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RILLA OF INGLESIDE

baby that woke her—she hadn’t been able to sleep because the Germans are so near Paris; she took the little wretch and laid it flat on its stomach across her knee and thumped its back gently a few times, and it stopped shrieking and went right off to sleep and slept like a lamb the rest of the night. I didn’t—I was too worn out. I have just felt all day like something the cats had brought in, as Susan says.

“I’m having a perfectly dreadful time getting the Junior Reds started. I succeeded in getting Betty Mead as President, and I am secretary, but they put Jen Vickers in as treasurer and I despise her. She is the sort of girl who calls any clever or handsome or distinguished people she knows slightly by their first names—behind their backs. And she is sly and two-faced. Una doesn’t mind, of course. She is willing to do anything that comes to hand and never minds whether she has an office or not. She is just a perfect angel, while I am only angelic in spots and demonic in other spots. I wish Walter would take a fancy to her, but he never seems to think about her in that way, although I heard him say once she was like a tea rose. She is, too. And she gets imposed upon, just because she is so sweet and willing; but I don’t allow people to impose on Rilla Blythe and ‘that you may tie to’, as Susan says.

“Just as I expected, Olive was determined we should have lunch served at our meetings. We had a battle royal over it. The majority was against eats and now the minority is sulking. Irene Howard was on the eats side and she has been very cool to me ever since and it makes me feel miserable. I wonder if Mother and Mrs. Elliott have problems in the Senior Society too.