eat dinner.

"This quietude is an incentive to good work," she said, reflectively,
at table. "I shall be sorry to go back to town."

But it was very early in their experience to say _that._ Lizzie Bean
was not yet an enthusiast for the simple life, that was sure. She and
Mother Wit had gotten better acquainted during the preparations for
the noonday meal.

"I ain't never been crazy about the country myself," admitted Liz.
"Cows, and bugs, and muskeeters, and frogs, don't seem so int'restin'
to me as steam cars, and pitcher shows, and sody-water fountains, and
street pianners.

"I like the crowds, I do. A place where all ye hear all day is a
mowin' merchine clackin', or see a hoss switchin' his tail to keep off
the bluebottles, didn't never coax me, _much._"

"The bucolic life does not tempt you, then?" said Laura, her eyes
twinkling.

"Never heard it called that afore. Colic's it serious thing--'specially
with babies. But the city suits me, I can tell ye," said Liz.

"I never seen no-one that liked the woods like you gals seem to
before, 'ceptin' a feller that lived in the boardin' house I worked
at in Albany. He was a bug on campin' and fishin' and gunnin', and all
that."

"Did you work in Albany?" queried Laura, surprised.

"Yep. Last year. I had a right good place, too. Plenty of work. I got
up at four o'clock in the mornin' and I never _did_ get through at
night!"

"Oh, my!"

"Yep. I love work. It keeps yer mind off yer troubles, if you have
enough and plenty to do. But if yer have too much of it, yer get fed
up, as ye might say. I didn't get time to sleep."

Laura had to laugh at that.

"Yep. That chap I tell you about was the nicest chap I ever see. He
was kind to me, too. When I cut my thumb most off--see the
scar?--a-slicin' bread in that boardin' house, the missis put me out
'cause I couldn't do my work."

"How mean!" exclaimed Laura.

"Ah! ye don't know about boardin' house missises. They ain't human,"
said Liz, confidently. "But Mr. Norman, he seen me goin' out with my
verlise, and he knowed about my sore thumb. He slipped me five dollars
out o' his pocket. But he was rich," sighed Liz, ecstatically. "He
owned a bank."

"Owned a bank?" gasped Laura.

"Yep."

"And lived in a cheap boarding house?" for Laura knew that Liz could
not have worked in a very aristocratic place.

"Well! he went to a bank every day," said the simple girl. "And if he
warn't rich why should he have slipped me