\"Nothing,\"saidWesleySintonsoothingly。\"Nothing,honey。
Thatwasjustoneofthemfoolthingsamansays,whenheistryinghisbesttobewise。Yousee,shelovedhimmightily,andthey\'dbeenmarriedonlyayear,andwhatshewaslovingwaswhatshethoughthewas。Shehadn\'treallygotacquaintedwiththemanyet。
Ifithadbeenevenonemoreyear,shecouldhaveborneit,andyou\'dhavegotjustice。Havingbeenateachershewasbettereducatedandsmarterthantherestofus,andsoshewasmoresensitivelike。
Shecan\'tunderstandshewaslovingadream。SoIsayitmightdohergoodifsomebodythatknew,couldtellher,butIsweartogracious,Inevercould。I\'veheardheroutattheedgeofthatquagmirecallinginthemwildspellsofhersoffandonforthelastsixteenyears,andimploringtheswamptogivehimbacktoher,andI\'vegotoutofbedwhenIwasprettytired,andcomedowntoseeshedidn\'tgoinherself,orharmyou。Whatshefeelsistoodeepforme。I\'vegottorespectin\'hergrief,andIcan\'tgetoverit。Gohomeandtellyourma,honey,andaskherniceandkindtohelpyou。Ifshewon\'t,thenyougottoswallowthatlittlelumpofprideinyourneck,andcometoAuntMaggie,likeyoubeena-comingallyourlife。\"
\"I\'llaskmother,butIcan\'ttakeyourmoney,UncleWesley,indeedIcan\'t。I\'llwaitayear,andearnsome,andenternextyear。\"
\"There\'sonethingyoudon\'tconsider,Elnora,\"saidthemanearnestly。\"Andthat\'swhatyouaretoMaggie。
She\'salittlelikeyourma。Shehasn\'tgivenuptoit,andshe\'sstrugglingonbrave,butwhenweburiedoursecondlittlegirlthelightwentoutofMaggie\'seyes,andit\'snotcomeback。TheonlytimeIeverseeahintofitiswhenshethinksshe\'sdonesomethingthatmakesyouhappy,Elnora。Now,yougoeasyaboutrefusingheranythingshewantstodoforyou。There\'stimesinthisworldwhenit\'sourboundendutytoforgetourselves,andthinkwhatwillhelpotherpeople。Youngwoman,youowemeandMaggieallthecomfortwecangetoutofyou。
There\'sthetwoofourownwecan\'teverdoanythingfor。
Don\'tyougettheideaintoyourheadthatafoolthingyoucallprideisgoingtocutusoutofallthepleasurewehaveinlifebesideourselves。\"
\"UncleWesley,youareadear,\"saidElnora。\"Justadear!
IfIcan\'tpossiblygetthatmoneyanywayelseonearth,I\'llcomeandborrowitofyou,andthenI\'llpayitbackifImustdigfernsfromtheswampandsellthemfromdoortodoorinthecity。I\'llevenplantthem,sothattheywillbesuretocomeupinthespring。Ihavebeensortofpanicstrickenalldayandcouldn\'tthink。
Icangathernutsandsellthem。Frecklessoldmothsandbutterflies,andI\'vealotcollected。Ofcourse,Iamgoingbackto-morrow!Icanfindawaytogetthebooks。
Don\'tyouworryaboutme。Iamallright!
\"Now,whatdoyouthinkofthat?\"inquiredWesleySintonoftheswampingeneral。\"Here\'sourElnoracomebacktostay。Headhighandrightasatrivet!
