OUR GIRLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20235, 20 April 1929, Page 4 (Supplement)

OUR GIRLS.

By ALICE A. KENNY.

■j. .j* -J- jj* -J' 'f' *l* -I' 'T" -I- *J* -T* -I* -I 4 ' A CAPTIVE PRINCESS.

Miss Murray, the assistant at Mrs. Harrington's School, had a very poor opinion of Alma Stapleton, but Miss Beach liked her. " She is tho cleverest girl in my class, and has read a great deal for her age. Her Christmas competition essay on tho holidays is really good." " But slio is deceitful and silly, insisted Miss Murray, "you never, know what slio will do or say next. 41 I've never found her deceitful, but silly certainly," said Miss Beach. " 1 have noticed that tho clever girls aro nearly always silly; they are so full of ideas, so imaginative, and have so much more information than judgment that they aro always getting into trouble. Sho smiled and added, this evening instead of practising tennis for tho breakingup sports Alma is sitting in her room ropenting of her latest naughtiness. She wrote in lior essay to-day that Sir Philip Sidney took the wounded soldier's cup and drank Iho water at one gulp, saying 'My necessitv is greater than thine. Sho meant to'get a laugh and got detention instead." In her room Alma was suffering agonies. Sho acted a good deal of emotion to herself, and then she made up speeches to bo addressed to her unjust teachers. Tiring of that sho began to write love letters. This was a new and favourite game played by herself, or sometimes with her best friend. On this occasion sho pretended to be crossed in love, and parted from her lover, and shut up by her cruel parents. Slio rather thought sho was of Royal blood, and her room was in the turret of a castle. Licking her pencil sho went happily to work. " Harold my heart's dearest." Harold was her favourite boy's name. "It is agony to be parted thus. I am a hopeless captive.. But no matter what they do to mo I will bo ever truo to thee.— Yours most passionately, Marcelline." She was fairly well pleased with this and thought it would bo rather fun to throw it down into the garden to puzzle anyone who picked it up. So she added, " I cast this from my casement praying

iat someone will find it and bear it to

Then she folded it round a small empty scent bottle and threw it out of the window. It came unfolded as it fell and blew gaily along the lawn—to Miss Murray's feet.

Miss Murray picked it up and read it with horror, standing rooted to the spot while her eyes sought for the person for whom this wicked letter was intended. Suddenly she saw him.

Meanwhile Alma, who had not seen what happened to her first letter, had scrawled an even better one, and peeping out had a happy idea. The gardener's son was pushing a lawnmower underneath tho window. He was rather a lout of a bov who sometimes helped his father about tho place after school hours. The girls laughed at him and had nicknames for him.

Something hard hit him on tho ear and he gave a startled yelp. Then he stooped and picked up two pieces of toffee wrapped in white paper. lie looked round with a vague grin to see who was making him presents, and seeing nobody ate 0110 piece of toffee and put tho other piece in his pocket, all wrapped up as it was. and went 011 pushing the lawnmower. Miss Murray was always having her worst fears realised, about the girls and here they were at it again. While Alma was composing a third letter the first assistant was having interviews with Sirs. Barrington, and with Wright, the gardener, about that awful letter. Mr. Wright did not believe his boy. Harold, could write a letter to any of tho girls even if he wanted to, but he was anxious not to have any trouble with his employer so ho promised to deal with Harold. Ho went home soon after and found him looking at Comic Cuts, and pulling a thick piece of toffee oft a paper.

" Now then! " he said, " what do you mean, going and writing notes to them gills, the young ladies up at the school?" "What?—me ?—I never!" exclaimed the startled Harold, and his father took the paper from him and began to read, "My darling Harold, your passionate vows—" " Here, what's all this? "

Harold, rather glued together with toffee, and a good deal alarmed, protested that he didn't know, but his father said unpleasant things about a clip over the car, or several clips over the ear, that lie was going to give him presently, and carried 'the sticky letter to Mrs. Barrington.

There was great agitation in Mrs. Harrington's study, and tho weather began t;> look more and more squally [or Harold, while upstairs Alma, having tired of tho name, had written a masterpiece to her adored Raymond. Suddenly Miss Beach swooped upon her.

" Alma —what nonsenso havo you been writing? You're getting that Wright bov into trouble with his father."

" I've only been playing I'm a Princess in prison throwing out despairing letters to my lover. One hit Squiffy Wright."

" Yes, and ono hit Miss Murray, and Mrs. Harrington lias got tlicm both. Bring what you've got tliero and come down quickly and explain beforo you make any more mischief." " Js Squiffy's name Harold? —Oh! how funny!" said Alma. "What a coincidence. I supposo now I am in trouble with Mrs. Darlington again." " You are, you naughty girl, as you'll soon learn."

"llow very distressing!" said Alma with a sigh, and went with Miss Beach to face (ho music.

THE REASON WHYS Papa, mushrooms grow in damp places, don't they?" " Yes, as a rule." " I suppose that is tlio reason they are niado like umbrellas, isn't it?"