A Girl of the Limberlost

shoes. She had a struggle with her hair. It crinkled, billowed, and shone, and she could not avoid seeing the becoming frame it made around her face. But in defe

naware. Just as she picked up the beau

that. You can't reach behin

any possibility she could do herself. Her heart quaked at the thought of how her mother would arra

girl, and sitting down

back and looked a

ittle idiot! You've tried to plaster it down to suit me, and you missed it. I l

aughed Elnora, with a

. Comstock. "You'll be late, and

y and clung to her fingers and hands. Mrs. Comstock jumped back as if

I'll put on the ribbon. But roll it back loos

parts of her hair, and rolled them as Mrs. Sinton had done; tied it a

s where she had it, it will be just right, won't it?"

es

ch the lustre of the shining hair! "That's pretty," commented Mrs. Comstock's soul, but her stiff l

boys get sassy you tell your Uncle Wesley, and he'll horsewhip them. Here's your Christmas present from

ey!" was all E

if you are ready, I'm going to drive past your way and you can r

isn't impolite to open it before you," she

the neighbours," laughed Sinton.

he strap and tur

nd the interior packed with dainty sandwiches wrapped in tissue pape

le Wesley? How will I ever thank you? No one will have a finer lunch box than I. Oh

in every detail with sharp eyes. "I guess you are glad now

going again first time they have a bi

said the delighted Sinton.

ime to run into the swamp to m

seen the previous

and left a white-faced woman watching them fro

bitterly. "Always sticking in, always doing things I can't ever a

tterness of her soul was the vision of a sweet young face, glad with a gladness never

t as a posy, and to be careful not to step in the

but conspicuously in front lay her little heap of bills, and a crude

ELN

for some time las nite but it is returned with intres for god sake done ever come to the swa

FR

case had been trodden by large, roughly shod feet. She caught up the money an

s and her face so wh

d's the matter, E

afraid!"

Sinton. "Nothing in the world t

t home last night, and I put it in my case. Some one has bee

ey, I'll wager," s

d the note, and oh Uncle We

to harm you has got his eye on you, and he is telling you plain as he can, not to give him a chance. You got to keep along the roads, in

! I can't! I can't stay away from the swamp. The Limberlost is going to buy the

s plain enough. You go far in the swa

as so happy I tried to pray, and I thanked God for hiding me 'under

in his breast. His face was

out loud, honey?"

ou've caught me at it often, but it always makes mother angry when she does. She says it's silly. I forget and do it, when I'm alone. But Uncle Wesley, if I said

aybe I can find some clue. That other-that was just accidental. It's a common expression.

eturned to E

other about this mon

er. I want to graduate, and that's four years unless I can double on the course. That means twenty dollars tuition each year, and new books, and clothes. There won't ever be so much at one time ag

seem right, but your case is peculiar. Every word you say is a true word. Each year you will find less in the swamp, and things everyw

as I knew what a college was. I will put all my money

" said Wesley, "I'll drive

this little box held all the good ones. It's so s

does h

ty for revolvers, a dollar for obsidian, a

down Saturday and wash the stuff at our house, and I'

, urged by a man in the background. Elnora's heart was with the small fleeing figure in any event whatever. She dropped her load on the bridge, and with practised hand flung a stone at the dog. The beast curled double with a howl. The boy reached the fence, and Elnora was there to help him o

a mortar of tears and dust, his clothing unspeakably dirty, one great toe in a fester

n old thing make his d

id Elnora, hold

taking a few old apples when you fed 'em t

not," said

if he hadn't any breakfast, and was so hun

ould," sa

you would give me somethin

just stones in the package. But my dinn

ild gave a little cry and reached b

have an

N

nner ye

nd some gra

boy a

m Billi

father get you s

days, but he

t!" said Elnora. "

both crying for breakfast. I'd a got out all right with an apple for myself, but I

half the milk into the cup. "Drink

swore joyously, gripping t

Elnora. "Tha

s drea

such awf

ser 'an that ever

he had thought. He might have been forty j

to be like

ouldn't a angel be prettier '

ained the cup. He drew a breath of s

d leave your little boy

e go away an

ft Jimmy and Belle, too," said the boy. "You

N

a lifted a sandwich and uncovered the fr

nd the other box and carry the bread and t

d handed it and the spoon to the child. Never did food disappear faster

Jimmy and Belle," he said, "t

ran with a sidewise hop like a wild thing. She covered the dishes and cup, polished t

f secrecy is literally forced upon me, and I hate it. What shall I do for lunc

erlost carefully folded inside. Elnora passed down the hall that morning, and no one paid the slightest attention to her. The truth was she looked so like eve

he Limberlost in the clo

id unsteadily, "I couldn't help hearing that! No o

rdon me," but incredul

e meant to give them to me," she explained, "but I would

elieve me?"

r affair," said another g

e gave me what I am wearing. I paid for my clothes myself with money I earned selling moths to the Bird Woman. I just came from the bank where

a lovely woman in Brownlee's store, and she said she wanted our he

lnora, "it was like her to a

place and dropped it. With a little cry she snatched at it and caught the strap on top. That pulled from the fastening, the cover unrolled, the box fell away as far as it could, two

ought I was a pauper, now you will think I'm a fraud. All of you will believe I bought an expensive box, and the

lids, and kicked the

ches in the tray. You can see the crumbs of all of them. A man set a dog on a child who was so starved he was stealing apples. I talked wi

g by that time. "You goose," said one, "why did

," said Elnora. "I often go without anything to eat at

er back was turned, into the room came the girl of her encounter on the first day

all my life. They match my new broadcloth to perfection. I've got to have that kind

ad come out ahead and Sadie Reed had not been amiable, when the little flourish had been added to Elnora's name in the algebra cla

ion, whose hat is it?" she aske

he cornstock," said Eln

ery one shouted. Sadie Reed

xactly what I want. I know I don't deserve any kindness from you, bu

They are from a living bird. Phoebe Simms gathers them in her orch

How was Elnora to know that not

She gave Aunt Margaret a large bunch, and those are part o

ht they were expensive quills. I wanted them for a twenty-dollar velvet toque to ma

good enough for those quills. You see, the Almighty made and coloured those Himself; and He puts the same kind on Phoebe Simms's peacocks that He put on the head of the family in the forests of Ceylon, away back in t

um, sat beside her during exercises, and tried to talk whenever she dared

ind Elnora's back that day. Happy with her books, no one knew how much she saw, an

ount. She slowly walked home, for the visit to the swamp had brought back full force the experience of the morning. Again and again she examined the crude little note, for she did not know what it meant, yet it bred vague fear. The only thing of which Elnora knew herself