You\'venamedthreewaysinthreeminutesthatyoucouldearntendollars,whichIfigurewouldbeenough,tostartyou。Let\'sgotosupperandstopworrying!\"
Elnoraunlockedthecase,tookoutthepail,putthenapkininit,pulledtheribbonfromherhair,bindingitdowntightlyagainandfollowedtotheroad。Fromafarshecouldseehermotherinthedoorway。Sheblinkedhereyes,andtriedtosmileassheansweredWesleySinton,andindeedshedidfeelbetter。Sheknewnowwhatshehadtoexpect,wheretogo,andwhattodo。
Getthebooksshemust;whenshehadthem,shewouldshowthosecitygirlsandboyshowtoprepareandrecitelessons,howtowalkwithabraveheart;andtheycouldshowherhowtowearprettyclothesandhavegoodtimes。
Asshenearedthedoorhermotherreachedforthepail。
\"Iforgottotellyoutobringhomeyourscrapsforthechickens,\"shesaid。
Elnoraentered。\"Thereweren\'tanyscraps,andI\'mhungryagainasIeverwasinmylife。\"
\"Ithoughtlikelyyouwouldbe,\"saidMrs。Comstock,\"andsoIgotsupperready。Wecaneatfirst,anddotheworkafterward。Whatkeptyouso?Iexpectedyouanhourago。\"
Elnoralookedintohermother\'sfaceandsmiled。Itwasaqueersortofalittlesmile,andwouldhavereachedthedepthswithanynormalmother。
\"Iseeyou\'vebeenbawling,\"saidMrs。Comstock。
\"Ithoughtyou\'dgetyourfillinahurry。That\'swhyIwouldn\'tgotoanyexpense。Ifwekeepoutofthepoor-
housewehavetocutthecornersclose。It\'slikelythisBrushwoodroadtaxwilleatupallwe\'vesavedinyears。
WherethelandtaxistocomefromIdon\'tknow。Itgetsbiggereveryyear。Iftheyaregoingtodredgetheswampditchagainthey\'lljusthavetotakethelandtopayforit。
Ican\'t,that\'sall!We\'llgetupearlyinthemorningandgatherandhullthebeansforwinter,andputintherestofthedayhoeingtheturnips。\"
Elnoraagainsmiledthatpitifulsmile。
\"DoyouthinkIdidn\'tknowthatIwasfunnyandwouldbelaughedat?\"sheasked。
\"Funny?\"criedMrs。Comstockhotly。
\"Yes,funny!Aregularcaricature,\"answeredElnora。
\"Nooneelseworecalico,notevenoneother。Nooneelseworehighheavyshoes,notevenone。Nooneelsehadsuchafunnylittleoldhat;myhairwasnotright,myribboninvisiblecomparedwiththeothers,Ididnotknowwheretogo,orwhattodo,andIhadnobooks。WhataspectacleImadeforthem!\"
Elnoralaughednervouslyatherownpicture。\"Buttherearealwaystwosides!Theprofessorsaidinthealgebraclassthatheneverhadabettersolutionandexplanationthanmineofthepropositionhegaveme,whichscoredoneformeinspiteofmyclothes。\"
\"Well,Iwouldn\'tbragonmyself!\"
\"Thatwaspoortaste,\"admittedElnora。\"But,yousee,itisacaseofwhistlingtokeepupmycourage。
IhonestlycouldseethatIwouldhavelookedjustaswellastherestofthemifIhadbeendressedastheywere。Wecan\'taffordthat,soIhavetofindsomethingelsetobraceme。Itwasratherbad,mother!\"
\"Well,I\'mgladyougotenoughofit!\"
\"Oh,butIhaven\'t\"hurriedinElnora。\"Ijustgotastart。Thehardestisover。To-morrowtheywon\'tbesurprised。Theywillknowwhattoexpect。Iamsorrytohearaboutthedredge。Isitreallygoingthrough?\"
\"Yes。Igotmynotificationtoday。Thetaxwillbesomethingenormous。Idon\'tknowasIcanspareyou,evenifyouarewillingtobealaughing-stockforthetown。\"
WitheverybiteElnora\'scouragereturned,forshewasahealthyyoungthing。
\"You\'veheardaboutdoingevilthatgoodmightcomefromit,\"shesaid。\"Well,mothermine,it\'ssomethinglikethatwithme。I\'mwillingtobearthehardparttopayforwhatI\'lllearn。AlreadyIhaveselectedthewardbuildinginwhichIshallteachinaboutfouryears。
IamgoingtoaskforaroomwithasouthexposuresothattheflowersandmothsItakeinfromtheswamptoshowthechildrenwilldowell。\"
\"Youlittleidiot!\"saidMrs。Comstock。\"Howareyougoingtopayyourexpenses?\"
\"NowthatisjustwhatIwasgoingtoaskyou!\"saidElnora。
\"Yousee,Ihavehadtwostartlingpiecesofnewsto-day。
IdidnotknowIwouldneedanymoney。Ithoughtthecityfurnishedthebooks,andthereisanout-of-towntuition,also。
Ineedtendollarsinthemorning。Willyoupleaseletmehaveit?\"
\"Tendollars!\"criedMrs。Comstock。\"Tendollars!
