The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1926-10-14

: He'd ike TO as we'll as any one
but he can't right now and I'm 60
ing to look out for my own. Oh
Billy, let me do IT."
You al have 'em all and wei
come" exclaimed Billy, with a sud
den huskiness in his voice. Gosh
you're awful little, Lydia"
Lydia stamped her foot. ~ won
take anything for nothing. Ant
I'm not little. I'm as strong as {
horse"
We'll" conceded Billy, "jiust til
after Thanksgiving is all want
Come on along home now and wei
fix it up with ma"
Ma Norton twisted Lydia around
and retied her hair ribbon while
she listened. They all knew Lydia's
pride. so she quenched the impulse
to give the child the books and
said. It'll Thanksgiving is plenty
of pay, Billy, and when the snow
comes, the two-mile extra walking
will be too much. Get the books
out of the parlor chest. You got
a-a-ink on the back of your neck,
Lydia. Wait till | get 1t off for
YOU"
She wet a corner Of a towel at
the tea kettle and proceeded to
scour the unsuspecting Lydia's neck
and ears. "Children in the high
school are apt TO get ink in the
back of their necks and ears" she
said. always scrub there, Lydia
Remember !"
"Yes, ma'aml Oh, gosh, what a
big pilel Thank you ever so much,
Billy. I'll be here right after school
tomorrow, Mrs. Norton"
Lydia spent a blissful evening
mending and cleaning Billy's text
books.
The delivering of the milk was
no task at all, though had 1t not
been for Adam trudging beside her
with his rolling bulldog gait and
his slavering ugly jaw, she would
have been afraid in the early dusk
of the autumn evenings.
1t took several months for Lydia
to become aware of the complicat-
ed social life going on about her.
She was so absorbed while in
"hool in adjusting herself to the
w ty:te Of school life that the
F.stiuas held VS. came before
realized that. except in her
'#ss'oom work. she had nothing
Iiatever in common with her class
mates.
Saturday was q busy day for Ly-
dia at home. Old Lizzie, who was
nearly sixty, was much troubled
with rheumatism and even careless
Lydia felt vaguely that the house
needed a certain amount of clean
ing once a week. So, of a Satur-
day morning, she slammed through
the house like a small whirlwind,
corners undisturbed and
dust IN windrows, but satisfied with
her efforts. Saturday afternoon,
che worked In the garden when the
day was fair, helping to gather the
winter vegetables. Before little
death she had gone to
school, but since that time
she had not entered a church. So
became her feast day. She
put In the entire morning prepar-
ing a Sunday dinner for her father
and nearly always John Levine.
Christmas came and went, sadly
and quietly. Lydia was glad when
the holidays were over and she was
back In school again. On her desk
that first morning lay a tiny en-
velope, addressed to her. She
opened it. In II was an invitation
Miss Towne to attend a re
she was rendering to the
members of her algebra and geom
etry classes, freshmen and seniors.
For a moment Lydia a in
heaven. It was her first formal in
vitation of any kind. Then she
came rapidly to earth. She had
nothing TO wearl 1t was an eve
ming party and she had no way to
go OF ONE She put the precious
card in her blouse pocket and so
berly opened her Civil Govern
At recess, she sat alone as she
was rather prone to do, in the win
dow of the cloak room. when she
heard a group of girls chattering.
"Who wants to go to grouchy old
Towne's reception when you can
90 to a dance? I've got two bids
% the Phi Pts Marty" said a four
.een-year-old miss.
ooh, we'll have to go or she'll
funk us in algebra" said another
girl. "I1l wear my pink silk or
What1H you wear?'
"My red silk. Maybe she'll let
is dance. l suppose Charlie and
both want to take me-"
Terrible thing to he popular
Kent the sweetest eyes! Do
know what he said to me the
,ther night at the Evans party?"
The girls drifted ont of the cloak
Dom. Lydia sat rigid. Pink or
Red silk Kent's Sweet
'st eyes! Then she looked down
It the inevitable sailor suit. and
It her patched and broken shoes.
20 far she had had few pangs about
Ter clothes. But now for the first
she realized that for some rea-
on she was an alien. different from
he other girls-and the realization f,
made her heart ache.
Lizzie was as excited as Lydia ,
When she heard of the invitation. I
There's that gray serge of your :
nother's," she said. TITS awful
AIDED. And there's a piece Of a )
light blue serge waist she had, Ly-
liza, let's get 'em dyed red. Smit-
ky's will do it in a couple of days a
or us. I'll pay for 1t out of the
paopavB