\"Isthatthetruth,MagSinton?\"demandedMrs。Comstock。
\"YouheardWesleysayso,\"proudlyaffirmedMrs。Sinton。
\"Iwanttomakeyouaproposition,\"saidWesley。
\"WaittillElnoracomes。Thenwe\'llshowherthethingsandseewhatshesays。\"
\"Howwoulditdotoseewhatshesayswithoutbribingher,\"sneeredMrs。Comstock。
\"Ifshecanstandwhatshedidyesterday,andwillto-
day,shecanbear\'mostanything,\"saidWesley。\"Putawaytheclothesifyouwantto,tillwetellher。\"
\"Well,youdon\'ttakethiswaistI\'mworkingon,\"
saidMargaret,\"forIhavetobasteinthesleevesandsetthecollar。Puttherestoutofsightifyoulike。\"
Mrs。Comstockpickedupthebasketandbundles,placedtheminsideherroomandclosedthedoor。
Margaretthreadedherneedleandbegantosew。
Mrs。Comstockreturnedtoherbook,whileWesleyfidgetedandragedinwardly。HecouldseethatMargaretwasnervousandalmostintears,butthelinesinMrs。
Comstock\'simpassivefaceweresetandcold。Sotheysatwhiletheclocktickedoffthetime——onehour,two,dusk,andnoElnora。JustwhenMargaretandWesleywerediscussingwhetherhehadnotbettergototowntomeetElnora,theyheardhercomingupthewalk。Wesleydroppedhistiltedchairandsquaredhimself。Margaretgrippedhersewing,andturnedpleadingeyestowardthedoor。
Mrs。Comstockclosedherbookandgrimlysmiled。
\"Mother,pleaseopenthedoor,\"calledElnora。
Mrs。Comstockarose,andswungbackthescreen。
Elnorasteppedinbesideher,benthalfdouble,thewholefrontofherdressgatheredintoasortofbagfilledwithaheavyload,andonearmstackedhighwithbooks。InthedimlightshedidnotseetheSintons。
\"Pleasehandmetheemptybucketinthekitchen,mother,\"shesaid。\"Ijusthadtobringthesearrowpointshome,butI\'mscaredforfearI\'vespoiledmydressandwillhavetowashit。I\'mtocleanthem,andtakethemtothebankerinthemorning,andoh,mother,I\'vesoldenoughstufftopayformybooks,mytuition,andmaybeadressandsomelightershoesbesides。Oh,motherI\'msohappy!Takethebooksandbringthebucket!\"
ThenshesawMargaretandWesley。\"Oh,glory!\"
sheexulted。\"IwasjustwonderinghowI\'deverwaittotellyou,andhereyouare!It\'stooperfectlysplendidtobetrue!\"
\"Tellus,Elnora,\"saidSinton。
\"Wellsir,\"saidElnora,doublingdownonthefloorandspreadingoutherskirt,\"setthebuckethere,mother。
Thesepointsarebrittle,andshouldbeputinoneatatime。
IftheyarechippedIcan\'tsellthem。Wellsir!I\'vehadatime!YouknowIjusthadtohavebooks。Itriedthreestores,andtheywouldn\'ttrustme,noteventhreedays,Ididn\'tknowwhatinthisworldIcoulddoquicklyenough。
JustwhenIwasalmostfranticIsawasigninabankwindowaskingforcaterpillars,cocoons,butterflies,arrowpoints,andeverything。Iwentin,anditwasthisBirdWomanwhowantstheinsects,andthebankerwantsthestones。Ihadtogotoschoolthen,but,ifyou\'llbelieveit\"——Elnorabeamedonalloftheminturnasshetalkedandslippedthearrowpointsfromherdresstothepail——\"ifyou\'llbelieveit——butyouwon\'t,hardly,untilyoulookatthebooks——therewasthemathematicsteacher,waitingathisdoor,andhehadasetofbooksformethathehadtelephonedaSophomoretobring。\"
