* Thanks to all those who read the stories and are kind enough to leave a review. I haven't posted in a while due to a job change. I hope you enjoy this one and thank you again!

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"Stupid Miss Miller," Maisy grumbled to herself as she stomped up the stairs, "if I was gonna cheat on my spelling test, I woulda picked someone a helluva lot smarter than Lyndon Grant!"

Clara Miller, the children's teacher, had kept Maisy after school writing lines on the chalkboard. After copying down 'I will keep my eyes on my own work' a hundred times and a stern lecture about cheating, Maisy left for home a half an hour later than her siblings and cousins. Upon entering the house, Maisy was greeted by her rather disappointed looking mother. Evelyn was informed of her daughter's imprudence by the other children who were unable to provide an excuse for Maisy's tardiness. After Maisy relayed her side of the story, she trudged up the stairs to the bedroom she shared with her two sisters in order to change clothes before starting chores. When Maisy entered the room – to her horror – she found the contents of her precious keepsake tin dumped out onto one of the beds and younger sister, Mary, at the girls' vanity wearing Maisy's silver hair comb. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?!" Maisy screeched.

A startled Mary jumped up from the vanity's seat. "I just wanted to see how it looked in my hair, Maisy," the nine year old explained innocently.

"Give it BACK!" Maisy yelled as she lunged towards her sister.

Mary let out a high-pitched scream as she quickly side-stepped her sister's attack then started to run around the room. Maisy continued to go after Mary. "Give it BACK!" she yelled again.

After a minute of chasing Mary around the bedroom, Maisy tackled the girl and pinned her to the ground just as the door flew open.

"What in the world is going on in here?!" Evelyn shouted. She had raced up the stairs after hearing Mary's scream not knowing what she would be walking in on. "Get off of your sister this second!" she continued with a loud clap of her hands.

"Not until she gives back my comb she stole!" Maisy gritted angrily as she glared at Mary.

"Margaret Jane, if Mary has done something wrong it will be handled in a civilized manner. Now get off of your sister!" Evelyn ordered.

Maisy let go of Mary and the pair of them got to their feet. It was then that Mary let loose the water works. "I just wanted to see how it looked, Ma, honest. I didn't steal it," she cried.

Maisy was fuming! Mary knew how much her mama's things meant to Maisy. If she had known Mary was going to go through her private things, she would have never shown her younger sister where she had hid the special tin. Maisy was not about to stand idly by and watch Mary get away with taking something that did not belong to her. If the roles were reversed and Maisy had taken something of Mary's, Maisy would be doing extra chores as punishment by now. No way, no how is Princess Mary gonna get away with this! Maisy vowed to herself.

"She had no right, Ma! No right to go through my private things!"

"I didn't know it was private," Mary sniffed as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"That is BULLSH…"

"Margaret Jane!" Evelyn snapped, cutting the girl off. "That is quite enough! You will calm down this minute!"

Maisy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yes, ma'am," she replied.

"Good," Evelyn said with relief in her voice. Now maybe she could get down to the root of the problem. As Maisy stood there scowling and arms folded over her chest, Evelyn turned to address her youngest daughter. "Now, Mary, did you take Maisy's comb without permission?"

"Yes, Ma," Mary uttered softly.

"Take the comb out of your hair and put it back, along with anything else you did not have permission to touch," Evelyn gently ordered.

"Yes ma'am."

"Then I want you to apologize to Maisy."

Mary quickly did as she was told. She carefully collected Maisy's items and put them back into the tin then shuffled her feet over to Maisy and said sorry.

"Good, now I want both of you to wash up and come downstairs and help get supper on," Evelyn told the girls.

Maisy was seething. "That's it?!" she questioned gruffly. "I'm sorry and wash up for dinner?! You've got to be joshing me!"

"Margaret Jane, the issue is over. Mary apologized and nothing was damaged or misplaced, so I suggest you put the matter behind you. I have not forgotten about your behaviour at school today and…"

"But I told you that I didn't copy Lyndon's work!" Maisy interrupted.

"I know what you told me, and I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt, just as I am with Mary. However, if you do not watch your tone then you will stay in your room and wait for your father to deal with you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Maisy conceded. The last thing she wanted was for Adam to get involved.

Evelyn gave a slight nod of her head then turned and went downstairs, leaving the girls in the room.

A small satisfied grin slinked onto Mary's face as she went over to the wash basin stand and scrubbed her face and hands.

"You just think you're so smart, don't you?" Maisy sneered.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mary replied rather blasé, then dried her face and hands with a towel.

"Don't you play innocent with me, Mary Cordelia Cartwright!"

Mary just shrugged her shoulders then left the room, whistling all the way down the hall.

Maisy went to wash up then found a new hiding place for her rusty all-spice tin full of memorabilia. "I wouldn't be so happy if I were you Miss Mary, Mary Quite Contrary," Maisy muttered to herself as she placed the tin behind the wood box that sat beside the room's fireplace. "You'll get yours soon enough."

* Stay tuned for chapter 2 *