against people's attempts to claim kin. And do you know, the very

first girl to fetch her tears and sympathy to my market was that

foolish Skimperton girl who has always snubbed me so shamefully and

claimed lordship and precedence of the whole college because some

ancestor of hers, some time or other, was a McAllister. Why it was

like the bottom bird in the menagerie putting on airs because its

head ancestor was a pterodactyl.

But the ger-reatest triumph of all was--guess. But you'll never.

This is it. That little fool and two others have always been

fussing and fretting over which was entitled to precedence--by rank,

you know. They've nearly starved themselves at it; for each claimed

the right to take precedence of all the college in leaving the

table, and so neither of them ever finished her dinner, but broke

off in the middle and tried to get out ahead of the others. Well,

after my first day's grief and seclusion--I was fixing up a mourning

dress you see--I appeared at the public table again, and then--what

do you think? Those three fluffy goslings sat there contentedly,

and squared up the long famine--lapped and lapped, munched and

munched, ate and ate, till the gravy appeared in their eyes--humbly

waiting for the Lady Gwendolen to take precedence and move out

first, you see!

Oh, yes, I've been having a darling good time. And do you know, not

one of these collegians has had the cruelty to ask me how I came by

my new name. With some, this is due to charity, but with the others

The American Claimant