ide, looking as ungainly and
tired as an old horse when he rests on one leg. There was a door in
the side next the road, with one window at each side of it--windows
with almost everything in them except glass.

Pearl jumped down from the waggon and ran around her new home trying
to find something good about it. When her father came in after tying
up his horses, he found her almost in tears.

"Pa," she said, "this is sadder than I ever thought it would be. I
wish it had been real dirty and shiftless; but look, Pa, they've
tried to keep it nice. See, it's been whitewashed, and there's a
place you can tell they've had a bit of oil-cloth behind the box the
wash basin sat on, to keep the spatters off the wall. And see here,
Pa," stooping to pick up a piece of cretonne from the rubbish on the
floor--"this has been a paper holder--there's beads sewed on it
around the flowers; and do you see yon little shelf? It's got tack
marks on it; she's had a white curtain on it, with knitted lace. I
know she has, and see, Pa"--looking behind the window casing--"yes,
sir, she's had curtains on here, too. There's the tack. She had them
tied back, too, and you can see where they've had pictures. I know
just what Mrs. Cavers is like--a poor, thin woman, with knots on her
knuckles. I could see her face in the house as we drove up to the
door, kind of crooked like the house, and gray and weather-beaten,
with teeth out. Houses always get to look like the people who live in
them. They've tried--at least she has, and she's failed. That's the
sad thing to me, Pa--she's tried. If people just set around and let
things go to smash and don't care, that's too bad but there's nothing
sad about it. But to try your livin' best and still have to go
under--that's awful!"

Pearl walked to the window and wiped the cobwebs from it.

"I know how she felt when she was standin' here watchin' fer Bill,
hopin' so hard that he's come home right this time, and bring the
list of things she asked him to bring with his wheat-ticket. I can
see she was that kind, always hopin'; if she wasn't that kind she
wouldn't ever have sewed the beads on. She'd stand here and watch for
Bill so full of hope and still so black afraid, and then it would
come on dark and she couldn't see anything but Perkins's light
winkin' through the trees, and then she'd lay out the supper, but not
eat a bite herself, but just wait, and wait, and wait. And then when
Bill did come she'd run out wid