hand raised in her
heart. But he aroused far more interest in her mind than all the
"other boys" put together. Rosie argued the matter, but at last
consented. A dirty, ragged sweetheart was perhaps after all better
than none. "Besides it doesn't matter much," she concluded
practically. "'Cause it's only to tease you about, and cancel your
names." She added cautiously that Lizzie had better not tell anybody
else, it would be a secret between them, thus loyally saving her friend
from public disgrace.

Elizabeth consented, and Rosie wrote Elizabeth Jarvis Gordon and
Charles Henry Peters on her slate and performed the necessary ceremony.
It turned out quite satisfactorily, and Rosie's next duty was to chant
the usual incantation over the buttons of her friend's pinafore:

"_Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief,
Doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief._"

There were just eleven buttons, which brought the ominous result,
"beggar man." Rosie gave herself up to renewed dismay, but Elizabeth
grew more joyful every moment. It would be very romantic to marry a
beggar man, and likely poor Charlie would have to be one, seeing he was
so sick and had only one arm. It would be just like the story in the
_Chronicle_, of the lovely Lady Evelina, who ran away with the
coachman, and he turned out a count! She accordingly set to work at
her slate, and drew a picture of herself riding up in all her grandeur
of velvet-cloak, armor, and spear to rescue a ragged, one-armed boy
from an enemy's camp. Elizabeth's instincts were right, the touch of
self-sacrifice she dimly divined was necessary to make an act of
perfect heroism.

For the next few days Rosie lived in distress, lest Elizabeth's
unfortunate love affair became public and both she and her chum be
disgraced. But, before disaster could descend, Elizabeth's clouded
destiny changed to one of dazzling splendor in the most miraculous way.

One morning there appeared in school, with Noah Clegg, Junior, a new
boy; a wonderfully handsome boy, in a black velvet suit and broad white
collar, altogether such a magnificent creature as had never before been
seen in Forest Glen.

He had not been in school ten minutes before everybody knew all about
him, Hannah Clegg proudly giving the information. He was from
Cheemaun. His name was Horace Oliver, and his father was a rich
lumberman. The Cleggs had supplied Mrs. Oliver with fresh butter and
eggs for years, and Hannah herself had b