CHAPTER V.
THE FIRST FRIDAY.
All went well during the pleasant, sunny days of September. The peopleon the avenue learned to watch every morning for the tall, dark,handsome man, carrying the tiny suit-case for the fair little companiontripping along beside him in her simple white dress with its pale blueribbons; her deep blue eyes looking out from under her big shade hat;her hair like a golden cloud, shining and glistening in the sunlight. Atthe convent gate they parted--Mary waiting for a last wave from herfather after he had boarded the car at the next corner. Then she enteredthe yard for a romp with her little friends before the school-bell rang.
October came; and the noon hour of the First Friday found the littlegirl breathlessly mounting the front steps of her home.
"I do wish Father was home. Perhaps I can telephone and catch him at thebank before he goes to luncheon. But no--I shall tell Mother and UncleFrank the secret now, and then tell Father this evening, and make twogood times of it."
Entering the hall, she called to her mother, who was coming down thestairs, "S'prise, Mother! S'prise! Guess!"
"Judging from the way you are holding your chain, I think Sister musthave given you a little medal for being a good girl in school."
"You're warm, Mother, but not hot. Two more guesses. Remember, this isthe First Friday, and I told you what would happen to-day----"
"Is it possible that you----"
"Well, well, well! What is going on here? Something wrong with yourneck, pet? Come, let me see what ails it."
"No, no, Uncle! It is a s'prise, and you may have three guesses. Motherwas very hot just before you came in, and I am sure she knows."
"But if holding your neck with both hands has anything to do with it, Ifear that it is not a very pleasant surprise."
"I am holding my neck to hide something on my chain."
"Ah, I see. Well, I shall guess one of those tiny pencils that fit intoa small note book."
"Cold as ice! _Freezing!_ Why, that wouldn't be worth making a s'priseabout."
"Oh, it is something of value, eh?--a piece of Chinese money. The holein such a coin would make it an easy matter to slip it on your chain."
"Uncle! as if I would put a piece of Chinese money on a chain with thebeautiful miraculous medal you gave me when I was baptized! Only onemore guess. It is the First Friday, you know."
"You don't mean to say that you have come out on top! Hurray!" cried theDoctor as Mary took down her hands and showed a little silver medal nextto the gold one. "That _is_ a surprise worth while!" and tossing her upto his shoulder, he marched into the dining-room, whistling, _Hail theConquering Hero Comes!_
"Now, tell us all about it," he insisted when the three were seated.
"Oh, it was the most exciting morning! Everyone was almost sure thatMildred Ryan would get the medal, because she is the smartest girl inour class. She never has to stop to think before she spells a word; and_tables_! she rattles them off like lightning! So we thought she wouldsurely get the medal, even though Sister said yesterday afternoon thatit isn't always the smartest girl who comes out ahead, but often it isthe one who _applies_ herself best. I didn't know what Sister meantuntil recess, and then Rosemary said that she meant the girl who sticksand sticks and _sticks_ at her lessons, and doesn't sit nibbling herpencil and looking out the window. Mildred does that sometimes, so maybeSister thinks she doesn't apply herself.
"Well, just after recess this morning, Father Lacey came into our roomto call the reports. We stood up and said, 'Good _morn_--n--ing,Father!' I am _so_ glad it _was_ morning; for no matter how late in theafternoon it is, some of the girls always forget and say, 'Good_morning_,' to visitors; and I do feel so sorry for Sister. Then we satdown again, and Father Lacey began to call the names. Each girl stood upwhen he said her name and listened to her marks, and then she made astep-back bow and sat down again.
"I thought my turn would never come. Sister writes the names beginningwith A first, then those beginning with B, and so on. Of course, the X,Y, Z's come at the end of the list. There are no T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z'sin our room, so my name is the very last one. I stood up when I heardit; but I was so excited that I didn't hear a single mark, and I forgotall about my step-back bow; but I jumped up again and made it. The nextminute, I heard my name again, and I thought I must be dreaming untilFather Lacey called it _again_ and held up the medal. And what do you_think_! What _do_ you think! The medal had a yellow ribbon on it!_Yellow!_ Oh, I didn't know what to do! I _couldn't_ let Father Laceypin a yellow ribbon on _me_ when I never wear any colors but blue andwhite. But he didn't know that, and I s'pose Sister forgot about it. Andall the time, Father Lacey sat there smiling and holding out the medal;and the girls whispered, 'Go up! Go up!' and the one behind me gave methe worst poke; and--and _then_ I thought of my chain!
