The Normal Record. May 1900

              THE NORMAL RECORD.
marked, "What an enjoyable drive this
is, Mr. Rawlston. I am forced to believe, however, that the greater part of the delight
lies not so much in the natural beauties of
the driveway as in the   agreeable company."
Miss Stuart gazed at the linen lap robe
and fumbled with her dainty gold watch
chain.    She did not see her gallant smile.
"Ha! Ha! You flatter me, Miss Stuart,
indeed you do.    Ha ! "
"Oh, no, I am quite sincere; you must not
judge me an idol of the Blarney Stone. Do
you intend to remain here long? "
"That depends upon the kind of time I
have.    My time's my own for a  whole year."
" Isn't that fine ! We can have such fun!
I suppose you cannot endure to stay from
home a very great length of time, for surely you must have left a lady fair. But forgetting her at present, what do you think of
our girls? "
"Miss Edna—ahem, pardon me—Miss
Stuart."
"Oh, that's all right, call me Edna; it
seems as if you knew me."
"Then, Miss Edna, as you have compelled
me, I must tell you that I admire them very
much for their beauty, brilliancy and manners. But there is one—one maiden who
surpasses all the others in all her virtues and
beauty as the light of the sun surpasses the
glow of the firefly."
"Now, Mr. Rawlston, I think you really
mean to tell me of such a beautiful girl when
I'm right here."
Here Edna managed to pout real  prettily.
"Why, my dear, can you not understand
that I did not live until I met you, until I
gazed on your saintly face. Now I realize
the meaning of my poor fluttering heart,
the electric thrill that fills my soul whenever
I see you. Now, I know that what I thought
was fancy is more than that; Edna, I love
you !
"Fred !"
The horses walked on under the glistening
leaves of the tall poplars, and as they
tramped in measure, the glimmering moonbeams lit the down-turned face   of   Rawlston
and the pouting lips of Edna.
********
"Well, Jane, of all the geese, the  Dude  is
actually in  love  with me; get me the candy,
quick."
********
"What's the matter, Rawlston, you look as
if you'd been hypnotized?"
"Jim, I think I have. Of all the fools I
ever saw Edna Stuart beats them all ! Get
me a physician, please."
Our Trip to Cinder Cone.
GARRISON   C0STAR.
Training Department.
/5)INDER CONE is an extinct volcano
Vu about one hundred miles north of Chico,
It is so called because it is a small mountain
of cinders about one thoasand feet high in
the shape of a cone.
It is estimated that this volcano has not
been extinct more than eighty years or less
than sixty. Some of the older Indians around
Prattville can remember when this volcano
was smoking and throwing out fire. Geologists can tell how long it has been since the
volcano became extinct from the trees which
are around there. The trees on the edge of
the cinders are cut down and the rings
counted. This tells how old the trees are.
and that is estimated to be the age of the extinct volcano,
One morning  early   in   August, our party
consisting of Mr. Drake, our guide, mama,
papa, my brother and myself, started for
Cinder Cone. We had to ride horseback because it was ten miles to the volcano, and the
trails were so narrow and steep that a wagon
could not possibly get over. The first mile
or two of our trip was the roughest because
we had to go almost straight up (?) over a
mountain. Every little way the horses would
stop and rest, and it took us an hour or two
to get over it. We went on for six or seven
miles through ever-changing scenery until,
on rounding a turn, we had our first view of
Cinder Cone rising in a black cone about two
miles away. The trees began to get thinner,
and we now came to within the limit of the
cinders which surround the cone.    These cin-
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