The Nicest Girl in the School: A Story of School LifeBrazil, Angela
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The Nicest Girl in the School: A Story of School Life
Brazil, Angela
Girls -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Schools -- Juvenile fiction
Jean was the fortunate possessor of a particularly pretty little
bedroom. It was furnished partly as a sitting-room, and a fire had been
lighted there that afternoon, so that the two girls might indulge in a
private chat. Patty sank into a cosy basket chair, but she did not stay
there long, as she kept jumping up to look at the many treasures which
decorated the walls, and about most of which Jean seemed to have some
story to tell. Over the mantelpiece hung a fine pair of ram's horns that
had been polished and mounted on an oak slab.
"They came from Scotland," said Jean, "and they're a souvenir of an
adventure that Colin and I had when we were staying at our Uncle's."
"What happened?"
"We went out one day for a walk by ourselves on the hills. We had
wandered a long way, and climbed over a stone wall into a field, when
suddenly we heard a curious noise, and saw an old ram stamping its feet
at us. 'We'd better run,' said Colin. 'It'll be after us in a moment;'
and just as he spoke, the ram set off as fast as it could in our
direction. You can imagine how we rushed down the hill. The ram looked
so fierce, we were dreadfully frightened, and I thought perhaps it would
gore us like a bull. At the bottom of the field there was a stream.
Colin called to me to get across by the stones, and I tried, but I was
in such a hurry that my foot slipped, and I fell into quite a deep pool
up to my waist. The ram seemed at first as if it meant to follow me, for
it came a little way into the water; but it changed its mind, and turned
round and went up the hill again. Colin fished me out of the water, but
I was dreadfully wet, and so out of breath with running, I felt as if I
couldn't walk home; so he took me to a farm close by, and the people
dried my clothes. They were very kind, especially when they heard about
the ram. They said it was really a savage one, and it might have hurt
us if it had caught us. They were obliged to kill it that autumn, and
they sent the horns to Uncle as a present; and he had them mounted, and
gave them to me. When I see them hanging there, I often remember how
fast Colin and I ran that day."
"I should think you have splendid times in Scotland."
"So we do. We go there nearly every summer, and stay either with
Grandfather or one of our uncles. When we're at Grandfather's we have to
go to church on Sunday in the boat across the loch. It's so nice,
especially if we go to the evening service, and row back just at sunset.
Then on weekdays we go fishing. I caught a salmon all by myself last
year. I was so proud. Grandfather didn't touch my line, he only told me
what to do. We took a photo. of the salmon, and I had it framed. It's
there, hanging on the wall. You must look at it, and at some of my other
pictures."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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