Almighty,
she was so pleased with Him. Maybe I haven't told everything about
her, after all. Father must have thought that was lovely of her; he
surely felt as happy as she did, to see Shelley better, for he hugged
and kissed her over and over, finishing at her neck like he always did,
and then I be hanged, if he didn't hug and kiss every last one of
us--tight, even the boys. Shelley he held long and close, and patted
her a little when he let her go. It made me wonder if the rest of us
didn't get ours, so he'd have a chance at her without her noticing it.
One thing was perfectly clear. If shame came to us, they were going to
love her, and stick tight to her right straight through it.

Now that everything was cleared up so, Shelley seemed a little more
like herself every day, although it was bad enough yet; I thought I
might as well hurry up the end a little, and stop the trouble
completely, so I began watching for a chance to ask her. But I wanted
to get her away off alone, so no one would see if she slapped me. I
didn't know how long I'd have to wait. I tried coaxing her to the
orchard to see a bluebird's nest, but she asked if bluebirds were
building any different that year, and I had to admit they were not.
Then I tried the blue-eyed Mary bed, but she said she supposed it was
still under the cling peach tree, and the flower, two white petals up,
two blue down, and so it was. Just as I was beginning to think I'd
have to take that to the Lord in prayer, I got my chance by accident.

May and Candace were forever going snake hunting. You would think any
one with common sense would leave them alone and be glad of the chance,
but no indeed! They went nearly every day as soon as the noon work was
finished, and stayed until time to get supper. They did have heaps of
fun and wild excitement. May was gentle, and tender with everything
else on earth; so I 'spose she had a right to bruise the serpent with
her heel--really she used sticks and stones--if she wanted to. I asked
her how she COULD, and she said there was a place in the Bible that
told how a snake coaxed Eve to eat an apple, that the Lord had told her
she mustn't touch; and so she got us into most of the trouble there was
in the world. May said it was all the fault of the SNAKE to begin
with, and she meant to pay up every one she could find, because she had
none of the apple, and lots of the trouble. Candace cried so much
because Frederick Swartz had