West. They answer the purpose of, and indeed have some
advantage over, the engraved card with lower left-hand corner turned
down, in expressing friendly greetings to all members of the family.

Temporary dwellings were hastily constructed of packing boxes for the
hens and their respective flocks, but after seeding, a real henhouse,
made of logs with a sod roof, was erected.

One thing troubled Pearl's conscience. She was not sure that they had
been real square with the Caverses. It was quite legal for them to
take possession of the farm, of course, for Bill Cavers had abandoned
it; but should they not pay something for the improvements that had
been made? The house had sheltered them, and the stable, such as it
was, was better than no stable--it did not seem right to take it for
nothing. She spoke to her father about it, and he readily agreed with
her, and said they would "do something" when they saw how the crop
turned out.

Pearl worked hard at school, and made such rapid progress that one
day Mr. Donald told her, after reading one of her compositions, that
he believed he could "put her through for a teacher" in a couple of
years, she was doing so well. Pearl stared at him speechless with
joy. Then she went to the window and looked out at the glorious June
day, that all at once had grown more glorious still. The whole
landscape seemed to Pearl to be swimming in a golden mist. An oriole
flew carolling gaily over the woodpile, singing the very song that
was in her own heart. When she came back to the teacher's desk her
eyes were shining with happy tears.

"Just to think," she said in a tremulous voice, "that I can do me
duty to the boys and git me stifficate at the same time! I just feel
like I ought to apologize to God for ever doubtin' that I'd get it."
Then she told the teacher of the fears she had when coming out on the
farm, that she would have no further chance of an education. "And
now," she concluded, "here I am doin' me duty and gettin' me chance
at the same time. Ain't that happiness enough for any one?"

The teacher looked at her wonderingly. "You're a cheerful
philosopher, Pearl," he said gravely, "and you make me wish I was
twenty years younger."

Pearl looked in her dictionary to find what "philosopher" meant, but
even then she could not imagine why Mr. Donald wanted to be twenty
years younger.

After Pearl's visit to the Perkins home, when Martha showed her all
her treasures, her active brain ha