links- info and such are much appreciated!
oh and someplace affordable too please...not a place where single caps are like $300 or w/e because of their "best" quality...but give me those links too just in case...lol
are rubies faceted(cut) identically to diamonds? How can tell difference between rubies and common glass?
Chapter 1
âœRuby- itâ™s time for breakfast!â Called Mother.
âœYes- Mother- Iâ™m coming.â Ruby Swenson called down the stairs. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder- she ran down the stairs two by two. At the bottom stood her mother with the rest of the family: Dad- Randy- Elisabeth (her twin)- Brianna- and Timothy. She knew she was late for breakfast- but that didnâ™t make her hurry any more than she needed to. Going downstairs to breakfast meant facing another day of living through the Great Depression. Constantly throughout the day she and the rest of her family were reminded that they were still stuck in the black hole of the depression- by such little thingsâ"the pained expression Dad had on his face each morning as he went out to try to find a job- the way her mother scrimped and pinched to see that the food stretched over a family of seven. During breakfast no one said much- as usual. Breakfast consisted of milk and oatmeal for the millionth time. Oatmeal was cheap
and it was filling.
Soon after Dad left- Mother began handing out lunches. Randy- who went to high school- received his lunch first. Then Mother handed Elisabeth a paper bag with Rubyâ™s and Elisabethâ™s lunches. Then she gave Brianna and Timothy theirs. Ruby stole a peek in hers. Peanut butter again.
âœHave a good day-â said Mother- kissing Randy on the forehead. She kissed Elisabeth and Ruby- then Brianna and finally Timothy. âœYouâ™d better hurry- or youâ™ll be late.â The children went outside and began the walk to school.
For most of the walk everyone was quiet. Finally Elisabeth whispered to Ruby- âœDo you think Mother has forgotten our birthday?â
Ruby had been trying to avoid thinking about that. Today was their thirteenth birthday- and a special one to them. Usually Mother would greet them with a cheery- âœHappy birthday!â when they got up. Later they would usually go somewhere for the day. For dinner- they had a special meal and then had dessert and presents.
The day was always ended with Mother hugging them and saying she couldnâ™t believe they were already ten- or twelve- or whatever the age was. But today Mother had seemed busy- and hadnâ™t said anything about it. Ruby and Elisabethâ™s feelings had been a tiny bit hurt. âœI hope not-â Ruby whispered back. âœIâ™m sure she couldnâ™t forget our birthday.â
During their math class- which was first- Ruby could hardly keep from wondering if Mother had really forgotten their birthday. They had talked about going to their cousinâ™s house- but that was a month ago. Trying to forget about it- she listened quietly as the teacher explained about solving equations. This was easy for her. Next week she would be going up to the highest math class for the middle school. Math was one of her best subjects. Elisabeth was good at math- too- but she did best in history. Her grades were the best in the class. Both girls were also good at art and reading- which were their favorite subjects. Ruby forgot ab
paying attention to math and began thinking about their art class- which was their last for today. Her art teacher had said that they would be working with clay.
âœRuby!â Her teacherâ™s voice broke through her thoughts.
Startled- Ruby looked up. Miss Harley looked at her hard and said- âœRuby- did you hear me?â
âœWhat?â Ruby was still confused.
âœI said- can you tell me how to solve this equation!â Miss Harley tapped the blackboard. Written in Miss Harleyâ™s neat writing was 42x -25 = 2x + 55
Her thoughts still on art- Ruby said- âœTwo.â
âœWhat?â Miss Harley asked- confused.
âœThe answer is two.â
âœRuby- I asked you to tell me how to solve the equation- not to tell me the answer.â Miss Harley was trying not to smile.
âœOh. Add twenty-five to both sides subtract two-x from both sides divide both sides by forty get the answer of two.â
Miss Harley smiled and said- âœVery good. Iâ™m glad you were paying attention.â
Ruby knew that her teacher knew that she did not have to p
Ruby knew that her teacher knew that she did not have to pay much attention in class to get the answers right. This was all stuff she pretty much knew. Dad- in the days before the depression started- used to jokingly call her the Brain of the family. It was true; she was doing better in math than her fifteen year old brother- Randy- whom she often helped with his homework.
