this. "And if I'd only written you or Uncle Jabez about her, maybe you would hav

Aunt Alvirah. "Tell me

aintance she had made at Briarwood Hall under such peculiar circ

ugh. She was honest, jest as you say. But your uncle had his do

that," Ruth s

u wore to Miss Cramp's school-the one Helen g

I felt when the girls found out they were

virah. "The poor, skinny little thing. I wisht I could

You're a dear, Aunty! I bet you fix

bout without a home or a mother. But natcherly Jabez wouldn't hear to keepin' her after the cleanin' was done. It's his nearness, Ruthie; he can't help it

Raby, "the tramping girl," had been allowed to move on without those

Helen came spinning along in one of her father's cars from Outlook that afternoo

rcy's mother. And Miss Cramp will be glad to see me, I k

gh. Tom's deserted me. He's gone tramping with Reno over toward the Wilkins Corner road-you

home at Darrowtown. But she was not likely to forget it, for through that accident of M

were little girls-'member, Ruthie?" demanded Helen

ttle," adm

take the wheel and let me find my powder-paper. Tom says he bel

mediately produced the booklet of slips from her v

Ruth, laughing. "You do go at everything so excite

ose doesn't look at

d Ruth. "Oh, dear, me! here comes a big wag

ere! he has begun to turn out

e fly-away Helen. "Come on!" she urged. "We'll never e

nd soon they were shooting along the Cheslow

y to see their friend, Dr. Davison. For the moment the good old gentleman cha

and almost immediately the tinkling of ice in a pitcher announced the approach of one of

kinky-haired child who presented herself with the refreshments. "A

elen was cheerfully curious, and had to go looking about the big office, peeking into the bookcases, looking at th

whispered Ruth

most screamed. For in fooling with the knob of a narrow closet door, it had snapped

cious me!" ex

. "It's not you at all

. "It's somebody the doctor's awfully choice

ppose he

hysician too well to be afraid of him in any case. "No

" gasp

d an old hat of the doctor's from the top of the b

at way? Oh! I'll shut the door. He wiggle

old gentleman came in, rubbing his hands, and with his eyes twinkling. He was a man who had never really grown old, and

ted in Mercy Curtis and her improvement, both physically and mentally. Had it not been for

," Helen declared, with ent

g herself to be finally among the first few members of her class at the Hall. "But I woul

You'll never see little me at the

taying too long, but after he bade them good-by

n he finds that hat on the skeleto

in here-that explains it!' You can

r's, she had asked that gentleman if he had seen the tramping girl, after the latter had left the Red Mill. But he had not.

d fed her. The latter had asked Mr. Curtis about the

, in spite of her tender years, that I did not feel as though it was my place to try to st

ed Ruth, thoughtfully, as she and Helen drove away. "Tha

rothers that she told you about," sug

help us find her, for she didn't say where Willie and Dicki

hum, laughing. "You're always worry