Evening star., 1895-03-16
life, and her blood ran cold at the thought

life: and her blood ran cold at the thought
She kept feeling wildly of the pocket.
There was a little roll Of writing paper in
1t, some leaves of an old account book,
which her mother had given her to write
on. All the hope she had was that the
ring had slipped inside that, and that was
the reason why she could not feel 1t. She
longed SO to take out that pin and make
sure. but she had to wait foc that until she
got home at night.
Comfort began to search all over the
school room floor but all she found were
wads Of paper and apple cores, slate pencil
stunps and pins. Then she went out in the
yard and looked carefully; then she went
down the road to the old Loomis place,
where she and Matilda had walked at re-
cess. Miss Tabitha Hanks went home that
way, but no sign of the ring could she
find. The road was smooth as a white
floor, too, for the snow was old and well
trodden.
Comfort Pease went back to the school
house, and opened her dinner pail. She
looked miserably at the pancakes, the
bread and butter, and the apple pie and
cheese, and tried to eat, but she could not.
She put the cover on the pail, leaned her
still until the scholars began to return.
Then she lifted her head, got out her SPELL
ing book and tried to study. Miss Tabitha
came back early, SO nobody dared tease
her. and the cold was SO bitter, and the
sky SO overcast, that they were obliged to
go out at 1ecess. Comfort studied and
recited, and never a smile came on her
pale, sober, little face. Matilda whispered
to know if she were SICK but Comfort only
shook her head.
Sometimes Comfort saw Miss Tabitha
watching her with an odd expression, and
she wondered forloTnly what 1t meant.
She did not dream Of going to Miss Tabitha
with her trouble. She felt quite sure she
would get no sympathy in that quarter
All the solace Comfort had was that one
little forlorn hope that the ring might be
in that roll of paper, and she should find
it when she got home.
1t seemed to her that school never would
be done. She thought wildly of asking Miss
Tabitha If she could not go home, because
she had the toothache. Indeed, her tooth
did begin to ache, and her head, too, but
she waited and sped home like a rabbit
when she was let out at last. She did not
wait even to say word to Matilda. Com
fort when she got home, went right
through the sitting room and up stairs to
her own chamber Where are you going,
What ails the child?' said Grandmother
Atkins.
Pm coming right back" Comfort painted
as she fled.
The minute she was in her own little
cold chamber she took the pin from her
pocket. drew forth the roll of paper and
smoothed 1t out-the ring was not there.
Then she turned the pocket and examined
it. There was little rip in the seam.
Comfort, Comfort" called her mother
from the foot of the stairs. You'll get
your death of cold up there" chimed in
her grandmother from the room beyond.
I'm coming" Comfort gasped in reply.
She turned the pocket back and went down
stairs.
1t was odd that, although Comfort look
ed SO disturbed, neither her mother nor
grandmother asked her what was the mat
ter. They looked at her, then exchanged
a meaning look with each other. And all
her mother said was to bid her go and sit
down by the fire and toast her feet. She
also mixed a bowl of hot ginger tea, plen-
tifully sweetened with molasses and bade