ery pale and thin."

"Hey!" said Mr. King, sharply, looking at him over his eyeglasses. "The
boy's well enough; well enough!" But he twisted uneasily in his chair,
all the same. At last he flung down his paper, twitched his fingers
through his hair two or three times, and then burst out--"Well, why
don't you send for her? I'm sure I don't care--I'll write myself, and I
had better do it now. Tell Thomas to be ready to take it right down; it
must get into this mail."

When Mr. King had made up his mind to do anything, everybody else must
immediately give up their individual plans, and stand out of the way for
him to execute his at just that particular moment! Accordingly Thomas
was dragged from his work to post the letter, while the old gentleman
occupied the time in pulling out his watch every third second until the
slightly-out-of-breath Thomas reported on his return that the letter
did get in. Then Mr. King settled down satisfied, and everything went on
smoothly as before.

But Polly didn't come! A grateful, appreciative letter, expressed in
Mrs. Pepper's own stiff way, plainly showed the determination of that
good woman not to accept what was such a favor to her child.

In vain Mr. King stormed, and fretted, and begged, offering every
advantage possible--Polly should have the best foundation for a musical
education that the city could afford; also lessons in the schoolroom
under the boys' private tutor--it was all of no avail. In vain sister
Marian sent a gentle appeal, fully showing her heart was in it; nothing
broke down Mrs. Pepper's resolve, until, at last, the old gentleman
wrote one day that Jasper, being in such failing health, really depended
on Polly to cheer him up. That removed the last straw that made it
"putting one's self under an obligation," which to Mrs. Pepper's
independent soul, had seemed insurmountable.

And now, it was decided that Polly was really to go! and pretty soon all
Badgertown knew that Polly Pepper was going to the big city. And there
wasn't a man, woman, or child but what greatly rejoiced that a sunny
time was coming to one of the chicks in the little brown house. With
many warm words, and some substantial gifts, kind friends helped forward
the "outing." Only one person doubted that this delightful chance should
be grasped at once--and that one was Polly herself!

"I can't," she said, and stood quite pale and still, when the Hendersons
advised her mother's approval, and even Gran