rassment seemed only a surface thing.
She held out a red, rough hand to Ruth and smiled in a quick, bright way
as she said: "I don't know that you remember me, Ruth."

"Oh, yes I do, Annie," Ruth replied, and held on to the red, rough hand.

"I didn't know; I'm sure," she laughed, "that you've always meant more
to me than I could to you."

After Ruth had introduced Harriett the stranger explained that with: "I
thought a great deal of Ruth when we were in school together. She never
knew it--she had so many friends." A little pause followed that.

"So I couldn't bear to go away," Annie went on in her rather sharp,
bright way, "without seeing you, Ruth. I hope I'm not intruding, coming
so--soon."

"You are not intruding, Annie," said Ruth; her voice shook just a
little.

Ted had come home, and came in the room then and was introduced to
Annie, with whom, though frankly surprised at seeing her, he shook hands
warmly. "But we do know each other," he said.

"Oh, yes," she laughed, "I've brought you many a cauliflower."

"And oh, those eggs!" he laughed back.

Again there was a slight pause, and then Annie turned to Ruth with the
manner of being bound to get right into the thing she had come to say.
"I didn't wait longer, Ruth, because I was afraid you might get away and
I wondered,"--this she said diffidently, as one perhaps expecting too
much--"if there was any chance of your coming out to make me a little
visit before you go back.

"You know,"--she turned hastily to Ted, turning away from the things
gathering in Ruth's eyes, "the country is so lovely now. I thought it
might do Ruth good. She must be tired, after the long journey--and all.
I thought a good rest--" She turned back to Ruth. "Don't you think,
Ruth," she coaxed, "that you'd like to come out and play with my baby?"

And then no one knew what to do for suddenly Ruth was shaken with sobs.
Ted was soothing her, telling Annie that naturally she was nervous that
night. "Ted," she choked, in a queer, wild way, laughing through the
sobs, "did you _hear_? She wants me to come out and play with her
_baby_!"

Harriett got up and walked to the other side of the room.
Ruth--laughing, crying--was repeating: "She wants me to play with her
_baby_!" Harriett thought of her own children at home, whom Ruth had not
seen. She listened to the plans Annie and Ted and Ruth were making and
wretchedly wished she had done differently years before.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THR