\"Howdidhehappentodothat,Elnora?\"interruptedSinton。
Elnorablushed。
\"ItwasafoolmistakeImadeyesterdayinthinkingbookswerejusthandedouttoone。Therewasateachers\'
meetinglastnightandthehistoryteachertoldaboutthat。
ProfessorHenleythoughtofme。YouknowItoldyouwhathesaidaboutmyalgebra,mother。Ain\'tIgladIstudiedoutsomeofitmyselfthissummer!Sohetelephonedandagirlbroughtthebooks。BecausetheyaremarkedandabusedsomeIgetthewholeoutfitfortwodollars。
Icanerasemostofthemarks,pastedownthecovers,andfixthemsotheylookbetter。ButImusthurrytothejoypart。Ididn\'tstoptoeat,atnoon,IjustrantotheBirdWoman\'s,andIhadlunchwithher。Itwassalad,hotchocolate,andlovelythings,andshewantstobuymosteveryoldscrapIevergathered。Shewantsdragonflies,moths,butterflies,andhe——thebanker,I
mean——wantseverythingIndian。Thisverynightshecametotheswampwithmeandtookawayenoughstufftopayforthebooksandtuition,andto-morrowsheisgoingtobuysomemore。\"
Elnoralaidthelastarrowpointinthepailandarose,shakingleavesandbitsofbakedearthfromherdress。
Shereachedintoherpocket,producedhermoneyandwaveditbeforetheirwonderingeyes。
\"Andthat\'sthejoypart!\"sheexulted。\"Putitupintheclocktillmorning,mother。Thatpaysforthebooksandtuitionand——\"Elnorahesitated,forshesawthenervousgraspwithwhichhermother\'sfingersclosedonthebills。Thenshecontinued,butmoreslowlyandthinkingbeforeshespoke。
\"WhatIgetto-morrowpaysformorebooksandtuition,andmaybeafew,justafew,thingstowear。Theseshoesaresodreadfullyheavyandhot,andtheymakesuchanoiseonthefloor。Thereisn\'tanothercalicodressinthewholebuilding,notamonghundredsofus。Why,whatisthat?AuntMargaret,whatareyouhidinginyourlap?\"
Shesnatchedthewaistandshookitout,andherfacewasbeaming。\"Haveyoutakentowaistsallfancyandbuttonedintheback?Ibetyouthisismine!\"
\"Ibetyousotoo,\"saidMargaretSinton。\"Youundressrightawayandtryiton,andifitfits,itwillbedoneformorning。Therearesomelowshoes,too!\"
Elnorabegantodance。\"Oh,youdearpeople!\"
shecried。\"Icanpayforthemto-morrownight!
Isn\'tittoosplendid!IwasjustthinkingonthewayhomethatIcertainlywouldbecompelledtohavecoolershoesuntillater,andIwaswonderingwhatI\'ddowhenthefallrainsbegin。\"
\"Imeanttogetyousomeheavydressskirtsandacoatthen,\"saidMrs。Comstock。
\"Iknowyousaidso!\"criedElnora。\"Butyouneedn\'t,now!
IcanbuyeverysinglestitchIneedmyself。NextsummerIcangatherupalotmorestuff,andallwinteronthewaytoschool。IamsureIcansellferns,IknowIcannuts,andtheBirdWomansaysthegraderoomswantleaves,grasses,birds\'nests,andcocoons。Oh,isn\'tthisworldlovely!I\'llbehelpingwiththetax,next,mother!\"
Elnorawavedthewaistandstartedforthebedroom。
Whensheopenedthedoorshegavealittlecry。
\"Whathaveyoupeoplebeendoing?\"shedemanded。
\"Ineversawsomanyinterestingbundlesinallmylife。
I\'m`skeered\'todeathforfearIcan\'tpayforthem,andwillhavetogiveupsomething。\"
\"Wouldn\'tyoutakethem,ifyoucouldnotpayforthem,Elnora?\"askedhermotherinstantly。
