Kate's  Forgiveness.


"I WILL never speak to Clara Martin." 

"O  Nellie, that  is  a  very  hard  thing  for 

you to say."

"You could not be surprised though, Kate, 

if you  knew everything."

"I should  be  grieved,  if  not  surprised, 

Nellie;  and though I do not so much as wish 

to know  everything, I am quite sure that you 

might better think over your words again, and 

resolve  to forgive  Clara, whatever  she  may 

have  done."

"No, Kate, it is  quite impossible;  and  all 

the girls say the same.  They all know what 

she has done,  and they all  declare  that they 

will never speak to her again."

"But  this  is  very  unkind  of  them,  and 

quite too  hard for Clara to bear.  What has 

she  done?"

"Oh!  Several things.  She has been so rude, 

Kate, that you  could  never guess the things 

she  has done."

"Whatever they are, she  will soon  be sorry

for  them,  and perhaps she  will  apologize; 

and  then,  of  course,  all  the  girls  whom  she 

has offended will forgive  her at once."

"I  don't  think  they  would  even  then; 

but  Clara  Martin  will  never  apologize,  I 

know;  she is too ill-tempered  and  proud for 

that.  Don't you  take  her  part,  will  you. 

Kate?"

"I don't  know,  Nellie;  if  you  all  turn 

against  her,  poor  child, she  will  need  some 

one to take her part;  and I do not yet know 

whether  you or she  was the more wrong."

"Then I will  tell  you  all  about  it, Kate, 

for  I  think  you  ought  to  know.  She  has 

been in  a  dreadful temper  all day, but this is 

what  began  our  quarrel:  I  could  not find 

my grammar anywhere,  and  I could  not  re- 

member where I had put it."

"Ah, little Nellie, you were  the first to  be 

wrong after all, you see.  If you remembered 

the motto on the school-room wall,  'A place 

for everything,  and  everything in its  place, 

you would not have lost  your grammar."

"Well, don't begin to scold  me, Kate, for 

I did  not  begin the  quarrel.  I asked  Clara

to lend me  hers, for she was not using it; an 

what do you think she said?"

"I cannot tell."

"She said,  'No, I will not, for  you  might 

be  dishonest  enough  to  keep  it!'  There, 

As if anybody in our  school  ever  did  such 

things!"

"That  was  certainly  very  unkind  in 

Clara; but  she  must  have  been very angry 

at the time,  or  she would  not have said  it.'

"Well, all  the  girls  said what a shame it

was,  and  that  only made  Clara worse.  She 

told me I was  a stupid  little thing,  and  that 

she  would  not  like  to learn  her  lessons  any 

better than I did mine.  And she said some 

thing quite  as bad to each of the others;  but 

the  worst  things  of  all,  and  those  which 

made  us the Grossest, were said about  you.'"

"About me?" said Kate, in  surprise."

"Yes, dear Kate.  I don't know how she 

found  it all  out, but she says she  knows   

everything  about  you.  She  says  your  father 

is  poor  enough  to  be  her  father's  servant 

that  you never  have so much  as  even a   

shilling  a week for pocket money;  that all your 

dresses  are  quite  poor  and  common,  and 

that  you will  soon  have to  leave school    

because  your  friends  cannot  afford  to  keep 

you here."

"Well,  supposing  it  is  all  true,  Nellie; 

should I be  any the worse for  being  poor?" 

"No, Kate, you would still  be the dearest 

girl  in  all  the  world.  But she  said    

something  else  about  you;  she  said  we

  would  not make so much fuss with  you if we

  knew  that before you  came to this school you

 were  turned away, expelled, from the  last 

school."

"That is not  true,"  said  Kate,  looking 

very white.

"True!  We know that not  a word  of it is

true.  And must not that say Clara be a mean 

and  wicked  girl?  You will  not  speak  to 

her again now, will you, Kate?"

"I think I shall, Nellie, but I will  think 

about it first."  And  Kate walked  away for a

little  quiet thought.

