The Green Forest tribune., 1910-12-30

 you for two seasons yet. uo
 Eunice was silent. But that u.- after she had gone to her room, snt sat long time by the window th.~i ing and crying. -'nA'
 T won't" said Eunce to bers,,. ! softly, for her mother slept m tt other side of the wall, "but beforo sleep I'll have session with that hot I'll never again take it to Miss AdaT,,s, to have her city trimmer laugh at if
 Eunice had never trimmed a bat ;n her life. She felt fierce pleasure nov1 in stripping the faded pink roses from the black leghorn, and she wheeled the limp brim to assume stability Then she applied some ribbon and bar best belt buckle after manner which she had observed in Miss Adams win. dow. She was amazed at her own achievement. Desperation had lent her skill. She tried it on before the glass. It was not unbecoming. Then she crept into bed
 She showed the hat to her mother next morning.
 "It looks we'll" was Mrs. Lys' only comment
 I'm sure," Eunice said, speaking of that new resolution which had come to her with her success, q could learn to trim hats for other people. I should like to know how to earn money"
 Mrs. Lys looked pained. Why, my dear child why should you wish to earn money?" she asked. "There is no need. You have enough of everything now"
 Eunice was disappointed. She knew how her mother felt, but if only her mother had known how she felt!
 That afternoon Edith Benns came running in. "Oh, Eunice, come with usl" she said We're going on the river-Hal and Kitty and I, and we want you. Do hurry. They're waiting now, down on the bank"
 Put on hat dear" said Mrs. Lys
 Eunice put on the leghorn. After all she felt shy pride in the fact | that she had trimmed it herself And she wanted to hear what Edith would say. What Edith said was character istic of her charmingly sarcastic self.
 "If long association is endearing you must be awfully attached to that hat" she remarked.
 As for Hal Kinch, Edith's irrepres- sible cousin, he had an appropriate conundrum: What member of the vegetable kingdom does Eunice's hat resemble?" The answer, of course. was "The live-forever" He also warbled a song: Shall good old leg horns be forgot" to the tune of Auld Lang Syne. T
 Look, Euniee!" cried Kitty. Look, Ede! There's Royce and Elmer Brent out there in that canoe."
 It was, indeed, Ward and Elmer. And when they saw the quartet in the | larger boat they shouted greeting and | padded toward them. At that mo ment Eunice thought-she was never sure-that she felt something touch her hat as if a pin was being stealth i fly withdraw. But before she had time to lift her hand to her head a smart little breeze came ruffiing over the i water and whisked her hat from her head. She gave a little cry as she saw it go, dipping and skimming on | the current in the direction of the canoe.
 It was Ward Royce who rescued that hat finally at the risk of good wetting. He handed it to Eunice drip ping, a hopelessly sodden thing
 Hal was weeping elaborately, with one eye on Eunice, whose face was scarlet. She felt joy and shame and relief all at once. The hat was a wreck Surely she could never wear it again.
 Ward Royce detached Eunioe from the others of the group and walked home with her that afternoon He carried the hat and pieced out Flu nice's explanation of the catastrophe to her slightly surprised mother
 You couldn't have pinned it se- curely," Mrs. Lys said. Well, you may go and get another hat, dear. You shall choose for yourself this time. You are quite old enough. Only get something handsome and wear able and remember I do not wish to pay more than S15."
 Eunice bought the wEite horsehair hat with the frothy willow plume. And then because it was such hand some hat that it put all Eunice's other belongings quite to shame Mrs. Lys decided that she must have a dainty lingerie frock to go with it.
 So it came about that Eunice was as charmingly clad that summer as even she could wish to be. And be- cause she looked so sweet and was so sweet Ward Royce paid her that kind of extravagant attention wb,ch only ends in the one perfect way. though he maintained with the abso- lute conviction of the man in love that he had learned to adore her not under the willow plume, but under the old black leghorn.