1884.] 
AMEEIOAI^ AGEIOIJLTUEIST. 
261 
More tlian Strawberries and Cream. 
AGNES (OABB) sage. 
“ Oh, Flora don’t!” exclaimed little Edith Ray¬ 
mond, with a distressed face, as she and her sister 
stood before the dressing-case in the spare bed¬ 
room, where they had come to view their new em¬ 
broidered muslins in the long mirror. — “Why 
not?” asked Flora, turning round and round a 
sparkling diamond ring that she had taken from a 
small jewel casket.—“ I think cousin Emily would 
lend it to me if she were here, and I should so like 
to wear it to the festival.”—“ But you might lose 
it or something,” urged Edith, “and that would 
be dreadful, for you know how much our cousin 
thinks of that ring; she hardly ever takes it off, 
and must have forgotten it. Put it back, Florie.” 
But Fiora hesitated, and consequently was lost. 
— “Nellie Barnes is so proud of that pearl her 
grandfather gave her,” she said, “I would like to 
show her other people can also have nice things, 
and we are to be at the same table. I shall only 
borrow it, and cousin Emily need never know it, for 
she will not be back until to-morrow. That is,” she 
added, “unless you see fit to tell her.”—“lam 
not a tell-tale !” cried Edith, rather indignantly, 
and her countenance wore a troubled look as Flora 
hastily donned her hat and gloves, and ran down 
stairs with the ring still on her finger. But Edith 
had to hurry, and her disturbed thoughts werq 
somewhat dispelled by her father, who met them 
at the door and handed each girl a bright two dol- 
lar-and-a-half gold piece to spend at the Fair.— 
“Thank you, thank you, papa!” they both cried, 
“ we can buy lots of pretty things with this.”— 
“ See that you make good waitresses, and do your 
duty by the church,” he said, and with a laughing 
rejoinder they ran gaily down the steps. 
The Strawberry Festival for the benefit of the 
church was the great event of the summer in 
Blissville, in which old and young were all interest¬ 
ed, while the girls considered it an honor to be 
chosen to serve behind the tables. This year the 
Raymonds were very happy, Flora having been 
selected for the refreshtnent table and Edith for 
the floral bower. 
“ I am so glad it is such a pleasant day,” re¬ 
marked the latter, looking up at the blue sky, 
“and the roses and strawberries are just in their 
prime.”—“And it is so warm, we shall sell quanti¬ 
ties of ice-cream,” added Flora, “but do look at 
those forlorn little wretches I”—The objects thus 
described were a sallow-faced boy, with a pair of 
large, mournful, dark eyes, who was patiently turn¬ 
ing the handle of a decidedly squeaky hand-organ, 
and a little brown monkey in a red coat, hopping 
briskly up and down to the doleful strains, occa¬ 
sionally stopping to circulate his small cap among 
the spectators gathered around.—“Poor things!” 
cried Edith, who was very tender-hearted. “ I 
must give them a penny,” and she darted into the 
crowd and dropped a coin in the tiny hat.—“ You 
wOl be rid of all your money before you get to the 
festival,” said Flora, as she came back flushed aud 
breathless.—“No, indeed, I have my gold piece 
safe, and they did look so wretched I believe that 
boy is half starved.”—“ Nonsense ! but here we are 
at the school-house and you must turn your mind 
from rags and monkeys to strawberries and cream.” 
A large room on the ground-floor of the village 
academy was the scene of the festivities, and it ap¬ 
peared very gay and attractive as the girls entered. 
The hall was decked with flags and evergreens, 
and fragrant with the odors of a thousand flowers, 
massed in the picturesque bower in the centre; 
while the tables were hardly less tempting with 
their display of fancy articles, beautifully frosted 
cakes, mounds of luscious scarlet berries, and py¬ 
ramids of ice-cream. Flora was instantly taken 
possession of by her schoolmates and borne off to 
the refreshment board, where she soou had her 
hands full dealing out cream to the juveniles, who 
considered it the greatest treat of all. She had 
almost forgotten her borrowed plumes when Nellie 
Barnes, who was assisting her suddenly exclaimed: 
“Why, Florie, what a lovely ring ! Where did you 
get it? Is it yours?”—The words brought the 
other girls crowding round to admire the stone, 
and fired a perfect blast of questions upon Flora, 
who found their inquisitiveness more than she had 
counted upon. She was ashamed to confess how 
she came by it, and parried the inquiries as well as 
she could, saying withalaugh: “Don’tyou wish you 
knew?” and “whose should it be if not mine? Do 
you think, NeU, you are the only one that can have 
a new ring ?” although she felt at the time this was 
uncomfortably hke a fib, and she had always prided 
herself upon her truth and straightforwardness. 
“ It is a beauty 1” said Minnie Bell, “and quite 
throws Nellie’s into the shade.”—“ But I don’t 
make any mystery about mine,” said Nellie, vexed 
by the remark, “ and I am sure it is quite handsome 
enough for a little girl. My mamma would not al¬ 
low me to wear diamonds.”—“ Sour'grapes!” 
sneered Flora, turning away to supply a call for 
cake, but she sadly felt this disagreement with her 
“ bosom friend,” for the coolness increased and 
one thing led to another, until by eveuiug both 
girls were chillingly polite, never addressing each 
other when it could be avoided, as is the fashion 
school-girls have of showing their displeasure. 
Edith, meanwhile, was the merriest little flower- 
fay in the room, fluttering about the hall with her 
dainty nosegays, and selling more bouquets by her 
pretty coaxing manner aud silvery tongue, than 
for the beauty of the flowers themselves. She was 
a general favorite, and had a bevy of boys and 
girls in her train wherever she went. — “ I have sold 
all my flowers,” she cried, about eight o’clock, 
coming up to her sister, “ and oh, I have had such 
fun ! but Florie, please lend me fifteen cents ? I 
will pay it back out of my next week’s allowance.” 
“ What have you done with all your money ?” 
asked Flora coldly, “ you had as much as I did.”— 
“ Let me see,” considered Edith, counting upon 
her fingers. “ I bought a pin-cushion for mamma. 
and an ainon for nurse, some candy for little Dot- 
tie Ellis, and a bunch of violets for poor lame Ned 
Carter. I believe that is all, except a few grabs 
I took in the grab-bag, and a glass of lemonade. 
But I have’nt a cent left, and 1 want to get some 
strawberries and cream for that boy with the mon¬ 
key. He is standing right outside the window, 
looking in with such a wistful face.”—“Well, I 
think you have thrown away enough money,” said 
Flora, and I shan’t encourage you in it. For all 
you know, that little tramp may be a thief and 
A PRECIOUS DISH OP STRAWBERBIES AND CREAM. 
Drawn and Engraved for the American Agriculturists 
