ood?" her stepmother phlegmatically inquired from
across the room, where she sat with a dish-pan in her lap, paring
potatoes for supper.

"No, ma'am," weakly answered Tillie.

"Pop 'll be looking fur you out in the field."

Tillie wearily closed her eyes and did not answer.

Mrs. Getz looked up from her pan and let her glance rest for an instant
upon the child's white, pained face. "Are you feelin' too mean to go
help pop?"

"Yes, ma'am. I--can't!" gasped Tillie, with a little sob.

"You ain't lookin' good," the woman reluctantly conceded. "Well, I'll
leave you lay a while. Mebbe pop used the strap too hard last night. He
sayed this dinner that he was some uneasy that he used the strap so
hard--but he was that wonderful spited to think you'd set up readin' a
novel-book in the night-time yet! You might of knew you'd ketch an
awful lickin' fur doin' such a dumm thing like what that was. Sammy!"
she called to her little eight-year-old son, who was playing on the
kitchen porch, "you go out and tell pop Tillie she's got sick fur me,
and I'm leavin' her lay a while. Now hurry on, or he'll come in here to
see, once, ain't she home yet, or what. Go on now!"

Sammy departed on his errand, and Mrs. Getz diligently resumed her
potato-paring.

"I don't know what pop'll say to you not comin' out to help," she
presently remarked.

Tillie's head moved restlessly, but she did not speak. She was past
caring what her father might say or do.

Mrs. Getz thoughtfully considered a doubtful potato, and, concluding at
length to discard it, "I guess," she said, throwing it back into the
pan, "I'll let that one; it's some poor. Do you feel fur eatin' any
supper?" she asked. "I'm havin' fried smashed-potatoes and wieners
[Frankfort sausages]. Some days I just don't know what to cook all."

Tillie's lips moved, but gave no sound.

"I guess you're right down sick fur all; ain't? I wonder if pop'll have
Doc in. He won't want to spend any fur that. But you do look wonderful
bad. It's awful onhandy comin' just to-day. I did feel fur sayin' to
pop I'd go to the rewiwal to-night, of he didn't mind. It's a while
back a'ready since I was to a meetin'--not even on a funeral. And they
say they do now make awful funny up at Bethel rewiwal this week. I was
thinkin' I'd go once. But if you can't redd up after supper and help
milk and put the childern to bed, I can't go fur all."

No response from Tillie.

Mrs. Getz sighed her disappointment a