ken, or a kitten as 'it,' they are really masculine or feminine
gender, not neuter."

Rebecca reflected a long moment and then asked, "Is a hollyhock neuter?"

"Oh yes, of course it is, Rebecca."

"Well, could n't we say, 'The hollyhock might have been glad to see it
rain, but there was a weak little baby bud growing out of its stalk and
it was afraid it might be hurt by the storm; so the big hollyhock was
kind of afraid, instead of being real glad'?"

Miss Dearborn looked puzzled as she answered, "Of course, Rebecca,
hollyhocks could not be sorry, or glad, or afraid, really."

"We can't tell, I s'pose," replied the child; "but I think they are,
anyway. Now what shall I say?"

"The subjunctive mood, past perfect tense of the verb 'to know.'"

"If I had known
If thou hadst known
If he had known
If we had known
If you had known
If they had known"

"Oh, it is the saddest tense," sighed Rebecca with a little a little
break in her voice; "nothing but ifs, ifs, ifs! And it makes you feel
that if they only had known, things might have been better!"

Miss Dearborn had not thought of it before, but on reflection she
believed the subjective mood was a "sad" one and "if" rather a sorry
"part of speech."

"Give me some examples of the subjective, Rebecca, and that will do for
this afternoon," she said.

"If I had not eaten salt mackerel for breakfast I should not have been
thirsty," said Rebecca with an April smile, as she closed her grammar.
"If thou hadst love me truly thou wouldst not have stood me up in the
corner. If Samuel had not loved wickedness he would not have followed
me to the water pail."

"And if Rebecca had loved the rules of the school she would have
controlled her thirst," finished Miss Dearborn with a kiss, and the two
parted friends.

IV

THE SAVING OF THE COLORS

EVEN when Rebecca had left school, having attained the great age of
seventeen and therefore able to look back over a past incredibly long
and full, she still reckoned time not by years, but by certain
important occurrences. Between these epoch-making events certain other
happenings stood out in bold relief against the gray of dull daily
life. There was the coming of the new minister, for though many were
tried only one was chosen; and finally there was the flag-raising, a
festivity that thrilled Riverboro and Edgewood society from centre to
circumference, a festivity that took place just before she entered the
Fe