he morrow.

CHAPTER III

A SATURDAY AFTERNOON

By Friday, Jennie, Dorothy and Edna had become quite intimate. Margaret
was still kept at home by a bad cold, so these three little girls played
at recess together joined by one or two others who had not been invited,
or had not chosen, to belong to what the rest called "Clara Adams's
set." There had been a most interesting talk with Agnes and Celia and a
plan was proposed which was to be started on Saturday afternoon. Jennie
had been invited to come, and was to go home with Dorothy after school
to be sent for later.

Edna was full of the new scheme when she reached home on Friday, and she
was no sooner in the house than she rushed up stairs to her mother.
"Oh, mother," she cried, "I am so glad to see you, and I have so much to
tell you."

"Then come right in and tell it," said her mother kissing her. "You
don't look as if you had starved on bread and molasses."

Edna laughed. "Nor on rice. I hope you will never have rice on
Saturdays, mother."

"Rice is a most wholesome and excellent dish," returned her mother. "See
how the Chinese thrive on it. I am thinking it would be the very best
thing I could give my family, for it is both nourishing and cheap.
Suppose you go down and tell Maria to have a large dishful for supper
instead of what I have ordered."

Edna knew her mother was teasing, so she cuddled up to her and asked:
"What did you order, mother?"

"What should you say to waffles and chicken?"

"Oh, delicious!"

"But where is that great thing you were going to tell me?"

"Oh, I forgot. Well, when we got to school last Monday, there was Clara
Adams and all the girls she could get together and they were whispering
in a corner. They looked over at me and I knew they were talking about
me, but I didn't care. Then I went over to Dorothy and we just stayed by
ourselves all the time, for those other girls didn't seem to want to
have anything to do with us. We hadn't done one single thing to make
them act so, but Clara Adams is so hateful and jealous and all that, she
couldn't bear to have us be liked by anybody. Dorothy told me she heard
her say I was a pet and that was the reason I got along with my lessons.
You know I study real hard, mother, and it isn't that at all. Clara
said it was just because Uncle Justus favored me, and told Miss Ashurst
too. Wasn't that mean?"

"I think it was rather mean, but you must not mind what a spoiled child
like Clar