Whydon\'tyousayahundredandbedonewithit!Icouldgetoneaseasyastheother。Itoldyou!ItoldyouIcouldn\'traiseacent。Everyyearexpensesgrowbiggerandbigger。Itoldyounottoaskformoney!\"
\"Inevermeantto,\"repliedElnora。\"IthoughtclotheswereallIneededandIcouldbearthem。
Ineverknewaboutbuyingbooksandtuition。\"
\"Well,Idid!\"saidMrs。Comstock。\"Iknewwhatyouwouldruninto!Butyouaresobull-dogstubborn,andsosetinyourway,IthoughtIwouldjustletyoutrytheworldalittleandseehowyoulikedit!\"
Elnorapushedbackherchairandlookedathermother。
\"Doyoumeantosay,\"shedemanded,\"thatyouknew,whenyouletmegointoacityclassroomandrevealthefactbeforeallofthemthatIexpectedtohavemybookshandedouttome;doyoumeantosaythatyouknewIhadtopayforthem?\"
Mrs。Comstockevadedthedirectquestion。
\"Anybodybutanidiotmooningoverabookorwastingtimeprowlingthewoodswouldhaveknownyouhadtopay。Everybodyhastopayforeverything。Lifeismadeupofpay,pay,pay!It\'salwaysandforeverpay!
Ifyoudon\'tpayonewayyoudoanother!Ofcourse,Iknewyouhadtopay。Ofcourse,Iknewyouwouldcomehomeblubbering!Butyoudon\'tgetapenny!Ihaven\'tonecent,andcan\'tgetone!Haveyourwayifyouaredetermined,butIthinkyouwillfindtheroadsomewhatrocky。\"
\"Swampy,youmean,mother,\"correctedElnora。Shearosewhiteandtrembling。\"PerhapssomedayGodwillteachmehowtounderstandyou。HeknowsIdonotnow。
Youcan\'tpossiblyrealizejustwhatyouletmegothroughto-day,orhowyouletmego,butI\'lltellyouthis:
Youunderstandenoughthatifyouhadthemoney,andwouldofferittome,Iwouldn\'ttouchitnow。AndI\'lltellyouthismuchmore。I\'llgetitmyself。I\'llraiseit,anddoitsomehonestway。Iamgoingbackto-morrow,thenextday,andthenext。Youneednotcomeout,I\'lldothenightwork,andhoetheturnips。\"
Itwasteno\'clockwhenthechickens,pigs,andcattlewerefed,theturnipshoed,andaheapofbeanvineswasstackedbesidethebackdoor。
CHAPTERII
WHEREINWESLEYANDMARGARETGOSHOPPING,ANDELNORA\'SWARDROBEISREPLENISHED
WesleySintonwalkeddowntheroadhalfamileandturnedatthelaneleadingtohishome。
Hisheartwashotandfilledwithindignation。
HehadtoldElnorahedidnotblamehermother,buthedid。Hiswifemethimatthedoor。
\"DidyouseeanythingofElnora?\"shequestioned。
\"Mosttoomuch,Maggie,\"heanswered。\"Whatdoyousaytogoingtotown?There\'safewthingshastobegotrightaway。\"
\"Wheredidyouseeher,Wesley?\"
\"AlongtheoldLimberlosttrail,mygirl,torntopiecessobbing。Hercouragealwayshasbeenfine,butthethingshemetto-daywastoomuchforher。Weoughttohaveknownbetterthantolethergothatway。Itwasn\'tonlyclothes;therewerebooks,andentrancefeesforout-of-
townpeople,thatshedidn\'tknowabout;whiletheremusthavebeenjeers,whispers,andlaughing。Maggie,IfeelasifI\'dbeenatraitortothosegirlsofours。Ioughttohavegoneinandseenaboutthisschoolbusiness。
Don\'tcry,Maggie。Getmesomesupper,andI\'llhitchupandseewhatwecandonow。\"
\"Whatcanwedo,Wesley?