\"Why,notunlessyoudid,\"answeredElnora。\"Peoplehavenorighttowearthingstheycan\'tafford,havethey?\"
\"ButfromsucholdfriendsasMaggieandWesley!\"
Mrs。Comstock\'svoicewasoilywithtriumph。
\"Fromthemleastofall,\"criedElnorastoutly。\"Fromastrangersoonerthanfromthem,towhomIowesomuchmorethanIevercanpaynow。\"
\"Well,youdon\'thaveto,\"saidMrs。Comstock。
\"Maggiejustselectedthesethings,becausesheismoreintouchwiththeworld,andhasgotsuchgoodtaste。
Youcanpayaslongasyourmoneyholdsout,andifthere\'smorenecessary,maybeIcansellthebutcheracalf,orifthingsaretoocostlyforus,ofcourse,theycantakethemback。Putonthewaistnow,andthenyoucanlookovertherestandseeiftheyaresuitable,andwhatyouwant。\"
Elnorasteppedintotheadjoiningroomandclosedthedoor。
Mrs。Comstockpickedupthebucketandstartedforthewellwithit。Atthebedroomshepaused。
\"Elnora,wereyougoingtowashthesearrowpoints?\"
\"Yes。TheBirdWomansaystheysellbetteriftheyareclean,soitcanbeseenthattherearenodefectsinthem。\"
\"Ofcourse,\"saidMrs。Comstock。\"Someofthemseemquitebaked。ShallIputthemtosoak?Doyouwanttotaketheminthemorning?\"
\"Yes,Ido,\"answeredElnora。\"Ifyouwouldjustfillthepailwithwater。\"
Mrs。Comstocklefttheroom。WesleySintonsatwithhisbacktothewindowinthewestendofthecabinwhichoverlookedthewell。Asuppressedsoundbehindhimcausedhimtoturnquickly。ThenhearoseandleanedoverMargaret。
\"She\'souttherelaughinglikeablamedmonkey!\"
hewhisperedindignantly。
\"Well,shecan\'thelpit!\"exclaimedMargaret。
\"I\'mgoinghome!\"saidWesley。
\"Ohno,youarenot!\"retortedMargaret。\"Youaremissingthepoint。Thepointisnothowyoulook,orfeel。ItistogetthesethingsinElnora\'spossessionpastdispute。Yougonow,andto-morrowElnorawillwearcalico,andKateComstockwillreturnthesegoods。
RighthereIstayuntileverythingweboughtisElnora\'s。\"
\"Whatareyougoingtodo?\"askedWesley。
\"Idon\'tknowyet,myself,\"saidMargaret。
Thenshearoseandpeeredfromthewindow。AtthewellcurbstoodKatharineComstock。Thestrainofthedaywasfindingreaction。Herchinwasintheair,shewasheaving,shakingandstranglingtosuppressanysound。ThewordthatslippedbetweenMargaretSinton\'slipsshockedWesleyuntilhedroppedonhischair,andrecalledhertohersenses。ShewasfairlycomposedassheturnedtoElnora,andbeganthefitting。
Whenshehadpinched,pulled,andpattedshecalled,\"Comeseeifyouthinkthisfits,Kate。\"
Mrs。Comstockhadgonearoundtothebackdoorandansweredfromthekitchen。\"YouknowmoreaboutitthanIdo。Goahead!I\'mgettingsupper。
Don\'tforgettoallowforwhatitwillshrinkinwashing!\"
\"Isetthecoloursandwashedthegoodslastnight;
itcanbemadetofitrightnow,\"answeredMargaret。
WhenshecouldfindnothingmoretoaltershetoldElnoratoheatsomewater。Aftershehaddonethatthegirlbeganopeningpackages。
Thehatcamefirst。
\"Mother!\"criedElnora。\"Mother,ofcourse,youhaveseenthis,butyouhaven\'tseenitonme。Imusttryiton。\"
\"Don\'tyoudareputthatonyourheaduntilyourhairiswashedandproperlycombed,\"saidMargaret。
\"Oh!\"criedElnora。\"Isthatwatertowashmyhair?
