you to say
for yourself, Tabitha Catt?"

She lifted her eyes full of scorching scorn and looked straight into his
face so like her own, as she replied with passionate emphasis, "That
you're a beast, lean Manx Catt, and I'm ashamed of you!"

"She's right," he said to himself, and in silence followed the fleeing
form through the sunset glow toward home.

CHAPTER V

TABITHA IS COMFORTED

Tom had preceded her to the house and evidently had told Aunt Maria, for
when the child burst into the kitchen trailing the green gingham which
she had picked up on her way, the worthy woman said never a word of
reproach, but with trembling fingers helped her out of the queer little
rig and laid it away herself among its crumpled wrappings, while down
her withered cheek stole two tears of pity for the unhappy Tabitha.

"Supper is all ready. Come and have something to eat. I opened a jar of
jam just for you."

Tabitha shook her head, but gave her aunt a grateful look as she rushed
away to her room, slammed the door and crawled into bed, where she lay
trembling with anger and humiliation too great for tears. The beauty of
the day was gone, her pride in her school achievements was ruthlessly
swept away, happiness in these new surroundings was dead.

Her father had said she lied, he had made her tell everyone so, they
would hate her now and have nothing to do with her, or else they would
make the days miserable by rude taunts and hateful jeers as the children
in other towns had done. Miss Brooks would be disappointed in her and
give her only cold looks and maybe cross words. Probably even Carrie
would no longer care to be her friend. At this thought the tears came,
hot, passionate and bitter, and she sobbed convulsively under the pillow
where she hid her head that no one might hear. It seemed as if her heart
would break. Poor little Tabitha!

Outside the sunset colors faded, the twilight deepened and night came
on. The birds twittered sleepily in their nests, a night-hawk screeched
across the sky, in the distance the coyotes howled dismally, and the
ceaseless throbbing of the mines filled the desert quiet.

In the kitchen Aunt Maria clattered nervously around, upset dishes,
spilled the tea, burned the toast and forgot the potatoes entirely, for
her perplexed thoughts were with the sobbing child in bed; and the
minute the remnants of the evening meal were cleared away, the woman
vanished into her room for the night.

Tom