the basket back; her mother would not let her buy it on Sunday.

"Me no buy basket Sunday," said the Princess, and she looked loftily
away from the sweet-grass basket shaking in Nancy's shaking hand. She
was not in the least moved by Nancy's horrified, distressed face.
Perhaps something of the ancient cruelty of her race possessed her;
perhaps it was only the contagion of Yankee shrewdness. Nancy dared not
go home with the basket; she went home without it or her fifty cents.

All that afternoon Nancy stayed up in her chamber and wept, while her
best dress was soaking to remove the green stain, if it was Sunday. She
felt as if her heart were broken. She had lost her self-respect, the
sweet-grass basket, and her fifty cents, besides getting a great green
stain on her best dress. Flora tried to comfort her.

"Don't cry," said she. "It's too bad! The Princess is real mean." And
then Nancy sobbed harder.

When her mother was getting supper, her father followed into the pantry.

"I declare I feel sorry for the child," said he. "She's worked real hard
to get that money, and she'ain't ever had so much as Flora. If it wasn't
Sunday I'd go down there this minute, and get back the money or the
basket from those Injuns."

"You'd look pretty going, and you a deacon of the church, after the way
the Princess put it," returned Nancy's mother. "I'm sorry enough for
Nancy, but she ought to have a little lesson. You can go over there
to-morrow morning and get the basket back."

There was a beautiful custard pudding for supper, but Nancy did not want
any.

"Sit up and eat your supper," said her mother. "Your father's going down
to the Injuns in the morning, and see what he can do about it."

However, Nancy still did not care for the custard pudding; everything
tasted of tears.

The next morning, before Nancy's father had a chance to go to the
Indians, the Princess herself came to the back door. Whether she came
from honesty or policy nobody could tell; but she came, and she brought
the sweet-grass basket. She rapped on the door, and Nancy opened it. The
Princess extended the basket without a word. Nancy wiped her hands,
which were damp from washing the breakfast dishes, on her apron, then
she took the basket. Then the Princess struck off across the garden.

Nancy carried the basket into the kitchen. She had a shamefaced and
resolute expression. Flora was in there, and her father and mother.

She went straight to Flora, and hel