At lunchtime- Elisabeth and Ruby- with the other kids from their class- went outside to eat their lunch. The two girls sat down on the grass and began to eat their sandwiches. Suddenly- Ruby saw something strange in the paper bag. She picked it up and realized it was a small package with a note. âœElisabeth!â she cried. âœMother put this in our lunch!â
Elisabethâ™s face lit up and she took it and read aloud- âœDear Elisabeth and Ruby- Happy thirteenth birthday! I love you very much. It is so hard to believe you are thirteen. Here is a little something for you. Love- Mother.â
Ruby quickly opened the p
. Inside were two beautiful bracelets. Little gems dangled from the gold-colored links. Elisabethâ™s had light green stones- and Rubyâ™s had blue stones.
âœTheyâ™re beautiful!â cried Ruby. Immediately she put hers on. Elisabeth did the same.
âœI guess Mother didnâ™t forget our birthday-â said Elisabeth as they went back inside at the end of their lunch break.
âœI should have known she wouldnâ™t. I guess she was too busy this morning to say anything. But wasnâ™t it a nice surprise to find the bracelets in our lunch bag?â
After school was finished- the girls walked home. As Ruby opened the front door- she heard sounds from the kitchen and knew Mother must be in there. Shouts from upstairs told the girls that Brianna and Timothy were home- as usual. They went to the elementary school- which was done at two-thirty. It was about two-forty-five when the twins got home- and Randy would not be home until three thirty.
The girls went into the laundry room- where Mother was folding
She picked up her head as the girls set their books down on the table. Smiling- she said- âœHappy birthday- girls.â She swept them up into a big hug. âœI canâ™t believe you girls are thirteen!â She whispered as she hugged them tight. âœDid you find the bracelets?â
âœYes-â said Ruby and Elisabeth together. âœTheyâ™re beautiful-â said Elisabeth. âœThank you.â
âœYes- thank you Mother-â said Ruby. She held up her wrist for Mother to admire.
âœDo you have any homework- girls?â Mother asked.
âœNo- we finished our stuff in school. Luckily we didnâ™t have any science homework.â
âœWhy donâ™t you go upstairs and pack your suitcases? Weâ™re going somewhere today-â said Mother- her eyes on her laundry.
Ruby and Elisabeth exchanged excited glances. âœWhere are we going- Mother?â
Mother smiled. âœThatâ™s a surprise for now. Go pack your suitcases for a three-day trip.â
âœDo others know about it?â asked Elisabeth- as she and Ruby headed for the stairs.
âœNo-â said Mother. âœThey know
weâ™re going somewhere- but they donâ™t know where. Randy doesnâ™t know at all yet. Iâ™ll tell him when he gets home from school.â
Up in their room- Ruby flopped onto her bed before getting out her suitcase. She lay on her back- her dark brown hair spread out underneath her- looking at the cracks in the ceiling. "Where could we possibly be going?" She wondered aloud.
Elisabeth too lay down on her bed. "I have no clue-" she said. She twirled her wavy brown hair around her finger. "I m sure wherever it is- we ll have fun. A three day trip-" she murmured- wrinkling her brow. "We must be going camping- because we could never afford a hotel for three days-" she said. "Or we could be staying with Grandpa and Grandma."
"Maybe-" said Ruby. She stared at the ceiling some more- and let her thoughts wander off to other things. She thought about Michael- who was in their room at school. She had had a crush on him for a year now. He was good-looking- with light reddish blond hair.
His looks weren t all that she liked about him- though. He was polite and friendly- and the type of boy who liked to have fun. She should know- she thought. She d been playing baseball with him at every recess. Unlike some girls in the eighth grade- she enjoyed playing outside. She wasn t a tomboy- but she wasn t afraid to get her clothes a little dusty either- like Marilyn- who was one of the most popular girls in school- and a very definite girly-girl. She wasn t mean or anything; she was actually fairly nice- but Ruby had always been jealous of her for what she knew were silly reasons- but she could not help herself. Marilyn had just turned twelve- but was in eighth grade like Ruby and Elisabeth. A whole grade ahead of other girls her age- she was the youngest kid in the class- although Elisabeth and Ruby were second youngest. She was smart- attractive- was mature and acted older- and as far as Ruby could tell- had a crush on Michael as well. Ruby despised Marilyn
sometimes. She knew it was wrong- and she tried to help herself- but Marilyn was just too perfect. Miss goody-two-shoes- Ruby often called her in her head"Ruby- aren t you going to start packing?" said Elisabeth. Ruby snapped out of her thoughts. Elisabeth had already filled her suitcase halfway with jeans- skirts- and socks.
