coming close to her little
friend's side, and endeavoring to peer under the sunbonnet. "Would not
your father let you go with him to the forest?"

Anna made no answer, and when Luretta put a friendly arm about her
shoulders, she drew a little away.

"Do not cry, Dan. My brother Paul has gone to the forest with your
father, and he promised to bring me home a rabbit to tame for a pet. I
will give it to you, Dan," said Luretta.

For a moment Anna forgot her troubles. "Will you, truly, Luretta?" and
she pushed back her sunbonnet that she might see her friend more
clearly.

"Yes, I will. And I will give you a nice box with slats across the top,
and a little door at the end that Paul made yesterday for the rabbit to
live in," Luretta promised generously. "I do not suppose Melvina Lyon
would know a rabbit from a wolf," she continued laughingly, quite sure
that Anna would suggest asking Melvina to come and see their tame wolf.
But Anna did nothing of the sort.

"Melvina knows more than any girl in this settlement," Anna replied
quickly. "She can do sums in fractions, and she can embroider, and make
cakes. And she is brave, too."

"Why, Dan Weston! And only last week you made fun of her, and said that
all those things were of no account," exclaimed Luretta.

For a moment the two little friends walked on in silence, and then Anna
spoke.

"Luretta, I'll tell you something. I am going to try to be exactly like
Melvina Lyon. Everybody praises her, and your mother and mine are always
saying that she is well-behaved. And I am going to let my hair grow long
and be well-behaved. But don't tell anyone," Anna added quickly, "for I
want Mrs. Lyon to find it out first of all."

"Oh, Dan! And won't you make funny rhymes any more? Or play on the
timber-rafts--or--or--anything?" asked Luretta.

"I don't believe there is any harm in making rhymes. It's something you
can't help," responded Anna thoughtfully. "And Parson Lyon has written a
book," she added quickly, as if that in some way justified her jingles.

"I don't want you to be different, Dan!" declared Luretta.

Anna stopped and looked at her friend reproachfully. "Well, Luretta
Foster, I am surprised!" she said, and then clasping Luretta's hand she
started to run down the path, saying: "Let's hurry, so I can take off
this dress; then we will walk a little way toward the forest to see if
Father and Paul are coming. Will you truly; give me the rabbit if Paul
captures one?"