big opray singer some day mebbe, and
_he_ don't think it's bad. I think still that singin' is about like
havin' curls--if God don't want you to use your singin' and your curls
what did He give 'em to you for?"

Much to the teacher's relief she was spared the difficulty of answering
the child. The aunt was bringing the visitors to Phoebe's room.

"Come in and see my things," Phoebe invited cordially, as though curls
and operatic careers had never troubled her. In the excitement of
displaying her quilts she apparently forgot the vital problems she had
so lately discussed. But Miss Lee made a mental comment as she stood
apart and watched the child among the white-capped women, "That little
girl will do things before she settles into the simple, monotonous life
these women lead."

CHAPTER VI

THE PRIMA DONNA OF THE ATTIC

"AUNT MARIA, dare I go without sewing just this one Saturday?"

It was Saturday afternoon in early October. All the week-end work of the
farmhouse was done: the walks and porches scrubbed, the entire house
cleaned, the shelves in the cellar filled with pies and cakes. Maria
Metz stood by the wooden frame in which she had sewed Phoebe's latest
quilt and chalked lines and half-moons upon the calico, preliminary to
the actual work of quilting.

Phoebe's face was eloquent as her aunt turned and looked down.

"Why?" asked the woman calmly.

"Ach, because it's my birthday, eleven I am to-day. And pop's going to
bring me new hair-ribbons from Greenwald, pretty blue ones, I asked him
to bring, and nice and wide"--she opened her hands in imaginary
picturing of the width of the new ribbons--"but most of all," she
hastened to add as she saw an expression of displeasure on her aunt's
face, "I'd like to have a party all to myself. I thought that so long as
you're going to have women in to help you quilt, and that is like a
party, only you don't call it so, why I could have a party for me alone.
I'd like to play all afternoon instead of sewing first like I do still.
Dare I, I mean may I?"--in conscientious endeavor to speak as Miss Lee
was trying to teach her.

Maria Metz smiled at the little girl's idea of a party, and after a
moment's hesitation replied, "Ach, yes well, Phoebe, I don't care."

"In the garret, oh, dare I go in the garret and play?" she asked
excitedly.

"Yes, I guess. If you put everything away nice when you are done
playin'."

"I will."

She started off gleefully.

"And b