This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
120
RILLA OF INGLESIDE

need for her to tell me such a thing even if she did hear it. She simply did it to hurt me.

“I just exploded.

“‘How dare you come here and repeat such a thing to me about my brother, Irene Howard?’ I exclaimed. ‘I shall never forgive you—never. Your brother hasn't enlisted—hasn't any idea of enlisting.’

“‘Why Rilla, dear, I didn’t say it,’ said Irene. ‘I told you it was Mrs. George Burr. And I told her—’

“‘I don’t want to hear what you told her. Don’t you ever speak to me again, Irene Howard.’

“Of course, I shouldn’t have said that. But it just seemed to say itself. Then the other girls all came in a bunch and I had to calm down and act the hostess’ part as well as I could. Irene paired off with Olive Keith all the rest of the afternoon and went away without so much as a look. So I suppose she means to take me at my word and I don’t care, for I do not want to be friends with a girl who could repeat such a falsehood about Walter. But I feel unhappy over it for all that. We've always been such good chums and until lately Irene was lovely to me; and now another illusion has been stripped from my eyes and I feel as if there wasn’t such a thing as real true friendship in the world.

“Father got old Joe Mead to build a little kennel for Dog Monday in the corner of the shipping shed today. We thought perhaps Monday would come home when the cold weather came but he wouldn’t. No earthly influence can coax Monday away from that shed even for a few minutes. There he stays and meets every train. So we had to do something to make him comfortable. Joe built the kennel so that Monday could lie in it and still see the platform, so we hope he will occupy it.