Jane Lends A Hand

rls had their books and their packages of sandwiches, and

ember to give those patterns back to Lily Deacon for me. I'm going to be

e, always busy, always placid an

ite forgotten her recent friction with Carl, for quick tempered as sh

what?" said C

ad about Uncle Franz-but it is sort of exciting

e," returned Carl, sulkily. "I don't see why one of the store-rooms couldn't be cleared out for him. All I know

one might sympathize with his annoyance) and his fussy love of neatness reached a degree th

ply to this ind

xt, scuffling through the piles of ruddy brown

ed Carl savagely; his lips set in a stubborn line, and the lenses of hi

yellow pigtails bobbing under their round brown felt hats. Each clutched her spelling book and reader, and her p

he brisk young Lamberts walked it in twenty minute

-day a bit," she remarked, l

ut you've got to go all the same. I bet

id Jane,

s features. "Didn't you catch it hot enough last time? You're such an idiot anyway. If you'd only do

retorted Jane with spirit. "I'm not a d

ered by this cool conceit. "We

lmly, "I am. I heard Dr. Andre

h his hat, then," observed Carl. "He w

lunch-hour, and I was in there, and I heard Dr. Andrews say, 'That l

ot such a swell-head that you won't work at all. And I don't see how anyone cou

placidly; "but he did. Oh, look-Mi

stopped to peer into the front window of a small brick house, where amid a perfect jungle of

head just like her old one. I daresay her cat will eat him too. I wond

was never amused by anything that seemed to him fantastic. "You'd

uctantly

ueerer than calling her cat Alfred, and that awful little monkey of hers,

earts!" echoed

she has lots of pictures of beautiful gentlemen, with black moustaches and curly sid

!" sai

y Sunday afternoon-all dressed up with a flower in his button-hole, and kid gloves, and a little bouquet wrapped up in w

her people's affairs. It wouldn't hurt you to m

id Jane, quite unruffled. "Most of 'em seem t

race for the school-house, outstripping the two squealing, panting twins. And in another

ed "tardy" for the third time that month. The first classes went off passably; but she came to gri

of a lesson at almost a glance stood her in good stead, and with very little trouble on her part she succeeded in shining

with near-sighted, reproachful blue eyes, and an almost inaudib

the fallen leaves into a row of small bonfires, and lifting them in bundles into a little wheeled cart. Patiently he limped back and forth, stopping every now and then to push his old felt hat back on his head and mop his forehead with a colored handkerchief, which in betw

ail just missed causing general disaster. Jane carefully took it again, dried it on her blotter, and made a serious effort to concentrate her attention by fixing her gaze gravely on Miss Farrel's wrinkled face. But she soon found that she was merely wondering why that prim old dame took the trouble to wear a little bunch of false curls across her forehead-such a remarkable

ll that auburn is rather nice. I don't see

pon these reflections, and Jane started as if she had been awakened from a

Miss F

ked about her in surprise, to find

rompted M

n was. Nevertheless she made a bold attempt to conceal this fa

understand the que

each of Miss Farrel's cheekbones, and

ssed in any clearer terms. Will you repeat it to me? Then we can soon find out just w

, shut it, and moistened her lower lip with th

Miss Farrel in ominously gentle tones. "And don't fid

was-was-I didn't understand-I

er si

hear the

iss Fa

pray, have yo

ust th

ing. And what wer

traight, and looked down to h

g, Miss

little black record book, and slowly a

after school. At three o'clock. Well, Isabel, will you

ook he

e thought, and accepted her pun

nd in groups, she sat at her desk waiting for Miss Farrel. The cleaning woman came in, with her mop and bucket, and be

ou here for, this fine afternoon, M

much. How's Amel

e, miss, t

w's Hen

, too, I t

r out of the

there another six weeks or so. Well, I'm not one to complain against what the Lord thinks

one that's going to

on it, and as I says to Mr. Tinker, 'Don't oppose him.'

ous talent for undertaking manifest

now in one of the other rooms," she suggest

urned her atte

that they would most certainly lead to. She tried to sound severe and cold, but now and then she said "

ew all last week's work. You

at Jane was able to answer very nearly

on your work, my dear, it would really be a pleas

lt pork and other provisions, and about her father and brothers. Everybody seemed to drift into talking about their own affairs to Jane, and Jane remembered everything they told her. There was hardly a soul in Frederickstown whose general history she w

ch the cleverer and better in every way-the last of her whole family, and crippled wit

realized how little of the time she had given to the les

y dear." And then after a second little discourse, delivered no doubt principally to assure herself that everything she had

Elise, to return Lily's patterns,

tic, principally because at the lower end of it stood the deserted Sheridan mansion, which, notwithstanding the fact tha

umn, and the birds bathed in the spring; but on the opposite side, where the hill began its rise, the street became simply a white dusty road, leading on through sweet smelling field

y's head, and now and then, shaken by a drowsy

f chords struck on a tinkling square piano, followed by scales and arpeg

of her daily program, and never would it have entered Lily's head to deviate from that daily program, mapped out by her excellent but strong-minded a

the scales for a little while, watching Miss Lil

nk I'd be perfectly happy; but she always looks sort o

whiteness of her skin, she would have drawn her tributes of admiration from any pair of eyes that rested on her-and would have been perfectly blind to them. Lily's mother would not have allowed her for a moment to imagine that she was pretty, and Lily never thought of disobeying mamma. Prettiness, according to Mrs. Deacon's severe judgement, counted for nothing; as she had once observed, "It was only as deep as the epid

es?" demanded Jane presently. Miss Deacon jumped, put

How you sc-

ns. Here they are in my bag. No-I don't believe she put 'em in

How thoughtful of yo

e practising

hook h

y five. And

e street, one hand resting on the frame above her head. The wind ruffled her hair a little, a

a momentary frown ruffl

petuously, and then ab

smiling a little awkwardly as if she regretted even having said so much; or as if she wasn't sure herself what she did wish. Every now

y. Something foolish, no doubt," and the

heard the news about

tear it down, and build a horrid old fa

of the family is going to live the

king place in Frederickstown! "Do you know who it is? Man,

ushed s

ink there's only one-a M

" inquired Jane, who had al

," said Lily, blushing again, "

id you

was doing my hair, so of course, I couldn't be sure-but, anyhow, someone was sitting in it leaning back, with a stick-but it seemed to be fairly young-though I coul

t's too late to go and investigate

't do that!" said Lil

ow else'll

I don'

ot to know something about st

's true,"

ne. "It's what you c

call "it" curiosity; but then mamma's

rest," said Jane, complacently, "I ought

of Lily's voice, but now they sounded a little gayer, a little warmer and sweeter than they had before, and what was more, instead o