me to
see how quick I could get back, but she never counted on the principal's
not being there, which she wasn't. So I had to wait. Then all at once I
saw a big sign on the wall which said if Miss Lisk wasn't in and folks
were in a hurry, to ring the bell twice.

"I was in a _big_ hurry for I had waited so long already that I thought
sure Miss Allen would be after me in a minute to see if I was making the
tacks; so I grabbed the cord and jerked the bell hard twice, and then
twice again, and then twice the third time. I 'xpected she'd come
a-running at that, but what do you think, grandma? Everyone in that
schoolhouse just got up and hustled out of doors as fast as they could
march. We never used to have fire drill in Parker and I hadn't heard of
such a thing here, either, so I was dreadfully s'prised to find what my
gong-ringing had done. Maybe Miss Lisk wasn't mad for a minute, when she
saw me hanging out of the window yelling to know what was the matter,
'cause I was in a hurry for my thumb-tacks! But afterwards she laughed
like anything and said the children made record time in getting out,
'cause no one, not even she herself, knew whether it was just a fire
drill or whether the janitor had rung the gong on account of the
school's really being burned up."

No one could blame the good dame for smiling at the vivid pictures Peace
had painted of her missionary efforts, but Mrs. Campbell knew how sore
the little heart must be over these seeming failures, so she pressed the
nestling head closer to her shoulder and said comfortingly, "But think
of all the smiles you have won from the washerwoman. When I paid her
last night, she showed me the big bunch of flowers you had cut from your
hyacinths and lilies in the conservatory, and told me how eagerly her
poor, sick little girl watched for her home-coming the days she washed
here, knowing that you would never forget to send her something. And Jud
was telling your grandpa only this morning how the ash-man's horse
always whinnies when the team stops in the alley, because you never fail
to be there with a lump of sugar or a handful of oats. Mrs. Dodds says
it is a real pleasure to make dresses for you, just to hear you praise
her work. I was in the kitchen this morning when the grocer brought our
order, and after he was gone, Gussie showed me a sack of candy he had
slipped in for you, because you are so kind to his little girl at
school. I don't need Jud's words to tell me how