At the Little Brown House

ecember day as Cherry and Peace came stamping in from school. "One

n we were to gather evergreens in the woods for decorating the

il. "I am sorry, but the eggs

Hope go t

g care of the

e is

with a h

adache when there ar

ea

town. Dr. Bainbridge lives at one end of

ean money, you know, an

se we must,"

ch take a basket and see which can get there first. Then

. "You take the Judge's an

way, much to gentle Gail's relief, for she found it har

ether, but here their paths divided, and they

at the church un

much time before dark, and the women

snowy street, regardless of the

hort time, but no Cherry was in sight anywhere; so she sat down on the steps to await h

n awfully long time tonight. I s'pose Mrs. Bainbridge has got a gabbing streak on and will keep her there the rest of the day listening to her. Cherry never can get away when folks begin talking to her. I ought to

et and tried the doo

so secure. "Well, the basement window ain't fastened, I know, 'cause 'twas only yesterday that

dropped to the cement floor below. Considerably jarred-for the window was high in the wall-she gathered herself up and felt her

up and trimmed. Maybe they don't want any more evergreens. Well, I'll wait for Cherry and w

ing over the seats like a squirrel, while she waited for Cherry, who did not come. At length

ch Peace was fast asleep, and her ears were deaf to the trills and whistles outside. Thinking the younger girl had grown impatient at waiting and, regardless of her promise, h

ard Mrs. Wardlaw's sharp tones saying, "Well, I, for one, don't believe in getting her a suit for Christmas. She dr

ecognized as Mrs. Bainbridge's. "They haven't been married two years yet. Brides always have more clothes than any o

mer finery, and two or three separate skirts. I suppose that is where all Br

date in everything she puts on, but I can't see where there is any fashion plate about he

ut I still declare that she has clothes enough now,

around to find a pair of flashing brown eyes glaring out from under the janitor's old coat in the corner, "If

finger accusingly at the women, who exclaimed in unison, "Pe

church supper that night. But the brown didn't color even, so she ripped it to pieces and dyed it black. It was all wearing out, too, so she had to put some trimming on the skirt to cover up the holes. I was over there and saw her do it myself. She cut over her wedding dress to have something nice to wear last summer, and all those sep'rate skirts you talk about are some of her sister's old ones. She hasn't spent a cent for clothes since she bought her str

e night last week when you lugged in a jug of buttermilk, Mrs. Waddler, you know you did, when you had promised her fresh milk. I heard you promise. Do you s'pose she could use butterm

m before the shells were broken. I told her 'twas a mercy he hadn't sent her chiny n

tten herself, her manners, everything, in the defense of her friends; and now, realizing how rude she had been to one of these women confronting her, she dr

ng, Mrs. Wardlaw said humbly, "Wouldn't you like to go to Martindale with us some day next week and help us

ery day but Saturday, and that's our Sunshine Club afternoon. I know what she likes best, though. I asked her

" murmured Mrs. Bainbr

aw amiably. "So you think navy

the bluest eyes and the goldest hair? Just like Hope's and Allee's.

e called, "Mrs. Bainbridge, the children have come back just loaded down with g