Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-07-25
Continued from yesterday
CHAPTER III
tCopyrighs BY Bachelor johnson 3 Bscheller.l

SOAAoAe sou oooerly IN tne CiliilhSy
corner until breakfast was ready, as
her mother babe her. She was very.
silent and did not say anything during
breakfast, unless some one asked her a
question.
When she started for school, her
mother and grandmother, stood in the
window and watched her.
| 1t was very cold morning, and Mrs.
Pease had put her green shawl on
Comfort over her coat, and the little
| girl looked very short and stout as she
trudged along between the snow ridges
which bordered the path, and yet there
was forlorn air about her.
II don't know as the child was fit to
go to school to-day" Mrs. Pease said
doubtfully.
"She didn't look very well, and she
didn't eat much breakfast, either" said
Grandmother Atkins.
"She was always crazy after hot PAN
cakes, too" said her mother.
Hadn't you better call her back,
Em1y?"
mo, WON'T" said Mrs. Pease, turn
| ing away from the window. "She's be-
gun to go to school, and I'm not going
to take her out unless I'm sure she amt
able to 60"
So Comfort Pease went on to school
and she had the gold ring in her pocket,
which was tied around her waist with a
string under her dress skirt, as was the
| fashion then. Comfort often felt of the
| pocket to be sure the ring was safe as
she went along. 1t was bitterly cold,
| the snowcreaked under her stout shoes
Besides the green shawl, her red tippet
was wound twice around her neck and
face. but her blue eyes peering over it
were full of tears which the frosty wind
| forced into them, and her breath came
short and quick. When she came in
| sight of the schoolhouse she could SEQ
the straight column of smoke rising out
of the chimney, it was so thin in the
cold air. There were no scholars out
in the yard, only group coming down
the road in the opposite direction. 1t
was too cold to play out of doors before
school as usual.
| Comfort pulled off her mittens, thrust
her hand in her pocket, dangling
against her blue wooden petticoat, and
drew out the gold ring.
Then she slipped it on over the third
and fourth fingers of her left hand, put
her mittens on again, and went on.
| 1t was quite still in the schoolhouse,
although school had not begun, because
Miss Tabitha Hanks had arrived. Her
spare form, stiff and wide, and perpen-
dicular as board, showed above the
desk. She wore a purple merino dress
! buttoned down the front with hard
| black buttons, and great breast pin of
twisted gold. Her hair was Topped down
over her ears in two folds like shiny
| drab satin. 1t scarcely looked like hair,
| the surface was so smooth and unbrolen,
and great tortoise shell comb topped
1t like a coronet.
Miss Tabitha's nose was red and
rasped with the cold, her thin lips were
blue and her bony hands were numb,
but she set copies in the writing book
with stern patience. Not one to yield
to little fall in temperature was Ia
bitha Hanks. Moreover she kept a
sharp eye on the school, and she saw
every scholar who entered, while not
seeming to do So
She saw Comfort Pease, when she
came stepping shyly in, and at once
noticed something peculiar about her.
comfort wore the same red thibet dress
and the same bingham apron that she
had worn the day before, her brown
hair was combed off her high, serious
forehead and braided in the same
smooth tails, her blue eyes looked
abroad in the same sober and timid
fashion, and yet there was a change
Miss Tabitha gave a quick frown and
sharp glance of her grey eyes at her,
then she continued setting her copy.
THAT child's up to something" she
thought, while she wrote out in her
beautiful shaded hand: "All is not
gold that glitters."
Comfort went forward to the stove
whichw was surrounded by ring of girls
and boys. Matilda Stebbins and ROSY
were there with the rest. Matilda
moved aside at once when she saw Com
fort and made room for her near the
stove.
"Hullo, Comfort Pease," said she.
"Hullo," returned Comfort.
Comfort held her numb right hand to
the stove, but the other she kept
clenched in little blue fist hidden in
her dress folds.
Gold, amt it?" said Matilda.
Dreadful" said Comfort, with
SILVER.
why don't you warm both your
hands?" asked Matilda.
MY other hand amt cold" said Com
fort, and she really did not think it
was. She was not aware of any sensa.
ton in that hand except that of the
gold ring binding together the third
and fourth fingers.
Pretty soon the big girl with red
checks came in. Her cheeks were
redder than ever, and her black eyes
seemed to have caught something of
the sparkle of the frost outside. Hui
To-" said she, when she caught sight of
Comfort. "That you, Comfort Pease?n
"Hullo," Comfort returned family.
She was dreadfully afraid of this big
girl, who was as much as sixteen wears