SHORT STORY

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume v, Issue 1451, 9 October 1905, Page 4

SHORT STORY

fgSfrr^Ok ßß looking up from bor writing girls were all trooping out of the and chattering eagerly, " will take thta note to Miss Hart for me . and wait for an answer ?" _ " Miss Smith," eaid Maisit, turnAnd taking the note she ran with it Hmrc/rdmra ft passage at the'end of whioh was Br tho bead mistro9s'i< Ws\ It was examination time at Highfield ~ School, and a there were only ono or two Fir< J , more papers to be done, all the girls wero very excited and eag -r to know tho result-of their hard work, Maisie cspeci |PM~ li , v ally, weis anxious, She had set her heart - on winning the prize for her class, which. •/ ' oould only be doue by gtunirlg iho liighes ■ number of marks at this examination, : Shb had done well so far she know, and if Wr i ■' only th" history pnpor, which thoy were . to do i lie uexi morning, would not prove : V,to6 diffinul., aha ihuught she stood a very Ifft/•■'., ' fair chance of winniug it, . But—Miiisio wjj t bated history 1 How the dates would mix themselves up in her head to be. euro, ind pJJshe sometimes wondered if sho would ever ; .remember the battles in tho Wars of the H?) ; Eo<iß, and the names of floury. VIII.'s P''; wnresl Kr ' - In answer to her knock, the hond-mis- " tress's pleasant voice asked her to come in. 11"':?,, " I've brought a nolo from Miss Smith'' »" , Maisie said, handing it' to her," and I'm " to wait for an tinswor." §|K ; - - "Thank you, dear, And Miss Hart fey- ~\ tore the noto open and glanced over it. p>'ll oh," she said, " the book Miss Smith /'Warnsis upstairs, so.l ahull have to fetch fe"'" .it! Sit down and wait till I oome back. I (li';,'' will not keep you long." v. And, smiling at MaiKie, who was a great favourite of hers, she went out of the room, , . jh- Maisio sat still for a mom rat and glanc- £' ed round her, then iuddently, she started violently, tho blood lushed'all. over her |v i face and her face and h.r heart beat very f quickly, For thoio, on tha desk, almost f, L under her eyis vas a | papor headed, , % "Third Class Htetovy lixatninalion Qnes- ' tions" , ' • Poor Maisie! It was a dreadful Urnptas/■ iiin She stuggled against 'it for a # s 1 second, but the thought of thecoverted ft" prize was too muon for her, and: the next instant the paper was in her hand and sho f> was rapidly reading it .She had just finished as she heard the governess's step r k L coming down the passago, and hurriedly , thrusting it baok on tho desk, she sut B down again and looked out of the window, fete She was just m time for the next instant '-s. ( 1 " Hore it is," she said, coming l \ip to' )k Musie and giving her the book. "Take j; <- it to Miss Smith lam so sorry to have kept you waiting bo long, but I could not I:; ; find it at onco. How hot you look, dear. • Are you quite well P" y svM f Mais'e murmured something about a •.M.hefldaohejandmttde'horiway out of the :;-;v.:room as quickly, is eho could. The goveyeS looking at her made £fc'b£r feel so horribly mean and wicked and W> dishonourable, but trying to atiHe the of ihem\ with thoughts of (a«;thev prize," she..took |he book to Miss wfßmitbj!and then run quickly home. . ' ,-:'.v?s-"AI1 the evening she sat with her elbows arresting .on the table, but every now and, ipfe; then the thought'of what 'she had done' her, and at last, %;:thinkitig .she : woUid try and forget it in' •• s . sleep,'she asked if she could go to bed. - : ■ f 1 Sut even in bed Maisie could not find rest- ;She tossed about hot and. mis- . verablo, and when sha at last went to sleep wi '..Bhe.dreiimed the was surrounded by her L Bohoolffllows, and thoy wore all pointing <■ accusing fingers at her, and she could ' distmotly their voices saying 'j Cheat, I f* f Cheat I" But worst of all sho : seemed lo h see her mother's eoriowful, reproachful fy** ®J 69 looking a ' hor, and they said as £ plairly as possible, " I did not think my S T V [ Maisie could do such a thing 1" the morning came, a.id with it the hitory 6xammitiuo. Maisie, of 1 course, was able to answer the questions ** correctly, but the thought of the prizk|fffy gave her no pleasure now. How sho U,, Q wished she had never seen that paper in S the study 1 " ■> When at last it was time to go borne she ' eacoped aseoon as sh6 could from Jber eohool fellows, who crowded round her with eager questions l as 10 how she had tm got on with herpaptr, und ranumilshe J was out of sight of the school. But Ae was in no hurry to gei hciiic, for slic did • not want to face b r mother's just yet, shß was too utterly misenbl. So, instead of going hur usuHl way, she | went down a iwrrow toad and cime 10 a », small river, along thesideri v'iich she * < walked slowly. Hor mothu' had (often L 4 K , % warned her about going soolose, as tho %, (j path was slippery and tho water deep even 1 J ' »t the edge, But Maisie in bet mjsory had forgot all J about it and walked on not looking where she was going. f j Conseqneaily she did not see n, big stone that was lying right m hor path, and in a i'Vj 7 . mmuto she had tripped over it and—i( splash I She was in the water I Sho gave /'■< ono shriek and then tho water blosbd over vi *!<.> her head. Sho came up gasping: she tried . Jo soream again but could not, and then ' everything went *■ • When eho opened her eyes again she sK,:'.'' '* found herself in her,bed at home, and her mother and a doctor bonding irjj f ;'. " She'll be all right • now," ehe heard 'j- { him (ay. " Keep her warm, and give her \w, something hot to drink, and I'll come and - - . 890 hor again this evening," ' And out he ,Maiaie lay still for a second or two won5, i derihg what hod happened, 'Then sudden. everything came back. 1 In a .sort of mist she watched her '^v/ ; • mother moye softly across tho room and >S/ ?' bend ovor : her,

'?s££ " ' ''Darling," she said —an 3 Maisie saw ' her eyes were full of tears-" do you know j'' I very nearly lofit my Utile girl io-day, If sfif'' " J it bad not b?en for the liootor who hnppon- ' «• to bepassing, and who saved yon and &>•> •' brought yon home, I should have' had no s'.% f ' Maisie any more I" c '.^' 1 Maisie flung her arms round her moth&r's n?ek and bur-t imo tears. |t; •. " Oil, mother, mother I" she crioi, 11 1 have beßn such a dreadfully wicked girl, |®' \ And sho sobbed in such a heartbroken fi": '* way thai her mother was frightenod. " Hash, darling," Bhe said, "Try to ho iiku, quiet, and tell mother what you have done," &?■:*' ,U' So Maisio, with her face hidden, and : many sobs told her, . r ' Of course, kaisie did not have the prize,

It was given to Clitissie .Martin, wliose marks wero the next highest. But not ono of the girkmthc school evoc knew how Maisio lost it. ' s Her mother toid Miss Hart overything, and thoy both agreed that eh ; : ••. ffered qui e enough, : So.on tho prizi day-.'ii; 1 > ..•.•4 announced that the prizo was Chnssio's, and everybody : said to themselves and one another that thoy supposed Maisio' had failed in history as tistial I But threo pooplo'kh'ow the truth, and ono of them will novor forget it.