âœOh-â said Ruby. âœOops. I got started thinking about school.â She rolled over- reached under her bed- and pulled out her suitcase.
âœThinking about Marilyn and Michael?â teased Elisabeth.
Ruby stuck out her tongue at her sister. âœHow did you know?â Elisabeth always seemed to know everything Ruby was thinking.
âœOh- Iâ™ve seen that look before-â said Elisabeth- trying to hold back a smile.
âœIt isnâ™t funny-â said Ruby- frowning as she packed some socks into her suitcase. âœMarilyn is so perfect- and sheâ™s got curly blond hair- andâ"â She stopped mid-sentence.
âœYouâ™re afraid that Michael likes her-â said Elisabeth.
âœâ"Yeah.â As she packed another
pair of socks- Ruby felt a pang in her stomach- the pang she always felt when she thought about Marilyn and Michael. She had seen a look pass between them once- when Michael held the door open for her one morning. It just wouldnâ™t be fair if Marilyn went to the up-coming dance with Michael. The dance was in only a month- and Ruby was dying to go to it with Michael. In spite of herself- Ruby pictured Marilyn dancing with Michael in the school gym- the lights dimmed- and Marilyn in a pink dressâ"Ruby scowled.
âœRuby- thatâ™s the thirteenth pair of socks youâ™ve put in your suitcase-â said Elisabeth- amused. âœItâ™s only a three-day trip.â
Ruby looked down at the pile of socks in her suitcase. She had gotten so mad thinking about Marilyn that she had not been thinking about her packing. She took out most of the socks and put them away.
âœRuby- stop worrying about Marilyn-â said Elisabeth. âœItâ™s your birthday. Worry about Marilyn and Michael some other time.â
Chapter 2
âœArenâ™t we there yet?â asked Timothy for the twentieth time. It was later that day- about seven oâ™clock- and they were in the family car- driving to the mysterious destination that Mother had told them about. They had left as soon as Randy and Dad had gotten home and packed- which had been about four oâ™clock. Timothy- Ruby- Randy- Elisabeth- and Brianna were stuffed into the car along with their parents and suitcases. The children were all mystified about where they were going- and had begged their parents to tell them where- but Mother and Dad said that they would find out soon enough. For Timothy- especially- three hours wasnâ™t soon enough.
âœNo- itâ™s about another thirty miles-â said Mother. âœNow stop asking- or we might just turn around and go home.â
Timothy wiggled. Red-haired- eight-year-old Timothy always had a hard time waiting for anything- and it was especially hard on all of the kids when they were squished together in a car with only five seats. Brianna- who
was seated next to him- wiggled too. At nine- she was pretty and sweet. Not at all out-going- she was shy and generally kept to herself. Ruby often thought that she was a very good sister as far as younger sisters go. She was hardly ever annoying. Briannaâ™s soft dark brown hair fell just to her shoulders and was stick straight- except for the ends- where it curled in gently.
Randy- who was fifteen- had sharp blue eyes that contrasted strongly with his red hair. Ruby and Elisabeth could not decide was more annoying- Randy or Timothy. In some ways Timothy was- as he was wilder- and sometimes played tricks on Ruby and Elisabeth- but in other ways Randy was more annoying. He could be grouchy and irritated- and he thought Elisabeth and Ruby were immature.
Elisabeth and Ruby both had dark brown hair that was cut the same. It fell about an inch below their shoulders- but Elisabethâ™s hair had springy- run-away curls- while Rubyâ™s hair was only slightly springy and a tad wavy.
ok so i was told that in emerald to trade to sapphire i need the "sapphire plate"...which i dont have..but the problem is i cant trade from ruby to sapphire or any of the combinations...my link cable works on other games as well as my gba s...i dont know if theres somethnig wrong with my games or what...
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