\"Idon\'tjustknow。Butwe\'vegottodosomething。
KateComstockwillbeahandful,whileElnorawillbetwo,butbetweenuswemustseethatthegirlisnottoohardpressedaboutmoney,andthatsheisdressedsosheisnotridiculous。She\'ssavedusthewagesofawomanmanyaday,can\'tyoumakehersomedecentdresses?\"
\"Well,I\'mnotjustwhatyoucallexpert,butIcouldbeatKateComstockalltopieces。Iknowthatskirtsshouldbepleatedtothebandinsteadofgathered,andfullenoughtositin,andshortenoughtowalkin。Icouldtry。
Therearepatternsforsale。Let\'sgorightaway,Wesley。\"
\"Setmeabitofsupper,whileIhitchup。\"
Margaretbuiltafire,madecoffee,andfriedhamandeggs。
Shesetoutpieandcakeandhadenoughforahungrymanbythetimethecarriagewasatthedoor,butshehadnoappetite。ShedressedwhileWesleyate,putawaythefoodwhilehedressed,andthentheydrovetowardthecitythroughthebeautifulSeptemberevening,andastheywenttheyplannedforElnora。Thetroublewas,notwhethertheyweregenerousenoughtobuywhatsheneeded,butwhethershewouldaccepttheirpurchases,andwhathermotherwouldsay。
Theywenttoadrygoodsstoreandwhenaclerkaskedwhattheywantedtoseeneitherofthemknew,sotheysteppedasideandheldawhisperedconsultation。
\"Whathadwebetterget,Wesley?\"
\"Dresses,\"saidWesleypromptly,\"Buthowmanydresses,andwhatkind?\"
\"BlestifIknow!\"exclaimedWesley。\"Ithoughtyouwouldmanagethat。IknowaboutsomethingsI\'mgoingtoget。\"
Atthatinstantseveralhighschoolgirlscameintothestoreandapproachedthem。
\"There!\"exclaimedWesleybreathlessly。\"There,Maggie!
Likethem!That\'swhatsheneeds!Buyliketheyhave!\"
Margaretstared。Whatdidtheywear?Theywererapidlypassing;theyseemedtohavesomuch,andshecouldnotdecidesoquickly。Beforesheknewitshewasamongthem。
\"Ibegyourpardon,butwon\'tyouwaitoneminute?\"
sheasked。
Thegirlsstoppedwithwonderingfaces。
\"It\'syourclothes,\"explainedMrs。Sinton。\"Youlookjustbeautifultome。YoulookexactlyasIshouldhavewantedtoseemygirls。Theybothdiedofdiphtheriawhentheywerelittle,buttheyhadyellowhair,darkeyesandpinkcheeks,andeverybodythoughttheywerelovely。
Iftheyhadlived,they\'dbeennearyouragenow,andI\'dwantthemtolooklikeyou。\"
Therewassympathyoneverygirlface。
\"Whythankyou!\"saidoneofthem。\"Weareverysorryforyou。\"
\"Ofcourseyouare,\"saidMargaret。\"Everybodyalwayshasbeen。AndbecauseIcan\'teverhavethejoyofamotherinthinkingformygirlsandbuyingprettythingsforthem,thereisnothingleftforme,buttodowhatIcanforsomeonewhohasnomothertocareforher。Iknowagirl,whowouldbejustasprettyasanyofyou,ifshehadtheclothes,buthermotherdoesnotthinkabouther,soI
motherhersomemyself。\"
\"Shemustbealuckygirl,\"saidanother。
\"Oh,shelovesme,\"saidMargaret,\"andIloveher。
Iwanthertolookjustlikeyoudo。Pleasetellmeaboutyourclothes。Arethesethedressesandhatsyouweartoschool?Whatkindofgoodsarethey,andwheredoyoubuythem?\"
ThegirlsbegantolaughandclusteraroundMargaret。
Wesleystrodedownthestorewithhisheadhighthroughprideinher,buthisheartwassoreoverthememoryoftwolittlefacesunderBrushwoodsod。Heinquiredhiswaytotheshoedepartment。
