Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-07-25

quite pale and shook as if she had
chill. She was too frightened to cry.
Had she lost Aunt Comforts ring?-the
real gold ring she had given her for her
name? She looked at the pin which
Miss Tabitha had quilted into the top
OF her pocket, but she dared not take it
out. Suppose Miss Tabitha should ask
II she had, and she had to tell her
and be whipped. That would be al
most worse than losing the ring.
Comfort had never been whinned in
her life, and her blood ran cold at the
thought of it.
She kept feeling wildly of the pocket.
There was little roll of writing paper
in it, 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 it. She longed so to take out
that pin and make sure, but she had to
walt for that until she got home ut
night.
Comfort began to search all over the
schoolroom floor, but all she found
were wads of paper and apple cores,
slate-pencils stumps, 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 recess. Miss
Tabitha Hanks went home that way,
but no sign of the ring could she find.
The road was as smooth as a white floor
too, for the snow was old, and well
trodden.
Comfort Pease went back to the
schoolhouse, and opened her dinner
pail. She looked miserably at the pam
cakes, the bread and butter, and tho
apple pie and cheese, and tried to eat
but she could not. She put the cover
on the pail, leaned her head on the desk
in front, and sat quite still until tho
scholars began to return. Then she
fitted her head, got out her spelling
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 We're not
obliged to go ont at recess. Comfort
studied and recited, and never Il 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 forlornly what it
meant. She did not dream of going to
Miss Tabitha with her trouble She
felt quite sure she would get no SYM
pathy 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 tooth
ache. Indeed, her tooth did begin to
ache, and her head, too, but she wait
ed and sped home like n rabbit when
she was let out at last. She did not
wait even to say word to Matilda.
Comfort, when she got home, went
right through the sitting-room and up
stairs to her own chamber. where
are you going, Comfort?" her mother
called after her. What ails the child?"
said Grandmother Atkins.
I'm 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 it 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 be-
You'd.
I'm coming" Comfort gasped in re-
ply. She turned the pocket back and
went downstairs
1t was odd that, although Comfort
looked so disturbed, neither her mother
nor grandmother asked her what was
the matter. They looked ut 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, plentifully swectened
with molasses, and babe her drink that
so she could not ,catch cold, and vet
there was something strange in her
manner all the time. She madeDno re-
mark, either, when she opened Com
forts dinner pail and saw how little
had been eaten. She merely showed it
| silently to Grandmother Atkins behind
Comforts back, and they nodded to
each other with solemn meaning.
However, Mrs. Pease made the cream
toast that Comfort loved for supper,
and obliged her to eat whole plate of
| it.
~ can't have her get sick" she said to
Grandmother Atkins, after Comfort had
| gone to bed that night.
"Shd amt got enough constitution,
poor child" assented Grandmother At
kins.
Mrs. Pease opened the door and list
ened. II believe she's crying now"
said she. II guess I'll go up there"
81 would If was you," said Grand
mother Atkins
h.