o to preserve her usually sober
face. Wesley knew what she was thinking.

After supper the dress was finished, the pattern for the next one
discussed, and then the Sintons went home. Elnora gathered her
treasures. When she started upstairs she stopped. "May I kiss you
good-night, mother?" she asked lightly.

"Never mind any slobbering," said Mrs. Comstock. "I should think you'd
lived with me long enough to know that I don't care for it."

"Well, I'd love to show you in some way how happy I am, and how I thank
you."

"I wonder what for?" said Mrs. Comstock. "Mag Sinton chose that stuff
and brought it here and you pay for it."

"Yes, but you seemed willing for me to have it, and you said you would
help me if I couldn't pay all."

"Maybe I did," said Mrs. Comstock. "Maybe I did. I meant to get you some
heavy dress skirts about Thanksgiving, and I still can get them. Go to
bed, and for any sake don't begin mooning before a mirror, and make a
dunce of yourself."

Mrs. Comstock picked up several papers and blew out the kitchen light.
She stood in the middle of the sitting-room floor for a time and then
went into her room and closed the door. Sitting on the edge of the bed
she thought for a few minutes and then suddenly buried her face in the
pillow and again heaved with laughter.

Down the road plodded Margaret and Wesley Sinton. Neither of them had
words to utter their united thought.

"Done!" hissed Wesley at last. "Done brown! Did you ever feel like a
bloomin', confounded donkey? How did the woman do it?"

"She didn't do it!" gulped Margaret through her tears. "She didn't do
anything. She trusted to Elnora's great big soul to bring her out right,
and really she was right, and so it had to bring her. She's a darling,
Wesley! But she's got a time before her. Did you see Kate Comstock grab
that money? Before six months she'll be out combing the Limberlost for
bugs and arrow points to help pay the tax. I know her."

"Well, I don't!" exclaimed Sinton, "she's too many for me. But there is
a laugh left in her yet! I didn't s'pose there was. Bet you a dollar,
if we could see her this minute, she'd be chuckling over the way we got
left."

Both of them stopped in the road and looked back.

"There's Elnora's light in her room," said Margaret. "The poor child
will feel those clothes, and pore over her books till morning, but
she'll look decent to go to school, anyway. Nothing is too big a price
to pay for that."

"Y