\"Why,everyoneofushaveonginghamorlinendresses,\"theysaid,\"andtheyareourschoolclothes。\"
ForafewmomentstherewasababeloflaughingvoicesexplainingtothedelightedMargaretthatschooldressesshouldbebrightandpretty,butsimpleandplain,anduntilcoldweathertheyshouldwash。
\"I\'lltellyou,\"saidEllenBrownlee,\"myfatherownsthisstore,Iknowalltheclerks。I\'lltakeyoutoMissHartley。Youtellherjusthowmuchyouwanttospend,andwhatyouwanttobuy,andshewillknowhowtogetthemostforyourmoney。I\'veheardpapasayshewasthebestclerkinthestoreforpeoplewhodidn\'tknowpreciselywhattheywanted。\"
\"That\'stheverything,\"agreedMargaret。\"Butbeforeyougo,tellmeaboutyourhair。Elnora\'shairisbrightandwavy,butyoursissilkyashackledflax。
Howdoyoudoit?\"
\"Elnora?\"askedfourgirlsinconcert。
\"Yes,ElnoraisthenameofthegirlIwantthesethingsfor。\"
\"Didshecometothehighschoolto-day?\"questionedoneofthem。
\"Wassheinyourclasses?\"demandedMargaretwithoutreply。
Fourgirlsstoodsilentandthoughtfast。Hadtherebeenastrangegirlamongthem,andhadshebeenoverlookedandpassedbywithindifference,becauseshewassoveryshabby?Ifshehadappearedasmuchbetterthanthey,asshehadlookedworse,wouldherreceptionhavebeenthesame?
\"TherewasastrangegirlfromthecountryintheFreshmanclassto-day,\"saidEllenBrownlee,\"andhernamewasElnora。\"
\"Thatwasthegirl,\"saidMargaret。
\"Areherpeoplesoverypoor?\"questionedEllen。
\"No,notpooratall,cometothinkofit,\"answeredMargaret。
\"It\'sapeculiarcase。Mrs。Comstockhadagreattroubleandsheletitchangeherwholelifeandmakeadifferentwomanofher。Sheusedtobelovely;nowsheisforeversavingandscaredtodeathforfeartheywillgotothepoorhouse;butthereisabigfarm,coveredwithlotsofgoodtimber。Thetaxesarehighforwomenwhocan\'tmanagetoclearandworktheland。Thereoughttobeenoughtokeeptwoofthemingoodshapealltheirlives,iftheyonlyknewhowtodoit。ButnooneevertoldKateComstockanything,andneverwill,forshewon\'tlisten。
Allshedoesisdroopallday,andwalktheedgeoftheswamphalfthenight,andneglectElnora。Ifyougirlswouldmakelifejustalittleeasierforheritwouldbethefinestthingyoueverdid。\"
Allofthempromisedtheywould。
\"Nowtellmeaboutyourhair,\"persistedMargaretSinton。
Sotheytookhertoatoiletcounter,andsheboughttheproperhairsoap,alsoanailfile,andcoldcream,foruseafterwindydays。Thentheyleftherwiththeexperiencedclerk,andwhenatlastWesleyfoundhershewasloadedwithbundlesandthelightofotherdayswasinherbeautifuleyes。
Wesleyalsocarriedsomepackages。
\"Didyougetanystockings?\"hewhispered。
\"No,Ididn\'t,\"shesaid。\"Iwassointerestedindressesandhairribbonsanda——ahat——\"shehesitatedandglancedatWesley。\"Ofcourse,ahat!\"promptedWesley。\"ThatIforgotallaboutthosehorribleshoes。
She\'sgottohavedecentshoes,Wesley。\"
\"Sure!\"saidWesley。\"She\'sgotdecentshoes。Butthemansaidsomebrownstockingsoughttogowiththem。
Takeapeep,willyou!\"
Wesleyopenedaboxanddisplayedapairofthick-
soled,beautifullyshapedbrownwalkingshoesoflowcut。Margaretcriedoutwithpleasure。
\"Butdoyousupposetheyaretherightsize,Wesley?