Ithoughtitwastosetthecolourinanotherdress。\"
\"Well,youthoughtwrong,\"saidMargaretsimply。
\"Yourhairisgoingtobewashedandbrusheduntilitshineslikecopper。Whileitdriesyoucaneatyoursupper,andthisdresswillbefinished。Thenyoucanputonyournewribbon,andyourhat。Youcantryyourshoesnow,andiftheydon\'tfit,youandWesleycandrivetotownandchangethem。Thatlittleroundbundleonthetopofthebasketisyourstockings。\"
Margaretsatdownandbegansewingswiftly,andalittlelateropenedthemachine,andranseverallongseams。
Elnorareturnedinafewminutesholdingupherskirtsandsteppingdaintilyinthenewshoes。
\"Don\'tsoilthem,honey,elseyou\'resuretheyfit,\"
cautionedWesley。
\"Theyseemjustatriflelarge,maybe,\"saidElnoradubiously,andWesleyknelttofeel。HeandMargaretthoughtthemafit,andthenElnoraappealedtohermother。Mrs。Comstockappearedwipingherhandsonherapron。Sheexaminedtheshoescritically。
\"Theyseemtofit,\"shesaid,\"buttheyareawaytoofinetowalkcountryroads。\"
\"Ithinkso,too,\"saidElnorainstantly。\"Wehadbettertakethesebackandgetacheaperpair。\"
\"Oh,letthemgoforthistime,\"saidMrs。Comstock。
\"Theyaresopretty,Ihatetopartwiththem。Youcangetcheaperonesafterthis。\"
WesleyandMargaretscarcelybreathedforalongtime。
WhenWesleywenttodothefeeding。Elnorasetthetable。Whenthewaterwashot,MargaretpinnedabigtowelaroundElnora\'sshouldersandwashedanddriedthelovelyhairaccordingtotheinstructionsshehadbeengiventhepreviousnight。Asthehairbegantodryitbillowedoutinasparklingsheenthatcaughtthelightandgleamedandflashed。
\"Now,theideaistoletitstandnaturally,justasthecurlwillmakeit。Don\'tyoudoanyofthatnasty,untidysnarling,Elnora,\"cautionedMargaret。\"Washitthiswayeverytwoweekswhileyouareinschool,shakeitout,anddryit。Thenpartitinthemiddleandturnafrontquarteroneachsidefromyourface。Youtiethebackatyourneckwithastring——so,andtheribbongoesinabig,loosebow。I\'llshowyou。\"OneafteranotherMargaretSintontiedtheribbons,creasingeachofthemsotheycouldnotbereturned,assheexplainedthatshewastryingtofindthecolourmostbecoming。ThensheproducedtheraincoatwhichcarriedElnoraintotransports。
Mrs。Comstockobjected。\"Thatwon\'tbewarmenoughforcoldweather,andyoucan\'tafforditandacoat,too。\"
\"I\'lltellyouwhatIthought,\"saidElnora。\"Iwasplanningonthewayhome。Thesecoatsarefinebecausetheykeepyoudry。IthoughtIwouldgetone,andawarmsweatertowearunderitcolddays。ThenIalwayswouldbedry,andwarm。Thesweateronlycoststhreedollars,soIcouldgetitandtheraincoatbothforhalfthepriceofaheavyclothcoat。\"
\"Youarerightaboutthat,\"saidMrs。Comstock。
\"Youcanchangemorewiththeweather,too。Keeptheraincoat,Elnora。\"
\"Wearituntilyoutrythehat,\"saidMargaret。\"Itwillhavetodountilthedressisfinished。\"
Elnorapickedupthehatdubiously。\"Mother,mayIwearmyhairasitisnow?\"sheasked。
\"Letmetakeagoodlook,\"saidKatharineComstock。
Heavenonlyknowswhatshesaw。ToWesleyandtoMargaretthebrightyoungfaceofElnora,withitspinktints,itsheavydarkbrows,itsbrightblue-grayeyes,anditsframeofcurlingreddish-brownhairwasthesweetestsightonearth,andatthatinstantElnorawasradiant。
\"Solongasit\'syourownhair,andcombedbackasplainasitwillgo,Idon\'tsupposeitcutsmuchicewhetherit\'stiedalittletighterorlooser,\"concededMrs。Comstock。
\"Ifyoustoprightthere,youmayletitgoatthat。\"
Elnorasetthehatonherhead。Itwasonlyawidetanstrawwiththreeexquisitepeacockquillsatoneside。
MargaretSintoncriedout,WesleyslappedhiskneeandsigheddeeplywhileMrs。Comstockstoodspeechlessforasecond。
\"Iwishyouhadaskedthepricebeforeyouputthaton,\"shesaidimpatiently。\"Wenevercanaffordit。\"
\"It\'snotsomuchasyouthink,\"saidMargaret。
