| Show 1 f 1 7 1 Z afy 14 V p li 1 ay 0 i 7 I 1 A 41 1 1 I A I 1 I 1 I 1 1 1 11 I 1 1 ss L u A t story 1 M ahen ken barcla andrew andrear moved to 4 chicago country village liage I 1 ta in I 1 I 1 ild which she fihe had always lived shei 01 atar 1 1 L to be a little lonely I 1 1 at a 1 1 firsts put she just as naturally y believed bell that tho the loneliness would not last long she had always sot got qui quickly kly ac ac with th the e tew few new girls who had moved into bridgeport during her lifetime she saw no reason why city people should take any longer to perform 16 a like ceremony and she was more than ready to meet them half way but the boys and girls who went to the public school and the sunday F chool which marcia attended atten dedIn in chicago already knew lots of other boys and girls and especially as the stranger entered into the class work rather late in the term they were quite fully occupied with tapir own interests so when marcia had been going to the hammond school regularly every day tor for three months she was very lonely they dont mean to be unkind I 1 can see that she told her mother for marcia was as just as she was waa sensitive and intuitively realized the true reason of this apparent neglect upon the part of her classmates but all so busy and so happy and they know so many people that I 1 dont believe they ever think of stran strangers gars at all I 1 feel as if I 1 was just sick for some other girl to talk to whenever im not studying but something happened very soon after marcia thus fretted to her mother moth er which while it deepened her loneliness tor for a time brought matters out all right in the end staying late at school one evening in order to glance over r a book in the school library she found when removing the dut dus from her fingers afterward a beautiful ring lying on the edge of the dressing room basin she know knew whose ring it was immediately she had bad often watched the diamond in its flashing from the finger of evelyn gorton the girl who sat next to her in school girl like marcia who had bad never owned a ring had often envied evelyn the possession of this one now she amused herself for some moments by br slipping it on and off her own finger and watching the light play about the handsome stone then she went in search ot of the janitor and offered the ring to him no said the janitor who did not care cam tor for the trouble of returning the trinket nor to keep so valuable an article over night 1 I dont want to take it give it to the principal or keep it until tomorrow morning but the had gone home some ome time before and both the janitor said d marcia had forgotten that the day being friday there would be no sch school sessions tomorrow so marcia girlishly willing if not glad to wear the lovely thing home and keep it overnight was sorely troubled upon reaching home to remember that she must either retain it until monday or find some means of getting it to its owner on saturday night marcia after having tired herself out by unavailing ef T I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 0 1 1 A borts torts to find evelyn was compelled to return home with the ring still in her possession next morning she awoke bolind to find her mother very tory ill with a diphtheritic ther itic sore throat three weeks later almost before the mother was able to sit up marcia herself came down with the same disease so it was nearly two months before she entered the dammand ammond JS school again and in all that time she had bad hardly thought of the diamond ring at ail when she had ie it during the intervals vals iii t f her own aad her mothers illness R she tad bad intended to write a letter ietter tim ter t the principal of the school suggest ig that evelyn come after ring rim b lint t ds she Isbel had bad neglected to io do being oven I 1 corked ed and weary until she was so 60 ni arly i zady ready to return to school that such a course seemed unnecessary finally she resolved tha diat the simplest at pl plan an of all would te to ire iea tain thel the ring unal able to returns it personally 1 1 evelyn cortoni meanwhile had bad zot sot missid missed the alnar tug I 1 some time abai after reaching in K hp borne that afternoon and andrad d not abot then theli remembered where 1 she 1 had I 1 lost m advertisements asking tor for ital an ac ward reward tor for ibis action tion wen inserted insert itt aalthe fal the papers A th iii is X arala ab ly y her hertner ft U ig buU never I 1 A jr 4 e aie Bo avaU af at jast in t ole up theirs T ing for hopeless hop iless ly lost 7 alever n U desat 1 school idunn 41 jan ZT z w lt e T t 1 ax ah stood I 1 M one 11 A v deiv dam rade I 1 I 1 T T 11 kogo I 1 01 ii W 0 0 ak isif 1 got maui ji I 1 I 1 cat Z 11 lu ii odix i 0 yB ae 1 1 1 f d is q qt lea mi W 1 ac W Z 5 Z iff I 1 e r W 1 1 ut 4 e I 1 ewa waw so i antl abail 1 51 31 z diw t avi im ja 1 I 1 ii at xo