"Now, tell us all about it," he insisted when the three were seated.
"Oh, it was the most exciting morning! Everyone was almost sure that Mildred Ryan would get the medal, because she is the smartest girl in our class. She never has to stop to think before she spells a word; and tables! she rattles them off like lightning! So we thought she would surely get the medal, even though Sister said yesterday afternoon that it isn't always the smartest girl who comes out ahead, but often it is the one who applies herself best. I didn't know what Sister meant until recess, and then Rosemary said that she meant the girl who sticks and sticks and sticks at her lessons, and doesn't sit nibbling her pencil and looking out the window. Mildred does that sometimes, so maybe Sister thinks she doesn't apply herself.
"Well, just after recess this morning, Father Lacey came into our room to call the reports. We stood up and said, 'Good morn—n—ing, Father!' I am so glad it was morning; for no matter how late in the afternoon it is, some of the girls always forget and say, 'Good morning,' to visitors; and I do feel so sorry for Sister. Then we sat down again, and Father Lacey began to call the names. Each girl stood up when he said her name and listened to her marks, and then she made a step-back bow and sat down again.
"I thought my turn would never come. Sister writes the names beginning with A first, then those beginning with B, and so on. Of course, the X, Y, Z's come at the end of the list. There are no T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z's in our room, so my name is the very last one. I stood up when I heard it; but I was so excited that I didn't hear a single mark, and I forgot all about my step-back bow; but I jumped up again and made it. The next minute, I heard my name again, and I thought I must be dreaming until Father Lacey called it again and held up the medal. And what do you think! What do you think! The medal had a yellow ribbon on it! Yellow! Oh, I didn't know what to do! I couldn't let Father Lacey pin a yellow ribbon on me when I never wear any colors but blue and white. But he didn't know that, and I s'pose Sister forgot about it. And all the time, Father Lacey sat there smiling and holding out the medal; and the girls whispered, 'Go up! Go up!' and the one behind me gave me the worst poke; and—and then I thought of my chain!
"So I took it off and walked just as fast as I could up the aisle; but I stood far enough away from Father Lacey so he just couldn't reach me to pin that yellow ribbon on me. I couldn't speak a word, but stood there holding out the chain to him. Then Sister remembered and told him; and he took the medal off the ribbon and slipped it on the chain and fastened the chain around my neck himself and patted me on the head and said for me always to love our Blessed Mother next best to our Lord. And then the girls clapped, and I was so happy that I couldn't see where I was going and nearly fell over the front desk."
"You did, indeed, have a very exciting morning, dear," laughed Mrs. Selwyn.
"Times have certainly changed, Elizabeth. In our day, the worst part of prize winning was the work one had to do, not the walking up the aisle to receive the reward of one's labors."
"But that was later on in school life, Frank. The first time my name was called for a prize, I think I felt very much as Mary did this morning."
"It wouldn't have been so bad if we had not been so sure that Mildred would get the medal. Still, I believe it would have been more exciting; because then everyone in the class could hope that she might get it. But no one had any hope, because Mildred is so smart. Poor thing! She was in school only until Christmas last year; for after that, she was very sick, and the doctor wouldn't let her come back."
"She must be a very bright little girl to be able to go on with her class after missing more than a half year's work."