Whatdidyouget?\"
\"Ijustsaidforagirlofsixteenwithaslenderfoot。\"
\"Well,that\'saboutasnearasIcouldcome。Iftheydon\'tfitwhenshetriesthem,wewilldrivestraightinandchangethem。Comeonnow,let\'sgethome。\"
AllthewaytheydiscussedhowtheyshouldgiveElnoratheirpurchasesandwhatMrs。Comstockwouldsay。
\"Iamafraidshewillbeawfulmad,\"saidMargaret。
\"She\'lljustrip!\"repliedWesleygraphically。\"Butifshewantstoleavetheraisingofhergirltotheneighbours,sheneedn\'tgetfractiousiftheytakesomeprideindoingagoodjob。FromnowonIcalculateElnorashallgotoschool;andsheshallhavealltheclothesandbookssheneeds,ifIgoaroundonthebackofKateComstock\'slandandcutatree,ordriveoffacalftopayforthem。
WhyIknowonetreesheownsthatwouldputElnorainheavenforayear。Justthinkofit,Margaret!It\'snotfair。One-thirdofwhatistherebelongstoElnorabylaw,andifKateComstockraisesarowI\'lltellherso,andseethatthegirlgetsit。YougotoseeKateinthemorning,andI\'llgowithyou。TellheryouwantElnora\'spattern,thatyouaregoingtomakeheradress,forhelpingus。Andsortofhintatafewmorethings。
IfKatebalks,I\'lltakeahandandsettleher。I\'llgotolawforElnora\'sshareofthatlandandsellenoughtoeducateher。\"
\"Why,WesleySinton,you\'reperfectlywild。\"
\"I\'mnot!Didyoueverstoptothinkthatsuchcasesaresofrequenttherehavebeenlawsmadetoprovideforthem?
IcanbringitupincourtandforceKatetoeducateElnora,andboardandclothehertillshe\'sofage,andthenshecantakehershare。\"
\"Wesley,Katewouldgocrazy!\"
\"She\'scrazynow。TheideaofanymotherlivingwithassweetagirlasElnora。andlettinghersuffertillIfindhercryinglikeafuneral。Itmakesmefightingmad。
Alluncalledfor。Notagrainofsenseinit。I\'veofferedandofferedtooverseeclearingherlandandworkingherfields。Lethersellagoodtree,orafewacres。
Somethingisgoingtobedone,rightnow。Elnora\'sbeenfairlyhappyuptothis,buttospoiltheschoollifeshe\'splanned,istoruinallherlife。Iwon\'thaveit!IfElnorawon\'ttakethesethings,sohelpme,I\'lltellherwhatsheisworth,andloanherthemoneyandshecanpaymebackwhenshecomesofage。IamgoingtohaveitoutwithKateComstockinthemorning。Hereweare!