If you had  known  Kate Davis, you would 

not  have  been  surprised  that  she  was  the 

greatest favorite in  all  the  school.  She was 

quite  a  year older  than  the  other  girls,  and 

he  was  taller,  too.  She  had  soft  brown 

eyes,  and  a face that was  rather  pale.  She 

was  a  serious  girl,  and  her  smiles  were  so 

sweet and kind that they were valued  by all 

about  her.  She  was  a  real  friend,  always 

ready to  help  others,  and  she never  got 

 angry, even  in  play,  or  said  unkind  things  to 

the  rest.  They all loved  her,  and were glad 

to be with  her;  and  it seemed  as if  they 

could  never  say  enough  in  her  praise. 

But  you may be sure they were both surprised 

and  indignant  at  Clara  Martin's  speech. 

They  each  said  something  to  her  about it, 

and  one  girl  even  said,  "You  ought to  be 

dismissed  from  the  school  for  saying  such 

wicked things."

Kate walked to the bottom of  the  garden, 

here  the  girls  could  not  see  her,  and  she 

could  not  keep the  tears from  coming  into 

her eyes.  It is always  hard  to  have  unkind

things said about one, and Kate felt it.  She 

wondered,  too,  where  Clara  had  gained  so 

much  information  about  her.  She  remembered 

that her last letter from home had said 

something about  her  being obliged  to leave 

school if her father lost some money which was 

in  a  bank  which  was  said  to  have  failed. 

She thought Clara must have seen this letter. 

She felt in  her pocket,  and found  it was  not 

there.

"I must have drawn it out with my pocket- 

handkerchief," she  said  to  herself;  "but it 

was  dishonorable of Clara to read  it,  even if 

she found it."

And  so  of  course  it  was,  for  no  girl  of 

honor would  read  a  letter  addressed  to an- 

other without special  permission.

Kate  hurried  into the  house to search for 

the  letter.  She  could  not  find  it,  but  the 

postman  had  just  brought  another for  her, 

full  of good  news.  The money in the  bank 

was safe,  and  her father was not,  after all,  a 

poor  man,  and  as  for  Kate, she  might  stay 

at school  as long as she liked.

Gladdened  with  this  good  news,  Kate 

made  up  her  mind  that  she  would  forgive 

Clara.  She  went  back  again  into  the  gar- 

den to finish her  quiet walk.  There, behind 

one of the trees, she saw Clara Martin crying 

bitterly.  Kate  went  up  to  her  and  called 

her  softly.  She  started  up  with  flashing 

eyes  and flushed cheeks.

"Go away,"  she  said.  "Why  do  you 

disturb me?  I am not going  to  apologize, 

for I am not sorry;  go  away."

But Kate was not to be repulsed like that.

"Clara," she said,  gently, "let me stay.  I 

am not angry with you, but I want to talk to 

you, for I know you  are not happy."

Clara  tried  to  push  her  away,  but  Kate 

was  taller,  and  she  took  the  trembling  girl 

in  her arms and kissed her, and laid her cold 

hands on  Clara's  hot forehead.

Poor  Clara  could  only  cry  the  more, for 

she had not expected this;  and Kate soothed 

her and talked to her  kindly.

"I do not so much mind  the  things  you 

said about me,  but I should  like to have my 

letter back."

"O Kate, I am  so  ashamed!"  said Clara. 

“I found the letter and read it,  and  I knew 

it would  tease  the  girls  to  talk  about  it. 

You will never forgive me."

Kate kissed her once more.

"I have quite forgiven you," she said, "because 

I am  sure  you will  not do  so  dishonorable 

a  thing  again.  And  you  have  misunderstood 

the  letter, Clara;  the only reason 

why  I  left  the  other  school  was  because  I 

was ill,  and they thought I might  better not 

remain."

"I did understand  it,  Kate, but my wickedness 

made  me  say  the  other.  I will  tell 

the girls all  about it.  Come with me, Kate."

So they walked up the garden together, to

the  great amazement  of  all  the  other  girls; 

and Clara confessed her wrong,  and  begged 

her pardon,  and told them that as Kate had 

forgiven  her, she  hoped  they would  not  be 

angry  long.

"Dear Kate!  That  is  the  way  she  is    

revenged," said  one of  the  girls.  "I wish we 

were  all more like  her."

"Ah!" said  another,  "we  shall  never  be 

that  without  God's  help.  Kate  Davis  is  a 

Christian!" 



Young Pilgrim