Then she said, speaking aloud:
"Girls of the society, Wild Irish Girls, I am sorry to tell you that my
aunt, Miss O'Flynn--Miss Katie O'Flynn--who I hoped would have joined
our numbers to-night, and would have been a perfect rock of strength for
us all, has been obliged to suddenly go back to Ireland, owing to an
accident that has happened to her dearest friend."
"Dear, dear, how sad!" said one or two.
"So we are without her, girls," continued Kathleen. "And now I want to
know if you are prepared to stand by me through thick and thin?"
"That we are!" was shouted in one vivid, clear girlish note.
"I am glad to hear it. And if you will stand by me, you may be quite
sure that I will stand by you. It is whispered in the school that we are
found out, and the school, bless it! is angry. It doesn't want us, you
foundationers and me, to have our fun--our little bit of innocent fun."
"Very mean of it!" said one or two, while the others groaned.
"It wants to crush us," continued Kathleen. "We mean the school no harm,
and why shouldn't it let us alone? All we want is our fun, a little bit
of liberty, and to show those companions who look down upon us that we
are as good as they, and that we will fight for each other, and have our
own way, and meet when we please, and do as we like out of school hours.
It is a sort of Manifesto of Independence, that is what it is, girls,
and I want to know if you will stick to it.
Pages:
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293