwlv. wnndertna .1.11 ijuliuul rntin.fuvu. .i.nnri . I dressing-room, threw Angle to the f - r, and, catching up the rus, rolled fcr ovr I and over. Another Instant and Ant a I father dashed over the footllghta to Lm darling. . . ' Angle waa saved, but Ruth's handa aid ' arms were badly burned, and only her woolen dress saved her from a worse fate. ' "Oh, .Ruth, what can we ever do for your' faltered Angle's mother. That night Ruth slept In Angie'a room, and next morning Mrs, Fenner -Mid, "Ruth, dear, we have aent a good woman to your mother and you must stay here and rest. Angle needs Just such a sister aa you." "Here's something for you eald Mr. Fenner, laying dcjvc a curious looking paper. "I'm no mast of many words. It's no use trying to tell you how I feel." . "What la itr 'asked Ruth. "It's the deed to the Fine Hill cottage. I give It to you." When Ruth began to understand ahe couTtl hardly believe herself alive. That, pretty house, right in town, to' be hers! All day long ahe lay on the couch,- with a aong to her heart, until Angle cam from cahoot, but not alone; there waa a roomful of girla crowding around her. . "You dear, eplendld girl!" they cried m a breath. "Do forgive us; we've been so cold and hateful, but we're planned out the nicest times, and you shall be queen Of ua all." Ruth looked from one to another of the tearful, eager faces and smiled. "I don't want to be queen." ahe said. "I want to be on of the girls." Uttle Chronicle. bow It would seem to be "on of the ir)s." If only for one day. ' "Mush!" whispered Harry. "She's not to blame for being so tall I say. let her have some part with the rest of you." "She can't! She hasn't a decent dress Of any kind." - . "Well. I know one thine," retorted Harry, Har-ry, ana-rily. "you girls would better look out Prof. Harrison says she will be at the head of the class next year." "Don't stop to quarrel,'r ald Angle Fenner. "What ahall w wear?" And aU beran talking at one. - ' 7 "Kings and queens wear royal purple, trimmed with ermine." "We'll get purple cambric and for ermine er-mine out whit cotton batting Into atripa, and Ink it for ermine tall." "And what for crowns?" "Gild ptboard with gold paint. , W1U Newton's hlrt stud can b Kohinoor. "Oood! W girl will wear whit mus- lilt i'U wear my new silk." said Angle Fenner, who was to be prophetess. "How would you look prophesying In an apple-green silk! Tou must have a costume." "Tou nedn't talk about It! I'm going to wear th silk." . Ruth Alden wasn't naked to take any part, but one of th girk had said Fifty Cubit might be useful In th dressing-room dressing-room and told her to come. On cantata night he hail was packed to the doors. The girla' dressing-room waa a foam f whit muslin and Fifty Cubit was here, there and everywhere helping to make other beautiful. When the curtain rose the King, standing stand-ing on Mrs. Fanner's beat rug, looked royally roy-ally Impressive In his duet with Haman. The chorus sang they "Song of Joy. and then the "prophetess" appeared in her silk, fluffy with laoa and a garniture of roses. As she bowed, her dress fluttered against a flaring candle a scream, and she ran. . ... , , "Shut the door after me!" pealed a TOioe. and Fifty Cubit burst through the |