s myself fur a present."

"Oh, Aunty Em, but maybe you'd better not be so good to me!" Tillie
said, dashing away the tears as she industriously rubbed her pans. "It
was my vanity made me want new caps. And father's taking them was maybe
the Lord punishing my vanity."

"You needed new caps--your old ones was wore out. AND DON'T YOU BE
JUDGIN' THE LORD BY YOUR POP! Don't try to stop me--I'm buyin' you some
caps."

Now Tillie knew how becoming the new caps were to her, and her soul
yearned for them even as (she told herself) Israel of old yearned after
the flesh-pots of Egypt. To lose them was really a bitter
disappointment to her.

But Aunty Em would spare her that grief! A sudden passionate impulse of
gratitude and love toward her aunt made her do a most unwonted thing.
Taking her hands from her dish-water, she dried them hastily, went over
to Mrs. Wackernagel, threw her arms about her neck, and kissed her.

"Oh, Aunty Em, I love you like I've never loved any one--except Miss
Margaret and--"

She stopped short as she buried her face in her aunt's motherly bosom
and clung to her.

"And who else, Tillie?" Mrs. Wackernagel asked, patting the girl's
shoulder, her face beaming with pleasure at her niece's affectionate
demonstration.

"No one else, Aunty Em."

Tillie drew herself away and again returned to her work at the dresser.

But all the rest of that day her conscience tortured her that she
should have told this lie.

For there was some one else.

XX

TILLIE IS "SET BACK"

On Sunday morning, in spite of her aunt's protestations, Tillie went to
meeting with her curls outside her cap.

"They'll set you back!" protested Mrs. Wackernagel, in great trouble of
spirit.

"It would be worse to be deceitful than to be vain," Tillie answered.
"If I am going to let my hair curl week-days, I won't be a coward and
deceive the meeting about myself."

"But whatever made you take it into your head to act so vain, Tillie?"
her bewildered aunt inquired for the hundredth time. "It can't be fur
Absalom, fur you don't take to him. And, anyways, he says he wants to
be led of the Spirit to give hisself up. To be sure, I hope he ain't
tempted to use religion as a means of gettin' the girl he wants!"

"I know I'm doing wrong, Aunty Em," Tillie replied sorrowfully. "Maybe
the meeting to-day will help me to conquer the Enemy."

She and her aunt realized during the course of the morning that the
curls were creating