\"Don\'tyouseewhatIdid?Ihadthemtakeoffthequills,andputonsomeofthosePhoebeSimmsgavemefromherpeacocks。Thehatwillonlycostyouadollarandahalf。\"
SheavoidedWesley\'seyes,andlookedstraightatMrs。Comstock。Elnoraremovedthehattoexamineit。
\"Why,theyarethosereddish-tanquillsofyours!\"
shecried。\"Mother,lookhowbeautifullytheyareseton!I\'dmuchratherhavethemthanthosefromthestore。\"
\"SowouldI,\"saidMrs。Comstock。\"IfMargaretwantstosparethem,thatwillmakeyouabeautifulhat;dirtcheap,too!YoumustgopastMrs。Simmsandshowher。Shewouldbepleasedtoseethem。\"
Elnorasankintoachairandcontemplatedhertoe。
\"Landy,ain\'tIaqueen?\"shemurmured。\"WhatelsehaveIgot?\"
\"Justabelt,somehandkerchiefs,andapairoftopshoesforrainydaysandcolderweather,\"saidMargaret。
\"Aboutthosehighshoes,thatwasmyidea,\"saidWesley。
\"Soonasitrains,lowshoeswon\'tdo,andbytakingtwopairsatonceIcouldgetthemsomecheaper。Thelowonesaretwoandthehighonestwofifty,togetherthreeseventy-five。Ain\'tthatcheap?\"
\"That\'sarealbargain,\"saidMrs。Comstock,\"iftheyaregoodshoes,andtheylookit。\"
\"This\"saidWesley,producingthelastpackage,\"isyourChristmaspresentfromyourAuntMaggie。Igotmine,too,butit\'satthehouse。I\'llbringitupinthemorning。\"
HehandedMargarettheumbrella,andshepasseditovertoElnorawhoopeneditandsatlaughingunderitsshelter。Thenshekissedbothofthem。Shebroughtapencilandaslipofpapertosetdownthepricestheygaveherofeverythingtheyhadbroughtexcepttheumbrella,addedthesum,andsaidlaughingly:\"Willyoupleasewaittillto-morrowforthemoney?Iwillhaveitthen,sure。\"
\"Elnora,\"saidWesleySinton。\"Wouldn\'tyou——\"
\"Elnora,hustlehereaminute!\"calledMrs。Comstockfromthekitchen。\"Ineedyou!\"
\"Onesecond,mother,\"answeredElnora,throwingoffthecoatandhat,andclosingtheumbrellaassheran。
Therewereseveralerrandstodoinahurry,andthensupper。
Elnorachatteredincessantly,WesleyandMargarettalkedalltheycould,whileMrs。Comstocksaidawordnowandthen,whichwasallsheeverdid。ButWesleySintonwaswatchingher,andtimeandagainhesawapeculiarlittletwistaroundhermouth。Heknewthatforthefirsttimeinsixteenyearsshereallywaslaughingoversomething。
Shehadallshecoulddotopreserveherusuallysoberface。
Wesleyknewwhatshewasthinking。
Aftersupperthedresswasfinished,thepatternforthenextonediscussed,andthentheSintonswenthome。
Elnoragatheredhertreasures。Whenshestartedupstairsshestopped。\"MayIkissyougood-night,mother?\"
sheaskedlightly。
\"Nevermindanyslobbering,\"saidMrs。Comstock。
\"Ishouldthinkyou\'dlivedwithmelongenoughtoknowthatIdon\'tcareforit。\"
\"Well,I\'dlovetoshowyouinsomewayhowhappyI
am,andhowIthankyou。\"
\"Iwonderwhatfor?\"saidMrs。Comstock。\"MagSintonchosethatstuffandbroughtithereandyoupayforit。\"
\"Yes,butyouseemedwillingformetohaveit,andyousaidyouwouldhelpmeifIcouldn\'tpayall。\"
\"MaybeIdid,\"saidMrs。Comstock。\"MaybeIdid。
ImeanttogetyousomeheavydressskirtsaboutThanksgiving,andIstillcangetthem。Gotobed,andforanysakedon\'tbeginmooningbeforeamirror,andmakeadunceofyourself。\"
Mrs。Comstockpickedupseveralpapersandblewoutthekitchenlight。Shestoodinthemiddleofthesitting-
roomfloorforatimeandthenwentintoherroomandclosedthedoor。Sittingontheedgeofthebedshethoughtforafewminutesandthensuddenlyburiedherfaceinthepillowandagainheavedwithlaughter。
DowntheroadploddedMargaretandWesleySinton。
Neitherofthemhadwordstouttertheirunitedthought。
\"Done!\"hissedWesleyatlast。\"Donebrown!Didyoueverfeellikeabloomin\',confoundeddonkey?Howdidthewomandoit?\"
\"Shedidn\'tdoit!\"gulpedMargaretthroughhertears。
\"Shedidn\'tdoanything。ShetrustedtoElnora\'sgreatbigsoultobringheroutright,andreallyshewasright,andsoithadtobringher。She\'sadarling,Wesley!
