The Second Chance

opportuni

elf, though in

vening twili

ed with stars,

ngfe

struggle had been. It all came out afterward that, John Watson, too, in his quiet way, had been thinking of the ad

his ten dollar entrance fee, built a little house on it, and farmed it indifferently for two or three years; but poor Bill had to let it go at last. The numerous black whiskey bottles around his miserable buildings told the story. T

arl would take her money. Aunt Kate protested loudly against having Pearlie's money taken, and said if it wasn't that Bill's stone had come so high she'd spend

f sad, doesn't it, Pa?" she said, as she settled herself on the dismembered beds. "But there's nothin' sad about th

hat, acushla?" her

t forget. He's all cluttered up wid politics, s

you say,

mily are leaving our midst to live on a farm, hoping to better t

n' it plain, Pearlie

to be real han

o have it published in a newspaper, for every pryin' eye to see. So

as it,

, for they wouldn't understand; but

et childhood'

e sadly h

our happy sce

o leave yo

enied, for

the axle o

et childhood'

g out four

to seek a

t see you

inch of th

stick in t

pon thy wal

t meaning a

ng Bugsey spi

youngest bro

ee Danny pi

better th

hat covers

Pearlie's w

the dreary

ed us from c

ed us from w

hy kitchen r

rs come to l

halls with no

ear house, of

y gates go

ingly, "and it's true, too. I don't know

ss that appeared. The April sun flooded the bare landscape with its light and heat. From the farm-yards they passed came the merry cackle of hens. Horses and colts galloped gaily around the corrals, and the yellow meadow larks on

ns's farm they turned straigh

rm, Pearlie," h

d, so battered, so broken, that Pearl's stout heart almost sank. It was made of logs and plastered with mud, and had settled down on one side, looking as ungainly and tired

e trying to find something good about it. When her father ca

sewed on it around the flowers; and do you see yon little shelf? It's got tack marks on it; she's had a white curtain on it, with knitted lace. I know she has, and see, Pa"-looking behind the window casing-"yes, sir, she's had curtains on here, too. There's the tack. She had them tied back, too, and you can see where they've had pictures. I know just what Mrs. Cavers is like-a poor, thin woman, with knots on her knuckles. I could see her face in the

window and wiped t

nd here and watch for Bill so full of hope and still so black afraid, and then it would come on dark and she couldn't see anything but Perkins's light winkin' through the trees, and then she'd lay out the supper, but not eat a bite herself, but just wait, and wait, and wait. And then when Bill did come she'd run

was set in place Pearl said: "Let's get a fire

scrubbed the floor while Pearl cleaned the windows and put up the cheese-cloth curtains sh

got a name for it. We'

nce

h mustard and wild-oats, and they're an abomination to any farm; and so it has just sort, of give up and got discouraged, and now it lets in any old weed that comes along, because it thinks it'll never be any good. But here comes the Watsons, the whole bilin' of them, and I can see over there, Pa"-taking him to the window-"the place th

things," her father said, with his sl

, maybe that it is that way with most of us, and we'll be glad, maybe, of a second chance. Now, Pa, I don't mind tellin' ye that it was a sore touch for me to have to leave

father. "And I'm thinkin' ma

able to give his children many of the things that had been denied him; and it came to him, vaguely at first, but growing ever clearer that

was fifteen years old, and a strong boy for his age, was set to plow at once on the field in front of the house, for it was still early in April, and there was time to get in some crop

r people, and so marched her four young charges down to the river, regaling them, as they went, with terrible stories of drowning and shipwreck. They threw sticks in, pretending they were drowning sailors, but that soon grew monotonous, for the sailors all made their escape and went sailing serenely down the stream. The balm of Gilead trees exuded their healing perfume on the cool breeze that blew ceas

em," said Tommy, who had the

with the money?

the goldfinches had crossed the river and were fluttering over the purp

ys set off in eager pursuit. Bugsey got right in Tommy's way, which was a fortunate thing f

a good deal of abuse from the other three. Then, to change the conversation, which was rather painful, Bugse

rees was too hard on the clothes; but when she came back from looking up Danny, who had dropped behind to look down a gopher's hole, she found that Patsey had discovered a plan whereby he could c

y had the hawk's nest; Bugsey had a fungus. Danny was the only empty-handed one, but Pearlie cheere