er pastry knife, and then,
at last, placing the human stamp upon it by sticking in two black
currants for eyes. Just call to mind the face of that sugar gingerbread
lady and you will have an exact portrait of Huldah's mother,--Mis'
Peter Meserve, she was generally called, there being several others.

"How'd you like Huldy's dress, Delia?" she asked, snapping the elastic
in her black jet bracelets after an irritating fashion she had.

"I thought it was about the handsomest of any," answered Delia; "and
her composition was first rate. It was the only real amusin' one there
was, and she read it so loud and clear we didn't miss any of it; most
o' the girls spoke as if they had hasty pudtin' in their mouths."

"That was the composition she wrote for Adam Ladd's prize," explained
Mrs. Meserve, "and they do say she'd 'a' come out first, 'stead o'
fourth, if her subject had been dif'rent. There was three ministers and
three deacons on the committee, and it was only natural they should
choose a serious piece; hers was too lively to suit 'em."

Huldah's inspiring theme had been Boys, and she certainly had a fund of
knowledge and experience that fitted her to write most intelligently
upon it. It was vastly popular with the audience, who enjoyed the
rather cheap jokes and allusions with which it coruscated; but judged
from a purely literary standpoint, it left much to be desired.

"Rebecca's piece wan't read out loud, but the one that took the boy's
prize was; why was that?" asked Mrs. Robinson.

"Because she wan't graduatin'," explained Mrs. Cobb, "and couldn't take
part in the exercises; it'll be printed, with Herbert Dunn's, in the
school paper."

"I'm glad o' that, for I'll never believe it was better 'n Huldy's till
I read it with my own eyes; it seems as if the prize ought to 'a' gone
to one of the seniors."

"Well, no, Marthy, not if Ladd offered it to any of the two upper
classes that wanted to try for it," argued Mrs. Robinson. "They say
they asked him to give out the prizes, and he refused, up and down. It
seems odd, his bein' so rich and travelin' about all over the country,
that he was too modest to git up on that platform."

"My Huldy could 'a' done it, and not winked an eyelash," observed Mrs.
Meserve complacently; a remark which there seemed no disposition on the
part of any of the company to controvert.

"It was complete, though, the governor happening to be there to see his
niece graduate," said Delia We