The Project Gutenberg EBook of Martie the Unconquered, by Kathleen Norris

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Title: Martie the Unconquered

Author: Kathleen Norris

Posting Date: August 1, 2009 [EBook #4392]
Release Date: August, 2003
First Posted: January 22, 2002

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARTIE THE UNCONQUERED ***

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THE WORKS OF KATHLEEN NORRIS

MARTIE THE UNCONQUERED

VOLUME VIII

AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED TO

JOSEPH SEXTON THOMPSON

BOOK I

CHAPTER I

At about four o'clock on a windy, warm September afternoon, four girls
came out of the post-office of Monroe, California. They had loitered on
their way in, consciously wasting time; they had spent fifteen minutes
in the dark and dirty room upon an absolutely unnecessary errand, and
now they sauntered forth into the village street keenly aware that the
afternoon was not yet waning, and disheartened by the slow passage of
time. At five they would go to Bonestell's drug store, and sit in a row
at the soda counter, and drink effervescent waters pleasingly mingled
with fruit syrups and an inferior quality of ice cream. Five o'clock
was the hour for "sodas," neither half-past four nor half-past five was
at all the same thing in the eyes of Monroe's young people. After that
they would wander idly toward the bridge, and separate; Grace Hawkes
turning toward the sunset for another quarter of a mile, Rose Ransome
opening the garden gate of the pretty, vine-covered cottage near the
bridge, and the Monroe girls, Sarah and Martha, in a desperate hurry
now, flying up the twilight quiet of North Main Street to the long
picket fence, the dark, tree-shaded garden, and the shabby side-doorway
of the old Monroe house.

Three of these girls met almost every afternoon, going first to each
other's houses, and later wandering down for the mail, for some trivial
errand at drug store or dry-goods store, and for the inevitable ices.
Rose Ransome was not often with them, for Rose was just a little
superior in several ways to her present companions, a