"So I took it off and walked just as fast as I could up the aisle; but Istood far enough away from Father Lacey so he just couldn't reach me topin that yellow ribbon on me. I couldn't speak a word, but stood thereholding out the chain to him. Then Sister remembered and told him; andhe took the medal off the ribbon and slipped it on the chain andfastened the chain around my neck himself and patted me on the head andsaid for me always to love our Blessed Mother next best to our Lord. Andthen the girls clapped, and I was so happy that I couldn't see where Iwas going and nearly fell over the front desk."
"You did, indeed, have a very exciting morning, dear," laughed Mrs.Selwyn.
"Times have certainly changed, Elizabeth. In our day, the worst part ofprize winning was the work one had to do, not the walking up the aisleto receive the reward of one's labors."
"But that was later on in school life, Frank. The first time my name wascalled for a prize, I think I felt very much as Mary did this morning."
"It wouldn't have been so bad if we had not been so sure that Mildredwould get the medal. Still, I believe it would have been more exciting;because then everyone in the class could hope that she _might_ get it.But no one had any hope, because Mildred is so smart. Poor thing! Shewas in school only until Christmas last year; for after that, she wasvery sick, and the doctor wouldn't let her come back."
"She must be a very bright little girl to be able to go on with herclass after missing more than a half year's work."
"Oh, no, Mother, she had to stay in the same class, and she was sodisappointed."
"Then the work you are doing now is not new to her," said the Doctor."Small wonder that she is able to rattle off her tables and spell allthe words without any trouble! She would have good reason to be ashamedof herself if she could not do so. Sister Florian's ideas on the subjectseem to be the same as mine; so you may leave Mildred out of the raceuntil she begins new work after Christmas."
"You mean, Uncle, that we all have just as good a chance for the medalas Mildred has?"
"A better chance, Mary."
"Then I am going to get it again next month."
"Don't be too sure of that," warned Mrs. Selwyn.
"But I did it once, Mother, so why can't I do it again? I wasn'tthinking of the medal, either, when I studied my lessons. I just studiedso I would know them."
"That is the best way to do and the surest way to win the prize.Sometimes, little girls work themselves up to a great pitch over areward; and if they do not win it, they are almost sick over theirfailure."
"Dear, me, how silly! As if they couldn't try again, Mother. Mildreddidn't act that way. She seemed not to mind it a bit."
"Sister probably explained to her that she could not expect to get themedal until after Christmas."
"Well, next month when Father Lacey comes to call the reports, I shallbe all ready with my chain in my hand in case I get it again. Then Iwill not have to keep him waiting."
"You can save yourself that trouble by putting a blue ribbon on themedal when you return it to Sister at the end of this month," advisedthe Doctor, his eyes twinkling.
"And have Sister think that I expect to get it? Why, Uncle!"
"But you
_do_ expect to get it again, do you not? So why try to hideyour feelings?"
"I don't exactly _expect_ to get it, but I _hope_ I shall; and I mean towork harder than ever."
"The medal shows that you have worked quite hard enough, pet. Betterslow up a little and give some other girl a chance. Suppose you eat yourluncheon. You have not tasted a morsel. This excitement is too much foryou," declared the Doctor, noting the child's bright eyes and flushedface.
Having finished his own meal, he went around the table and took herhand.
"You have really earned a half holiday. Take a long nap and have a nicequiet time with the babies this afternoon. Quite feverish," he added inan undertone to his sister.
"A half holiday! Why, Uncle, you must be joking! Don't you know that welose our marks when we stay home from school? Besides, I have been headof the class in spelling for a whole week; and if I don't miss thisafternoon, I shall get a beautiful holy picture."
"I shall bring you a whole package of beautiful pictures this evening ifyou do as I say. A little girl who has held first place in spelling fora week deserves more than _one_ picture."
"But--but, Uncle, it wouldn't be quite the same."
"I know exactly how Mary feels about it, Frank. I think you had betterlet her go to school. The afternoon is short, and she will go to bedearly to-night and take a long sleep in the morning. By that time theexcitement will have worn off."
"Well, see that she eats something before she goes back, Elizabeth. Imust be off."