Page:Emily Climbs.pdf/226

 and one for ten dollars for my, which has been taken at last—my first story acceptance. Aunt Elizabeth looked at the checks and said wonderingly:

“‘Do you suppose the bank will really pay you for those?’

“She could hardly believe it, even after Cousin Jimmy took them to Shrewsbury and cashed them.

“Of course, the money goes to my Shrewsbury expenses. But I had no end of fun planning how I would have spent it if I had been free to spend.

“Perry is on the High School team who will debate with the Queen’s Academy boys in February. Good for Perry—it’s a great honour to be chosen on that team. The debate is a yearly occurrence and Queen’s has won for three years. Ilse offered to coach Perry on the elocution of his speech and she is taking no end of trouble with him—especially in preventing him from saying ‘devilopement’ when he means ‘development.’ It’s awfully good of her, for she really doesn’t like him. I do hope Shrewsbury will win.

“We have in English class this term. I like some things in them, but I detest Tennyson’s Arthur. If I had been Guinevere I'd have boxed his ears—but I wouldn’t have been unfaithful to him for Lancelot, who was just as odious in a different way. As for Geraint, if I had been Enid I’d have him. These ‘patient Griseldas’ deserve all they get. Lady Enid, if you had been a Murray of New Moon you would have kept your husband in better order and he would have liked you all the better for it.

“I read a story tonight. It ended unhappily. I was wretched until I had invented a happy ending for it. I shall always end stories happily. I don’t care whether it’s ‘true to life’ or not. It’s true to life as it and that’s a better truth than the other.

“Speaking of books. I read an old one of Aunt Ruth’s the other day—. The heroine fainted in every chapter and cried quarts if any one looked