Butshe\'sgotatimebeforeher。DidyouseeKateComstockgrabthatmoney?Beforesixmonthsshe\'llbeoutcombingtheLimberlostforbugsandarrowpointstohelppaythetax。
Iknowher。\"
\"Well,Idon\'t!\"exclaimedSinton,\"she\'stoomanyforme。
Butthereisalaughleftinheryet!Ididn\'ts\'posetherewas。Betyouadollar,ifwecouldseeherthisminute,she\'dbechucklingoverthewaywegotleft。\"
Bothofthemstoppedintheroadandlookedback。
\"There\'sElnora\'slightinherroom,\"saidMargaret。
\"Thepoorchildwillfeelthoseclothes,andporeoverherbookstillmorning,butshe\'lllookdecenttogotoschool,anyway。Nothingistoobigapricetopayforthat。\"
\"Yes,ifKateletsherwearthem。Tentoone,shemakesherfinishtheweekwiththatoldstuff!\"
\"No,shewon\'t,\"saidMargaret。\"She\'llhardlydare。
Katemadesomeconcessions,allright;bigonesforher——
ifshedidgetherwayinthemain。Shebentsome,andifElnoraprovesthatshecanwalkoutbarehandedinthemorningandcomebackwiththatmuchmoneyinherpocket,anarmfulofbooks,andbuyaturnoutlikethat,sheprovesthatsheisofsomeconsideration,andKate\'ssmartenough。She\'llthinktwicebeforeshe\'lldothat。
Elnorawon\'twearacalicodresstohighschoolagain。
Youwatchandseeifshedoes。Shemayhavethebestclothesshe\'llgetforatime,fortheleastmoney,butshewon\'tknowituntilshetriestobuygoodsherselfatthesamerates。Wesley,whataboutthoseprices?Didn\'ttheyshrinkconsiderable?\"
\"Youbeganit,\"saidWesley。\"Thosepriceswereallright。
Wedidn\'tsaywhatthegoodscostus,wesaidwhattheywouldcosther。Surely,she\'smistakenaboutbeingabletopayallthat。CanshepickupstuffofthatvaluearoundtheLimberlost?Didn\'ttheBirdWomanseehertrouble,andjustgiveherthemoney?\"
\"Idon\'tthinkso,\"saidMargaret。\"SeemstomeI\'veheardofherpaying,orofferingtopaythosewhowouldtakethemoney,forbugsandbutterflies,andI\'veknownpeoplewhosoldthatbankerIndianstuff。OnceI
heardthathispipecollectionbeatthatoftheGovernmentatthePhiladelphiaCentennial。Thosethingshavecometohaveavalue。\"
\"Well,there\'saboutabushelofthatkindofvaluablespiledupinthewoodshed,thatbelongstoElnora。Atleast,Ipickedthemupbecauseshesaidshewantedthem。
Ain\'titqueerthatshe\'dtaketostones,bugs,andbutterflies,andsavethem。Nowtheyaregoingtobringhertheverythingshewantstheworst。Lord,butthisisafunnyworldwhenyougettostudying!Lookslikethingsdidn\'tallcomebyaccident。Looksasiftherewasaplanbackofit,andsomebodydrivingthatknowstheroad,andhowtohandlethelines。Anyhow,Elnora\'sinthewagon,andwhenIgetoutinthenightandthedarkclosesaroundme,andIseethestars,Idon\'tfeelsocheap。Maggie,howthenationdidKateComstockdothat?\"
\"Youwillkeeponharping,Wesley。Itoldyoushedidn\'tdoit。Elnoradidit!Shewalkedinandtookthingsrightoutofourhands。AllKatehadtodowastoenjoyhavingitgoherway,andshewascuteenoughtoputinafewquestionsthatsortofguidedElnora。ButI
don\'tknow,Wesley。Thisthingmakesmethink,too。
S\'posewe\'dtakenElnorawhenshewasababy,andwe\'dheapedonherallthelovewecan\'tonourown,andwe\'dcoddled,petted,andshieldedher,wouldshehavemadethewomanthatlivingalone,learningtothinkforherself,andtakingalltheknocksKateComstockcouldgive,havemadeofher?\"
\"Youbetyourlife!\"criedWesley,warmly。\"Lovinganybodydon\'thurtthem。Wewouldn\'thavedoneanythingbutloveher。
Youcan\'thurtachildlovingit。She\'dhavelearnedtowork,tostudy,andgrownintoawomanwithus,withoutsufferinglikeapoorhomelessdog。\"
