--ever
since, at the age of five, she had begun to go to school--to "time" her
in coming home at noon and afternoon, and whenever she was not there on
the minute, to mete out to her a dose of his ever-present strap.
"I ain't havin' no playin' on the way home, still! When school is done,
you come right away home then, to help me or your mom, or I 'll learn
you once!"
But it happened that Miss Margaret, in her reign at "William Perm"
school-house, had introduced the innovation of closing school on Friday
afternoons at half-past three instead of four, and Tillie, with bribes
of candy bought with part of her weekly wage of ten cents, secured
secrecy as to this innovation from her little sister and brother who
went to school with her--making them play in the school-grounds until
she was ready to go home with them.
Before Miss Margaret had come to New Canaan, Tillie had done her
midnight reading by the light of the kerosene lamp which, after every
one was asleep, she would bring up from the kitchen to her bedside. But
this was dangerous, as it often led to awkward inquiries as to the
speedy consumption of the oil. Candles were safer. Tillie kept them and
a box of matches hidden under the mattress.
It was eleven o'clock when at last the child, trembling with mingled
delight and apprehension, rose from her bed, softly closed her bedroom
door, and with extremely judicious carefulness lighted her candle,
propped up her pillow, and settled down to read as long as she should
be able to hold her eyes open. The little sister at her side and the
one in the bed at the other side of the room slept too soundly to be
disturbed by the faint flickering light of that one candle.
To-night her stolen pleasure proved more than usually engrossing. At
first the book was interesting principally because of the fact, so
vividly present with her, that Miss Margaret's eyes and mind had moved
over every word and thought which, she was now absorbing. But soon her
intense interest in the story excluded every other idea--even the fear
of discovery. Her young spirit was "out of the body" and following, as
in a trance, this tale, the like of which she had never before read.
The clock down-stairs in the kitchen struck twelve--one--two, but
Tillie never heard it. At half-past two o'clock in the morning, when
the tallow candle was beginning to sputter to its end, she still was
reading, her eyes bright as stars, her usually pale face flushed with
e
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