ter shoes besides. Oh, mother I'm so happy! Take the books and bring
the bucket!"

Then she saw Margaret and Wesley. "Oh, glory!" she exulted. "I was just
wondering how I'd ever wait to tell you, and here you are! It's too
perfectly splendid to be true!"

"Tell us, Elnora," said Sinton.

"Well sir," said Elnora, doubling down on the floor and spreading out
her skirt, "set the bucket here, mother. These points are brittle, and
should be put in one at a time. If they are chipped I can't sell them.
Well sir! I've had a time! You know I just had to have books. I tried
three stores, and they wouldn't trust me, not even three days, I didn't
know what in this world I could do quickly enough. Just when I was
almost frantic I saw a sign in a bank window asking for caterpillars,
cocoons, butterflies, arrow points, and everything. I went in, and it
was this Bird Woman who wants the insects, and the banker wants the
stones. I had to go to school then, but, if you'll believe it"--Elnora
beamed on all of them in turn as she talked and slipped the arrow
points from her dress to the pail--"if you'll believe it--but you won't,
hardly, until you look at the books--there was the mathematics teacher,
waiting at his door, and he had a set of books for me that he had
telephoned a Sophomore to bring."

"How did he happen to do that, Elnora?" interrupted Sinton.

Elnora blushed.

"It was a fool mistake I made yesterday in thinking books were just
handed out to one. There was a teachers' meeting last night and the
history teacher told about that. Professor Henley thought of me. You
know I told you what he said about my algebra, mother. Ain't I glad I
studied out some of it myself this summer! So he telephoned and a girl
brought the books. Because they are marked and abused some I get the
whole outfit for two dollars. I can erase most of the marks, paste down
the covers, and fix them so they look better. But I must hurry to the
joy part. I didn't stop to eat, at noon, I just ran to the Bird Woman's,
and I had lunch with her. It was salad, hot chocolate, and lovely
things, and she wants to buy most every old scrap I ever gathered. She
wants dragonflies, moths, butterflies, and he--the banker, I mean--wants
everything Indian. This very night she came to the swamp with me and
took away enough stuff to pay for the books and tuition, and to-morrow
she is going to buy some more."

Elnora laid the last arrow point in the pail and arose, shaking