you are here, please show me somehow and teach
me to understand."

CHAPTER IX

WHEN Betty had been in Tinsdale about a month it was discovered that she
could play the piano. It happened on a rainy Sunday in Sunday school,
and the regular pianist was late. The superintendent looked about
helplessly and asked if there was anybody present who could play,
although he knew the musical ability of everybody in the village. The
minister's wife had already pleaded a cut finger which was well wrapped
up in a bandage, and he was about to ask some one to start the tune
without the piano when Mrs. Thornton leaned over with a sudden
inspiration to Betty and asked:

"My dear, you couldn't play for us, could you?"

Betty smiled assent, and without any ado went to the instrument, not
realizing until after she had done so that it would have been better
policy for her to have remained as much in the background as possible,
and not to have shown any accomplishments lest people should suspect her
position. However, she was too new at acting a part to always think of
these little things, and she played the hymns so well that they gathered
about her after the hour was over and openly rejoiced that there was
another pianist in town. The leader of Christian Endeavor asked her to
play in their meeting sometimes, and Betty found herself quite popular.
The tallest girl in their class, who had not noticed her before, smiled
at her and patronized her after she came back from playing the first
hymn, and asked her where she learned to play so well.

"Oh, I used to take lessons before my father died," she said, realizing
that she must be careful.

Emily and Bob came home in high feather and told their mother, who had
not been able to get out that morning, and she beamed on Betty with as
warm a smile as if she had been her own daughter:

"Now, ain't that great!" she said, and her voice sounded boyish just
like Jane's. "Why, we'll have to get a pianna. I heard you could get 'em
cheap in the cities sometimes--old-fashioned ones, you know. I heard
they have so many old-fashioned ones that they have to burn 'em to get
rid of 'em, and they even give 'em away sometimes. I wonder, could we
find out and get hold of one?"

"I guess 'twould cost too much to get it here," said Bob practically.
"My! I wisht we had one. Say, Lizzie, 'f we had a pianna would you show
me how to read notes?"

"Of course," said Betty.

"Well, we'll get one somehow!