Lydia of the Pines

s to the storm. The

ring

in a pipe tray fashioned from cigar box wood and stained with Lydia's walnut dye. Lizzie's gift was a flat black pin-cushion, with "Lizzie, with love from Lydia," embroidered crazily on it in red. Florence Dombey showed no emotion over her g

ings for the Dudley children and he took full advantage of the moment. Books for Lydia, little toys for the ba

eamed as he watched the children unwrap the packag

cks!" and bolted

ed Lizzie, pan

roaned Amos, as with John and the

before the oven. "Just the pope's no

thing else happens,"

Christmas where there are children? I'd a gotte

bey on his lap, Amos with the drowsy little Patience in his arms, and Lizzie, her tired hands folded across her comfortable stom

the ice cracks th

is feathers was a-co

and what's the rest

eplied Lydia. "It'

ve-Ah, bitter

ll his feathe

trembling throug

s the flock i

et the

d at each other over

poem you spoke at school, L

tably on John's shoulder and ramb

ndeed: and s

g ewes abo

d wake the chi

our so sti

for Mary's

eath hour o

, the Eve

silence fo

that one, young Ly

ve been happy to-day! Daddy, you thought we'd have an awful poor Christmas, didn't

he remembered it for years after as one of her perfect

rish and cross with a hoarse cold. When Amos came home the fourth night, he thought she had the croup and sent Lydia pelti

up. You go after the

h her. Under Mrs. Norton's supervision, she packed the baby in hot water bottles

le he made his examination. The child clenched her fists and walked up and down the livingroom, cheeks scar

et her die, I'll never pray to you again! N

nday School lore flashed through her mind. "Our Father who art in heaven," she

zzie came out, tears-r

flew t

ou. Diphtheritic croup-he

not know. Pain in her bruised hands and the intense cold finally brought her to her senses. A self-control that was partly inherent and partly the result of too early knowledge of

beying the doctor's orders. Amos did not stir from his chair by the bed, nor speak a word

," said Dr. Fu

me," replie

er as well as Patience into the world. He pulled her to him, with one

ydia. She is not suffering at all. Now,

said Lydi

our life you will be grateful to me, if I make you obey me now. I know those

Florence Dombey in the living-room and with her and a blanket, crept under her father's bed, into the farthest co

. The place had been fumigated. Lydia had placed in her bedroom everything that had belonged to the baby, had locked the door and had

hn Levine had been allowed to come to see the stricken little family, excepting the minister. He,

ch in a splendor of cleanliness that made the place seem stranger than ever to them both. Neither talked much. At intervals, tears ran down old Lizzie's wrinkled ch

haven't eat enough to keep

e door, and Lizzie tru

Lord's sa

skates over his shoulders. He walke

, "I came out to see yo

s. "Oh, Kent, I'm so g

quaran

I care," returned Kent, gruffly, loo

oaths. At the sound of the laughter, old Lizzie gave a

me out and skate for a while. The wind's blown the snow till there's lots of clear pla

tine or not!" exclaimed

r the two of you. Keep

n her Tam o' Shanter. She brought her skates from the kitc

winter sun. Far down the lake toward the college shore, the flitting sails of ice-boats gleamed, and faint and far up the wind came the clear "

munity. The wind in their faces was bitter cold, making conversation difficult. Whether or not Kent was grateful for this, one could not say. He watched Lydia out of the tai

matter, Lyd?

she panted. "I-I

worn me out. Come on up to the shore,

silence while Kent without removing his skates hobbled up the bank and pulled some dead branc

e warmth," he ordered, his voic

ok in the faded blue Tam, the outgrown coat, the red mittens, so badly mended, the leggings with patches on th

h worse than she does, and she's got no one to turn to for comfort. I know Amos. He'l

in Lydia's ravished little face, a sympathy for her pain as real as it was unwonted swept o

orry for you, Lyd

d Kent shown her the slightest affection. When she

did He?" and she buried her face on his shoulder and began

held her tightly and watched the fire with bright, unseeing eyes. And after what seemed a long, long time, the sobs

dy," he said in a cheer

he fire out, so's

with snow, she was standing, sad-eyed but calm except for dry so

he said, "I'll

to the dining-room, they found a pitcher of steaming cocoa and

et her to eat, Ke

nt answered her. "Gimm

urned abruptly into the kitchen. She came back in a moment

ad been long denied her was claiming her. She did not know that she almost buried her head in her

doctor?" he whispered as old L

eat nor had a decent hour of sleep since it happened. And now, tha

nothing," he muttered. "Where's my coat? Maybe I'll come

om with scarlet for one breathless moment, before a blanket of twilight hid all save the red eyes of the base burne

ward the quiet blond head on the faded brown cushi

us glance. "You don't kn

t on the fender, lighted his pipe and then sat without moving until a stampin

" was Levine's

couch, where, undist

air up beside Amos' and the two f

ck when Lydia opened her eye

. I told him it would put you in a terrible fix, that you'd gone on the note when you couldn't afford it. He grinned a devil's grin then and said,

e got on earth is shoe-stringed out to hang onto that pine section of mine up in Bear county. I'm m

p and rubbe

," cried Levine. "Had a

hungry," sa

Lizzie. "I'll warm your sup

the base burner, her hair tumbled, he

. Marshall act

know anything about such things, do they, Amos?

illingly nevertheless within the compass of John's long a

is cheek against hers for a moment, w

and go to bed,

ross, Amos," p

sighed Amos, "but she worries over money matters just the way h

t," Levine's voice was short. "Let

tion of the conversation she had heard the night before returned with sickening vividness. After she had wiped the breakfast dishes for Lizzie she stood for a long time at the li

g outside his door and a childish voice saying, "But p

hreadbare, came into his little private office. She close

" she said, "so I w

med Marshall, "where

on't you fix Daddy's n

aculated

dy ever wanted to sell me, you'd buy me. I think I ought to be worth a thousand dollars. I can d

face was purple

know you're here

ittened hands in

tn't tell the man out there my name. I'm in quarant

Dave, gently. "Come o

a visit so I'm no

ll took the skates from her sh

t's talk this over. You know w

she said, her blue e

all's

your father is very poor. He doesn't own anything that's worth a thousand dollars and I knew he could never pay it back. So

a no

that thousand dollars is paid, the people whose money I take

lanation. "I see," she said. "But if you'd pay a t

u mean you would

zzie could take care of Daddy. He doesn't really need

hen went on. "Mr. Levi

land's fixed so's he'd

have in all the world.

if she knew. Oh, she

r. "Levine," he growled,

n the banker's face. "Don't you dare say that!"

lamb, eh? Ask him some time wh

ldish lips, whether it was the look that belongs to ravished motherhood and seemed grossly wrong on a child's face, whether it was some thought of his own pampered little

ut he's got to pay the interest and ten per cent. of the principal, every year till he's paid it up. Here, I'll write it down. An

oice, tilting her head up so that he looked down into her eyes, "I'm buying your friendship with this. You go on living with your father and taking care of him, but

I can't thank you. Oh, but thank you, Mr. M

ather to look out for your nerves. Now skip."

nt came out in the afternoon and the two fished through the ice until sunset, when they came in with a string of fish sufficiently long to divide and

have been born in her. She laid an envelope at her father's plate and when he sat down, silent

sentmindedly opening the envelope. The

" and she gave a full history of her morning's visit, to her two speechless listeners. "And I ran all

ydia to Lizzie, fr

tle daughter-

and she spoke hastily, "Lizzi

a. In spite of little Patience's going, you've taken ten year

sh, "'If you were ten years older, Lydia, and I were