\"Butyoudon\'tseethepoint,Wesley。Shewouldhavegrownintoafinewomanwithus;butaswewouldhaveraisedher,wouldherhearteverhaveknowntheworldasitdoesnow?Where\'stheanguish,Wesley,thatchildcan\'tcomprehend?Seeingwhatshe\'sseenofhermotherhasn\'thardenedher。Shecanunderstandanymother\'ssorrow。
Livinglifefromtheroughsidehasonlybroadenedher。
Where\'sthegirlorboyburningwithshame,orstrugglingtofindaway,thatwillcrossElnora\'spathandnotgetaliftfromher?She\'shadtheknocks,butthere\'llneverbeanyofthethingyoucall`falsepride\'inher。Iguesswebetterkeepout。MaybeKateComstockknowswhatshe\'sdoing。
Sureasyoulive,Elnorahasgrownbiggeronknocksthanshewouldonlove。\"
\"Idon\'ts\'posethereeverwasaveryfinepointtoanythingbutImissedit,\"saidWesley,\"becauseIamblunt,rough,andhavenobooklearningtospeakof。
SinceyouputitintowordsIseewhatyoumean,butit\'sdingedhardonElnora,justthesame。AndIdon\'tkeepout。
Ikeepwatchingcloserthanever。Igotmyslapintheface,butifIdon\'tmissmyguess,KateComstocklearnedherlesson,sameasIdid。ShelearnedthatIwasinearnest,thatIwouldhaulhertocourtifshedidn\'tloosenupabit,andshe\'llloosen。Youseeifshedoesn\'t。
Itmaycomehard,andthehingescreak,butshe\'llfixElnoradecentafterthis,ifElnoradoesn\'tprovethatshecanfixherself。Asforme,IfoundoutthatwhatIwasdoingwasasmuchformyselfasforElnora。Iwantedhertotakethosethingsfromus,andloveusforgivingthem。
Itdidn\'twork,andbutforyou,I\'dmessedthewholethingandstucklikeapigincrossingabridge。Butyouhelpedmeout;Elnora\'sgottheclothes,andbymorning,maybeIwon\'tgrudgeKatetheonlylaughshe\'shadinsixteenyears。Youbeenshowingmethewayquiteaspellnow,ain\'tyou,Maggie?\"
InheratticElnoralightedtwocandles,setthemonherlittletable,stackedthebooks,andputawaythepreciousclothes。Howlovinglyshehungthehatandumbrella,foldedtheraincoat,andspreadthenewdressoverachair。
Shefingeredtheribbons,andtriedtosmooththecreasesfromthem。Sheputawaythehoseneatlyfolded,touchedthehandkerchiefs,andtriedthebelt。Thensheslippedintoherwhitenightdress,shookdownherhairthatitmightbecomethoroughlydry,setachairbeforethetable,andreverentlyopenedoneofthebooks。Astiffdraughtswepttheattic,foritstretchedthelengthofthecabin,andhadawindowineachend。Elnoraaroseandgoingtotheeastwindowclosedit。Shestoodforaminutelookingatthestars,thesky,andthedarkoutlineofthestragglingtreesoftherapidlydismantlingLimberlost。Intheregionofhercaseatinypointoflightflashedanddisappeared。
Elnorastraightenedandwondered。Wasitwisetoleaveherpreciousmoneythere?Thelightflashedoncemore,waveredafewseconds,anddiedout。Thegirlwaited。
Shedidnotseeitagain,sosheturnedtoherbooks。
IntheLimberlostthehulkingfigureofamansneakeddownthetrail。
\"TheBirdWomanwasatFreckles\'sroomthisevening,\"
hemuttered。\"Wonderwhatfor?\"
Heleftthetrail,enteredtheenclosurestilldistinctlyoutlined,andapproachedthecase。Thefirstpointoflightflashedfromthetinyelectriclamponhisvest。Hetookaduplicatekeyfromhispocket,feltforthepadlockandopenedit。Thedoorswungwide。Thelightflashedthesecondtime。Swiftlyhisglanceswepttheinterior。
\"\'Boutafourthofhermothsgone。ElnoramusthavebeenwiththeBirdWomanandgiventhemtoher。\"
Thenhestoodtense。Hiskeeneyesdiscoveredtherollofbillshastilythrustbackinthebottomofthecase。