Kristy's Rainy Day Picnic

ous woman whom the foolish and ignorant children of the neighborhood called "old witch," simply because she had a hump on her back and was rarely seen, except when she rushed out to drive away some

behind the blinds as usual, when the

g creature she is!" she went on thoughtfully, looking more closely. "She's worse off than you are, Hester Bartlett, if she hasn't got a humpback. Hardly a decent rag to her back-not a shoe or stocking-an old boy's hat, picked

of the house peering through the blinds, an unusual feeling of pity restraining her from go

r call me old witch as the rest of 'em do," she went on bitterly, talking to herself, as people do who live alone; then adding, "Well, I

cottage, almost hi

a run after the cows, which finding themselves not urged from behind

fely shut into their pasture, an

most to her own surprise, moved by her unwonted feeling of pity for the child,

rtly, almost gruffly, to

, half afraid of the strange-looking, little woman who l

agely, "you needn't have 'em," and she flung

y, but in a state of rapture, the child went on-hugging and caressing her flowers,-to what had been her home since her mother, a year before, had been carried from their poor room to the hospital, and never come back.

garden as she passed, but Miss Hester was not there. Maggie could not see her,

of the strange, silent woman. She waited a moment, hoping she would com

by, she would half reluctantly toss a flower over the fence, which Maggie always received with delight, while still half afraid of the giver. But generally Hester, with a stran

ge, and the cows went no more to the snow-covered pasture, and Maggie-fixed up

f more and more into her house, and so months passe

ight was out, a wind came down from the plains of the great Northwest, and brought with it mi

peeping out. There were no fences, there were no roads, but all was one mass of glittering white, and the wind was still at work tossing the billions of sharp little ice-needles into the face of any one who ventured to peep out, sending a shower of snow into an open door, and piling

dows made it dark, and it was nearly nine o'clock when Mrs. Burns

tens, tied her hood down over her

ime getting through the drifts to the well. However, she did at last succeed in drawing the water and getting ba

not far off, in plain sight. In the place where the little house should be was a great white hi

lage. Every house in sight was sending up a thin column of smoke, sho

shed is so far off, and she could never fight her way through the drifts,-she ain't very strong-

good to me last summer, and I'll see if I can't g

er Bartlett's were drifts that seemed mountain high. Not a soul w

smokeless chimney gave her a strange feelin

s a struggle and a battle. Many times she fell down and got up staggering and blinded by snow; many times sh

s full of the dry, powdery snow, her eyes blinded, her hair a mas

ut a snow mountain. The drifts were lower on the side, so she staggered on towards the kitchen do

eached the step. The snow had fallen inward, an

if she were able to shut it, and she staggered in. Two steps inside she stumbled over something, and dashing the snow out of her eyes, she saw

she fell on her knees before her. No, she was no

t know or did not care that she was exhausted from her st

urried into the bedroom, brought out a pillow and blanket, put the pillow under Miss He

pened the door to look out before starting her fire, and

n to the silent figure on the floor. She chafed her hands and warmed them in her own, which now from excitement were b

Hester to very quickly. She tried to spring up, but

are you here? Why

and seeing her chimney without smoke alarmed her, and she had found her on the floor

and the condition of the room. Then she thought she could get up, and with the help of Mag

his kitchen while it seemed necessary to her life, but now that Miss Hester could sit up and lo

t you something to eat, and sw

lowly. "I don't seem to be able to do an

t in the pantry till she found the coffee and the coffee-pot. Then she drew up beside Miss Hester a little table, put on

id not like to ask her anything; but she was far from asleep. She was watch

neat household ways. She hunted up the butter and the bread; she made a fragrant cup o

imidly, "will you drink some coff

one cup and plate! Get another for yourself-you shall have it with me;" and as Maggie hastened, delighted, to do he

ew minutes the two strange friends we

every minute she was out of school. When at last Miss Hester was able to be about, she had become so attached to Maggie, and found such comfort in her he

art of the stor

long-closed drawers in her desk to see if she could find something to give Maggie on that da

Maggie's age, by her only brother, who had gone to the war and been killed in battle, severing the last l

been my life if you had lived! But it's no use keeping these relics of the past; they

iated with her happier days, till she found a fine gold chain which had held the lock

to receive it. The locket was very pretty, of gold, with a letter B in black enamel on it. Miss

ter, when she had taken it off to examine more closely; "I'll

on to which all the village was invited. Maggie, who was a bright scholar, had to speak

by Miss Hester, and tied with a bright ribbon from her old stores, she

with a very happy heart that she kissed Miss Hester and went to the schoolh

am and cake were served, and every one walked around the room to talk with their frien

ho seemed to be a stranger,-at least she had never seen him before. He had

ple, when he came face to face with Maggie. He stopped suddenly; h

to leave her place, but he stoppe

here did you ge

and a bright color rose to her face, as she an

cried; "tell

, trying again to get away, for

, then muttering to himself, "It can't be! yet it

most crying with fright, a

e around had noticed the scene

it, Mr. B

eeing that they had become the centre

ears; I wanted to examine it-but I seem to have frightened her; will you, if you know her, ask her to let me look at it? If it is the one I s

almed Maggie, and asked her t

Now if I can open it!" He held it a moment when suddenly it sprang open, to Maggie's a

ment. "Now where is this Miss-What did you s

ie, trembling, "that her

agerly; "but the name! can

e bystanders, "and she is-a little-deformed,

s. I was in the army and reported killed in battle, and when I went home to take care of my unfortunate sister, she had disappeared, and I have nev

m dead, might be very dangerous, and at last he was persuade

was safely broken to Miss Hester, who in a short half hour found herself crying on her brother

o had been the means of their finding each other. A larger house was built, and Miss Hester persuaded to min

hining eyes, as Mrs. Wilson ended her st

ggie myself,-met her last s

," said Kristy. "Can't you

it's bad enough for you to tease me for s

n, laughing, "and I think I have time to tell

cried Kris

sitting-room a little dog

isty, "and I have alwa

lly. That little dog saved my life, I believe, a

Mrs. Wilson?" sai