The Courier. (Genoa, Nev.) 1899-1904, 1901-11-15
CHAPTER vi.

ordered her to tie ON her sun-bonnet and
run across the meadow and through the
woods until she came to a rye stubble,
| then follow the footpath along the fence
until she came to another strip of woods,
with brook running through it. And
| just on the fur edge of them woods" said
she, you'll see the men folks to work. =
and do tell 'em to come to their dinner
| quick"
! 1t was a mild September day, and
Mary determined not to hurry. She had
not gone far when she came suddenly
upon boy and two little girls, who SEEM
ed to be playing near the brook. In the
| features of the boy she recognized Henry
Lincoln, and remembering what Billy
| had said of him, she was about turning
away when the smallest of the girls
espied her, and called out: Look here,
Rose, | reckon that's Mary Howard.
I'm going to speak to her."
Jenny Lincoln, you mustn't do any
such thing. Mother won't like it," an
swered the girl called Rose.
But whether mother would like it, or
not, Jenny did not stop to think, and
going toward Mary she said: Have you
come to play in the woodsT
NO." was Mary's reply. II came to
call the folks to dinner"
"Oh, 1t was you that screamed so loud
I couldn't think who it was, but 1t can't
be dinner-time?'
Eyes, tits; it's noon"
"Well, we don't have dinner until 2,
and we can stay here till that time.
Won't you play with us?"
4 H.. koo or,1
work." said Mary.
"Workp repeated Jenny. 81 think
it's bad enough to have to live in that
cid house without working; but come and
see our fish pond;" and taking Mary's
hand, she led her to a wide part of the
stream where the water had been dam
med up until 1t was nearly two feet deep
and clear as crystal Looking in, Mary
could see the pebbles on the bottom.
while fish occasionally darted out and
then disappeared.
81 made this almost all myself" said
Jenny. Henry wouldn't help me be-
cause he's so ugly, and Rose was afraid
of blacking her fingers. But don't care.
Mother says I'm a great-great-Pv for
gotten the word, but it means dirty and
careless, and / guess l do look like a
fright, don't I?'
| Mary now for the first time noticed the
appearance of her companion, and readi-
| ly guessed that the word which she could
not remember was "slattern" She was
fat chubby little girl, with a round,
sunny face and laughing blue eyes, while
her brown hair hung around her fore
head in short, tangled curls. Altogether
| .I ~ ~. L. - ,;ab
one often finds In the country swinging
on gates and making mud pies.
Mary was naturally very neat and in
reply to Jenny's question as to whether
she looked like a fright, she answered,
II like your face better than l do your
Dress" because It is clean"
why, so was my dress this morning." !"
said Jenny, 'but there cant anybody play
in the mud and not get dirty"
| Jenny drew nearer to Mary and said:
''If you'll never tell anybody as long as
you live and braeathe, I'll tell you some
| thing"
| Mary gave the required promise, and
Jenny continued: II shouldn't like to
have my mother know it, for she scolds
all the time now about my vulgar
tastes though I'm sure Rose likes the
same things that do, except Billy Ben
der, and it's about him l was going to
| tell you. He was so pleasant | couldn't
help loving him, if mother did say
mustn't. He used to talk to me about
keeping clean, and once l tried a whole
week, and l only dirtied four dresses in
all that time. Obi how handsome and
funny his eyes looked when 1 told him
about it. He took me in his lap, and
said that was more than he thought
| little girl ought to dirty Did you ever
see any boy you loved as we'll as you do
Billy Bender?"
| Mary hesitated a moment, for, much
as she liked Billy, there was another
whom she loved better, though he had
never been one-half as kind to her as
Billy had. After time she answered !:
Eyes, / like, or 1 did like, George More
land, but l shall never see him again; :"
and then she told Jenny of her home In
England, of the long, dreary voyage to
America, and of her fathers death; but
when she came to the sad night when her
mother and Frankly died, she could not
go on, and laying her face in Jenny's lap
she cried for long time. Jennys tears
flowed, too, and she, softly caressing
Mary, said: Don't cry so, for I'll love
you, and we'll have good times together,
too. We live in Boston every winter,
but 1t will be most six weeks before we
go, and I mean to see you every day."
"In Boston" said Mary, inquiringly.
George lives in Boston"
Jenny was silent moment, and then
suddenly clapping her hands together,
she exclaimed: 81 know George More
land. He lives Just opposite our house,
and Is Ida Seldon's cousin. Why, he's
most as handsome as Billy Bender, only
he leases you more. I'll tell him about
you, for mother says he's got lots of
money, and perhaps he'll give you some"
Mary felt that she wouldn't for the
world have George know she was ia the