The Story Girl

Peter had the largest-three dollars. Felicity was a good second wit

uls of wheat you've fed to those hens, Miss Felicit

ok how Aunt Olivia's hens laid, too, and s

g to give. If you were like poor Sara Ray, and hadn'

d-and she did not waste her smiles-she was rather pretty in a plaintive, apologetic way. A dimple or

, and he sent me three dollars. He said I was to use it ANY way I liked, so ma couldn't refuse to let me give it to the fund. She thinks it's an awful w

WE had earned our contributions by the sweat of our brow, or by the scarcely less disagreeable method of "begging."

u know," said Felix, a

ly. "If the rest of us had just set down and done nothing, only pr

d she COULDN'T. You see? But come on down to the orchard. The Story Gir

father was always an event; and to hear her read

s a personality. His letters to the Story Girl, the pictures and sketches he sent he

r man he might have been a more successful artist. But he had a small fortune of his own and, lacking the spur of necessity, or of disquieting ambition, he remained little more than a clever amateur. Once in a while he painted a picture which showed what he could do; but for the rest, he was satisfied to wander over the world, light-hearted and

k well but, as Felix said, he couldn't write worth a cent. The letters we had received from him since his arrival in Rio de Janeiro were mere scrawls, telling us to be good boys and not

then brushed our faces as softly as the down of a thistle, was full of the glamour of mountain-rimmed lakes, and purple chalets, and "snowy summits old in story." We climbed Mount Blanc, saw the Jungfrau soari

to go to Europe," sig

day," said the

nreachable as the moon. It was hard to believe that one of US should ever go there. But Aunt Julia had gone-a

o there?" asked

stories to all the world,"

in the east, above the Awkward Man's house, the Wedding Veil of the Proud Princess floated across the sky, presently turning as

nd I hastened to do it, although I was beginning to lose faith in it. I

twilit room and swallowed the decreed pinch.

g, what have

stily into my trunk

business," I s

nt my blunt speech. "Look here, Bev, is that mag

each other, suspicio

Billy Robinson and his

mething. He said he wasn't going to sell any o

was beginning to understand that Bill

mouth is a decen

would make me grow tall. And it hasn't-not an inch! I

he girls in school laugh at it so. Kate Marr says it's like a

pil of Carlisle school, so it eventually appeared, had bought magic seed, under solemn promise of secrecy. Felix had believed blissfully that it would make him thin. Cecily's hair was to become naturally curly, and Sara Ray was not to be afraid of Peg Bowen any more. It was to make Felicity as clever as the Story Girl and it was to make the

ic seed was nothing more or less than caraway, which grew in abundance at B

all Billy to account. We thought that least said was soonest mended in such a matter. We went v

Felicity, summing up the case one evening when all had been made

gest handed in by any of the scholars. Cecily said she didn't envy him his conscience. But I am