half
full and stood, pail in hand, while he drank it.

She was rather tall, and wore a somewhat limp, faded print gown, and a
big sunhat, beneath which a glossy knot of chestnut showed itself. Her
skin was very fair, somewhat freckled, and her mouth was delicious. As
for her eyes, they were grey, but beyond that simply defied
description.

"Will you have some more?" she asked in a soft, drawling voice.

"No, thank you. That was delicious. Is Mrs. Pennington home?"

"No. She has gone away for the day."

"Well, I suppose I can sit down here and rest a while. You've no
serious objections, have you?"

"Oh, no."

She carried her pail into the kitchen and came out again presently
with a knife and a pan of apples. Sitting down on a bench under the
poplars she proceeded to peel them with a disregard of his presence
that piqued Winslow, who was not used to being ignored in this
fashion. Besides, as a general rule, he had been quite good friends
with Mrs. Pennington's hired girls. She had had three strapping
damsels during his sojourn in Riverside, and he used to sit on this
very doorstep and chaff them. They had all been saucy and talkative.
This girl was evidently a new species.

"Do you think you'll get along with Mrs. Pennington?" he asked
finally. "As a rule she fights with her help, although she is a most
estimable woman."

The girl smiled quite broadly.

"I guess p'r'aps she's rather hard to suit," was the answer, "but I
like her pretty well so far. I think we'll get along with each other.
If we don't I can leave--like the others did."

"What is your name?"

"Nelly Ray."

"Well, Nelly, I hope you'll be able to keep your place. Let me give
you a bit of friendly advice. Don't let the cats get into the pantry.
That is what Mrs. Pennington has quarrelled with nearly every one of
her girls about."

"It is quite a bother to keep them out, ain't it?" said Nelly calmly.
"There's dozens of cats about the place. What on earth makes them keep
so many?"

"Mr. Pennington has a mania for cats. He and Mrs. Pennington have a
standing disagreement about it. The last girl left here because she
couldn't stand the cats; they affected her nerves, she said. I hope
you don't mind them."

"Oh, no; I kind of like cats. I've been tryin' to count them. Has
anyone ever done that?"

"Not that I know of. I tried but I had to give up in despair--never
could tell when I was counting the same cat over again. Look at that
black go