'October's child is born for woe
And life's vicissitudes must know,
Unless she wears the opal's charm
To ward off every care and harm.'

"And they say too that you are beloved of the gods and men as long as
you keep your faith in it."

"Then I'll certainly have to get one," laughed Jane Ridgeway, who had
joined the group, "for I am October's child. Let me see it, A.O."

She adjusted her glasses and took the plump little hand in hers for
inspection. "I always have thought that opals are the prettiest of all
the stones. Write the verse out for me, A.O., that's a good child. I'll
send it home for the family to see how important it is that I should be
protected by such a charm."

This from a senior, the dignified and exclusive Miss Ridgeway, put the
seal of approval on the fashion, and when, a week later, she appeared
with a beautiful Hungarian opal surrounded by tiny diamonds, with her
zodiac signs engraved on the wide circle of gold, every girl in school
wanted a birth-month ring.

Elise wrote home asking if agates were expensive, and if she might have
one. Not that she thought they were pretty, but it was the stone for
June, so of course she ought to wear one. The answer came in the shape
of an old heirloom, a Scotch agate that had been handed down in the
family, almost since the days of Malcolm the Second. It had been a
small brooch, worn on the bosom of many a proud MacIntyre dame, but
never had it evoked such interest as when, set in a ring, it was
displayed on Elise's little finger.

After that there was a general demand for a jeweller's catalogue which
appeared in their midst about that time. One page was devoted to
illustrations of such stones with a rhyme for each month. The firm which
issued the catalogue would have been surprised at the rush of orders had
they not had previous dealings with Girls' Schools. The year before
there had been almost as great a demand for tiny gold crosses, and the
year before for huge silver horse-shoes. This year the element of
superstition helped to swell the orders. When the verse said,

"The August born, without this stone,
'Tis said must live unloved and lone,"

of course no girl born in August would think of living a week longer
without a sardonyx, especially when the catalogue offered the genuine
article as low as $2.75. The daughters of April and May, July and
September had to pay more for their privileges, but they did it gladly.
Whe