aan I 1 rm F 1 W aidi 3 1 tob to b 1 1 Z Z iffie ant 11 I 1 n 4 M 5 n 1111 P z O aa il 6 D 5 i 1 Z 0 I 1 s kv kv aa 0 4 it 0 t W tac I 1 s i r 1 az I 1 guiya I 1 K csc nex ia 4 w an she Is and she stayed away I 1 from school all this time just becaj I 1 she dare come bacal i hush hush hush marcia has ha I 1 ieca I 1 ill III commanded the principal when evelyn dashed into the office with her excited story tuat that is 18 she aba was ill 01 two weeks ago when I 1 sent to find ou oat t the cause of her absence I 1 benow she there was another rush I 1 to the ollie office 0 to find out marclar ad dresa but miss MI sarc strong ng re refused fuse to ta give it let me hear bear no more ot of abc such h words as thief and di dishonest bet she said sternly jwill look loolu into the matter evelyn as I 1 told you von in the meantime let nothing more be said but a great deal more was said despite the principals command con nand before school closed that afternoon the report tha marcala had stolen the diamond ring had spread all through the school it was discussed by knots of excited girls and boys upon the playground that afternoon and again just as eagerly the next morning when school was presently opened and it waft supposed that nothing had been heard about the ring a state of excitement but poorly suppressed reigned everywhere ery where and in the midst of all this just as they were vainly trying to draw their attention from E evelyns velyn s crimson cheeks and flashing eyes to the lesson in hand the door opened and marcia herself walked in distressed at being late and evidently a little nervous herself she made her way quietly to her seat and opened her books almost before this had happened however evelyn was upon her feet and wildly signaling the teacher where is my ring she asked marcia as the teacher merely looked at I 1 her quietly and gave no permission to speak where is the ring that you stole from me marcia looking at her in and undisguised astonishment turned pale at the sound of the word stole do you mean to say she in inquired claired in her turn after a moment or two of horrified silence on the part of all concerned that you think I 1 stole adur ring of course you stole it he spondee evelyn angrily and losing all control of herself in her pas passion slon tell rell me where it is or ill have you arrested right away for answer marcia who had arisen to her feet when confronted by evelyns accusation sank slowly to her seat and turned her attention to her books she was pallid with anger trembling with warmth and indignation but she kept herself well in hand evelyn also sat down she was too weak with excitement to stand up longer no further word was spoken until miss strong whose coming at that hour was unusual stepped quietly into the room at sight of the flushed and aad nervous faces turned toward her she stopped and looked inquiringly at the teacher who briefly explained the recent occurrence and miss strongs own face took on an unusually ly bril brilliant brillman llan color she mounted the platform and faced the pupils with an air of stern stem indignation there has been a great a terrible I 1 injustice done here this morning she said slowly and I 1 am gre gi fitly ashamed that any pupil of the hammond school should have hare been bo ao unkind as well as so wicked miss gortona gortons Gor tons ring was returned to me by miss andrews this morning it would have been returned to miss gorton long ago as I 1 I 1 have ample proof if it had been possible tor for the unwilling retainer of the ring to find and miss gorton miss andrews addressing marcia with courteous kindness miss gorton gorto n will of course apologize to you promptly tor for her injustice and unkindness its just the way acted all along said marcia stung to bitter speech by the remembrance of her winters loneliness culminating in this dreadful accusation ion 1 I wanted to come to the city so badly she went on barely choking back the tears which told in her voice it not her eyes and its deen been perfectly awful ive been the loneliest girl in school all winter and now breaking down entirely they think id steal no we dont marcia we dont indeed F cried evelyn as warm hearted and quick to repent as she was impulsively ready to jump at conclusions we dont dearie I 1 never really thought so myself I 1 was only SO ao anxious to get my ring back and it looked so queer that keep it ft and I 1 got so excited and angry please forgive me she whispered throwing her arms around the sobbing marcia and kissing her warmly and target forget that I 1 was ever so mean I 1 the storm had all blown over a few minutes later late r when marda marcia and evelyn who had both been excused unasked by miss strong for the rest of I 1 the day went down the stairway together it was the first time which they iad had ever done so arm in arm and they nave been fast friends ever since ethel maude colson |