YouopenupwhatyougotwhileIputawaythehorses,andthenI\'llshowyou。\"
WhenWesleycamefromthebarnMargarethadfourpiecesofcrispgingham,apaleblue,apink,agraywithgreenstripesandarichbrownandblueplaid。Oneachofthemlayayardandahalfofwideribbontomatch。
Therewerehandkerchiefsandabrownleatherbelt。Inherhandssheheldawide-brimmedtanstrawhat,havingahighcrownbandedwithvelvetstripseachofwhichfastenedwithatinygoldbuckle。
\"Itlookskindofbarenow,\"sheexplained。\"Ithadthreequillsonithere。\"
\"Didyouhavethemtakenoff?\"askedWesley。
\"Yes,Idid。Thepricewastwoandahalfforthehat,andthosethingswereadollarandahalfapiece。
Icouldn\'tpaythat。\"
\"Itdoesseemconsiderable,\"admittedWesley,\"butwillitlookrightwithoutthem?\"
\"No,itwon\'t!\"saidMargaret。\"It\'sgoingtohavequillsonit。DoyourememberthosebeautifulpeacockwingfeathersthatPhoebeSimmsgaveme?Threeofthemgoonjustwherethosecameoff,andnobodywilleverknowthedifference。Theymatchthehattoamoral,andtheyarejustalittlelongerandricherthantheonesthatIhadtakenoff。IwaswonderingwhetherIbettersewthemonto-nightwhileIrememberhowtheyset,orwaittillmorning。\"
\"Don\'triskit!\"exclaimedWesleyanxiously。\"Don\'tyouriskit!Sewthemonrightnow!\"
\"Openyourbundles,whileIgetthethread,\"saidMargaret。
Wesleyunwrappedtheshoes。Margarettookthemupandpinchedtheleatherandstrokedthem。
\"My,buttheyarefine!\"shecried。
Wesleypickeduponeandslowlyturneditinhisbighands。
Heglancedathisfootandbacktotheshoe。
\"It\'salittlebitofathing,Margaret,\"hesaidsoftly。
\"LikeasnotI\'llhavetotakeitback。Itseemsasifitcouldn\'tfit。\"
\"Itseemsasifitdidn\'tdaredoanythingelse,\"saidMargaret。
\"That\'sahappylittleshoetogetthechancetocarryasfineagirlasElnoratohighschool。Nowwhat\'sintheotherbox?\"
WesleylookedatMargaretdoubtfully。
\"Why,\"hesaid,\"youknowthere\'sgoingtoberainydays,andthosethingsshehasnowain\'tfitforanythingbuttodriveupthecows——\"
\"Wesley,didyougethighshoes,too?\"
\"Well,sheoughttohavethem!ThemansaidhewouldmakethemcheaperifItookbothpairsatonce。\"
Margaretlaughedaloud。\"ThosewilldoherpastChristmas,\"sheexulted。\"Whatelsedidyoubuy?\"
\"Wellsir,\"saidWesley,\"Isawsomethingto-day。
YoutoldmeaboutKategettingthattinpailforElnoratocarrytohighschoolandyousaidyoutoldheritwasashame。IguessElnorawasashamedallright,forto-nightshestoppedattheoldcaseDuncangaveher,andtookoutthatpail,whereithadbeenallday,andputanapkininsideit。Cominghomesheconfessedshewashalfstarvedbecauseshehidherdinnerunderaculvert,andatramptookit。Shehadn\'thadabitetoeatthewholeday。Butshenevercomplainedatall,shewaspleasedthatshehadn\'tlostthenapkin。SoI
justinquiredaroundtillIfoundthis,andIthinkit\'sabouttheticket。\"
Wesleyopenedthepackageandlaidabrownleatherlunchboxonthetable。\"Mightbeacoupleofbooks,ordrawingtoolsormostanythingthat\'sneatandgenteel。
Yousee,itopensthisway。\"
Itdidopen,andinsidewasaspaceforsandwiches,alittleporcelainboxforcoldmeatorfriedchicken,anotherforsalad,aglasswithalidwhichscrewedon,heldbyaringinacorner,forcustardorjelly,aflaskforteaormilk,abeautifullittleknife,fork,andspoonfastenedinholders,andaplaceforanapkin。
Margaretwasalmostcryingoverit。
\"HowI\'dlovetofillit!\"sheexclaimed。
\"Doitthefirsttime,justtoshowKateComstockwhatloveis!\"saidWesley。\"Getupearlyinthemorningandmakeoneofthosedressesto-morrow。Can\'tyoumakeaplainginghamdressinaday?I\'llpickachicken,andyoufryitandfixalittlecustardforthecup,anddoitupbrown。Goon,Maggie,youdoit!\"
\"Inevercan,\"saidMargaret。\"Iamslowastheitchaboutsewing,andthesearenotgoingtobeplaindresseswhenitcomestomakingthem。Therearegoingtobeedgingsofplaingreen,pink,andbrowntothebiasstrips,andtucksandpleatsaroundthehips,fancybeltsandcollars,andallofittakestime。\"
\"ThenKateComstock\'sgottohelp,\"saidWesley。\"Canthetwoofyoumakeone,andgetthatlunchto-morrow?\"
\"Easy,butshe\'llneverdoit!\"