RUTH’S STORY.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIII, Issue VII, 18 August 1894, Page 167

RUTH’S STORY.

• Come along, Ruth, we want to hear what you have been doing all the holidays,’ said Gerty Winter as Ruth Martin came into the schoolroom where all the girls were sitting. ‘Why, I have just come to hear what you have been doing,’ replied Ruth, as she took a seat. ‘ Oh, no !’ cried all the girls, ‘ we want to hear your story first.’

‘ Very well,’ answered Ruth. ‘ Begin at the beginning, please, and tell us about what you did first,’ said Marie Linton, who was sitting in the only easy chair in the room. • Very well,’ replied Ruth. ‘ Well, first, my brother Jack met us at the station. When we got home we had tea, and in the evening we went to “ Charley’s Aunt.” ‘ Oh, it was so amusing. I wished you were there. The next day we went to a picnic on the beach, and in the evening we went to a play at my aunt's house. It was called the “ Sleeping Beauty.” My cousin was the Sleeping Beauty and my brother Bob was the Prince. The next day we went to the Steeplechase ; my cousin Marjorie won the trotting match, and in the evening she gave a children’s dance.’ ‘ What did you wear?’ interrupted Bessie Mardock, who was always talking of dress. ‘ Oh, I wore my new terracotta smock trimmed with light blue, and Carrie wore her light blue smock trimmed with terracotta. We enjoyed ourselves very much. Carrie and I stayed the night at my aunt's house, and the next morning we were going for a ride, but it rained so hard that we had to stay indoors, and in the afternoon we went home. The next day was fine, and Mrs Earle bad asked Carrie and me to a party at Earlscourt. We went at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and in the evening it rained so hard that we had to stay the night at her place ; but in the morning it was fine enough for us to go home. In the afternoon Jack took Madge, Carrie, and me to the Art Gallery, and in the evening we all went to a circus. The next day we all went for a boating picnic, and the boat upset and we got so wet. In the evening my father took Carrie, Madge, and myself to a social gathering in the St. Albert Hall. There was a tableau acted called Pygmalion and Galatea. On Wednesday it was Mamie Butler’s birthday, and Carrie and I went to her party and enjoyed it very much. On Friday Mrs Gray asked Carrie and me to go to Sherwash to a picnic in the bush if it was fine. Well, on Friday it was a beautiful day, and Frank drove Carrie and me over to Sherwash. We had dinner at the house, and then in the afternoon we went down to the bush for tea. But just as we were crossing the creek it came on to rain ; we ran into the bush, but we got drenched to the skin, and when the rain was over, we went up to the house to get our things dried. Carrie went into the drawing room in one of Mrs Gray's night gowns, and I went in one of Mrs Gray’s dressing-gowns. Oh, we did have such fun. About five o’clock Frank came and took us home. The day before we came away we were to have gone up to my cousin’s, but it rained so hard and Carrie bad such a cold that mother would not let us go. My cousins came down to our place instead. The next day they all came down to say good-bye to us at the train, and that is the end of my story. Now we will hear Gerty’s story,’ said Ruth. • Oh, dear, there is the tea bell,’ cried Marie Linton, as

the tea bell rang and all the children began to getup. ‘We will hear your story after tea, Gerty, so come along, and all the children ran out of the room.

Muriel St. C. Inglis.