The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1901-05-30
CHAPTER vi.

CHAPTER vi. a..
Nary had been at the poorhouse about
.,.,o weeks when Miss Grundy one day
.I,rsd her TO tie on her sun-bonnet and
,,,, across the meadow and through the
,,,,Js until she came to rye stubble,
,boo follow the footpath along the fence
,ota she came to another strip of woods,
n,;,b brook running through it. And
;rst IN the fur edge of them woods" said
ho "vou'u see the men folks to work"
,rd do irll 'em to come to their dinner
quick.
II was n mild September day, and
Mary determined not to hurry. She had
not gone far when she came suddenly
mnon boy and two little girls, who seem-
Al 70 be playing near the brook. In the
t.stures of the boy she recognized Henry
lincoln. and remembering what Billy
had said Of him, she was about turning
0vay 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
ucb thing. Mother won't like It," an
swered the girl called Rose.
Rut whether mother would like 1t" or
NOT, Jenny di not stop to think, and
going toward Mary she said: "Have you
come to play in the woods?
NO" was Mary's reply. II came to
call the folks to dinner"
"Oh, il was you that screamed so loud.
| couldn't think who it was, but it can't
be dinner-time"
"YeS, It's it's noon."
Well we don't have dinner until 2,
and we can stay here till that time.
Won't you play with u.s."
NO. | can't; / must 60 back and
work." said Mary.
Work" repeated Jenny. Il think
its bad enough to have to live in that
old house without working; but come and
see our fish pond;" and taking Mary's
hand, she led her to wide part of the
stream where the water had been dam
med up until ii 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.
mdue lulS dlulOSt Ill Sell, cdAu
Jenny. Henry wouldn't help me be-
cause he's SO ugly, and Rose was afraid
Of backing her fingers. But don't care.
Mother says I'm great-great-I've for
gotten the word, but it means dirty and
careless, and l guess l do look like a
fright don't 2"
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 round.
sunny face and laughing blue eyes, while
her brown hair hung around her fore
head in short tangled curls. Altogether
she was just the kind of little girl which
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 fright, she answered,
u like your face better than l do your
dress" because it Is clean"
Why, so was my dress this morning =
said Jenny, "but there can't anybody play
IN the mud and not get dirty"
Jenny drew nearer to Mary and said:
III 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: Il 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 l do, except Billy Ben
uer' and it's about him was going to
TEL you. He was so pleasant l couldn't
nelp loving him, If mother did say /
mustn't He used to talk to me about
Aeepmg clean, and once tried a whole
week, and l only dirtied four dresses in
al that time. Oh! how handsome and
'unny his eyes looked when l told him
ABOUT 1t. He took me in his lap, and
said that was more than he thought q
H'ue girl ought to dirty. Did you ever
see See any boy you loved as well as you do
Billy Bender?"
Mary hesitated a moment, for, much
she liked Billy, there was another
"uom she loved better, though he had
never been one-half as kind to her as
rw nrly had. After a time she answered;
les | like, or did like, George More
Mnd' but | shall never see him again =
ruu 'nen she told Jenny of her home IN
england of the long. dreary voyage to
AIerica, and Of her fathers death; but
Nneh she came to the sad night when heI
HO'ner and Frankly died, she could moi
~ on and laying her face in Jenny's lap
s sue cried for long time. Jenny's tearz
wnV~ed' too, and she, softly caressinG
wary said: Don't cry so, for I'll love
.Ou ana we'll have good times together
w. We live in Boston every winter,
ou' II Will be most six weeks before we
%, ana mean to see you every day"
.c IN Boston,? said Mary, inquiringly
ueoree lives in Boston"
sehny was silent moment, and then
SSuuehly clapping her hands together,
| exclaimed: II know George More
III lie lives just opposite our house
Ida Seldon's cousin. Why, he'l
Os' as handsome as Billy Bender, only
leases you more. I'll tell him about
Du' nv. lor mother says he's got lots o1
Ny and perhaps he'll give you some.
Way felt that she wouldn't for th<
noo.S ,.p nave George know she was in tn
.Nuouse' ~ and she quickly answered
,ho" no. You mustn't tell him Wori
ise ts ~ me- don't want you to. Prom
''e That you won't"
a., CHAPTER VII.
,oh atternoon about the middle OF Oc
the mary sat under an apple tree b
S Orchard waop;cc hsxx~-Y~ ~